Abstract:

What is insect decline and what can we do about it? We discuss the whats and whys of global pattern of reductions in insect abundance, how this impacts us, and what we can do to protect insect biodiversity. 

Bio:

Dr. Terry McGlynn is an insect ecologist with the California State University Desert Studies Center and CSU Dominguez Hills, and has 25 years of experience conducting research on insects in tropical rainforests.

Links of Interest:

• Terry spoke about ants on this podcast: https://www.alieward.com/ologies/myrmecology
• Insects in education: Creating tolerance for some of the world's smallest citizens. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/251058523_Insects_in_education_Creating_tolerance_for_some_of_the_world%27s_smallest_citizens
• Entomological Society of America position statement on arthropod biodiversity: https://entsoc.org/advocacy-initiatives/science-policy/resources/position-statements/insects-biodiversity
• An academic review of insect decline from 2021: https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2023989118. “Death by a thousand cuts”
• Eight simple actions that individuals can take to save insects from global declines: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2002547117
• Community science:
  • For insect ID, Terry recommends iNaturalist
  • If you are in LA County, you can contribute to Harvester Hunt, created by Nadia Naji, Terry McGlynn, and Joel K. Abraham.
  • Monitoring monarchs: Journey North

Favorite insects (and other arthropods) mentioned by participants:

• Lacewings.
• Springtails.
• Australian bulldog ant.
• Hummingbird moth.
• Wind scorpion.
• Monarch butterfly.
• Sphinx moth.
• Tarantula hawk wasp.
• Antlion. 

We had a lively discussion!  Ideas and interpretive connections contributed by the speaker and by participants in the chat:

• "Some of my most effective interp has been when something landed on me and the kids were amazed I didn't freak out...!"
• "Kindergarteners love looking for insects when they realise they aren't so scary."
• "The Bug Zoo in Victoria Canada is amazing to help you get over fear of insects. I even kissed a cockroach!"
• "Night sky conservation advocates mention artificial lighting as impacting insect populations. So many interweaving possible factors, what about artificial lighting?"
• "I sometimes think that education for landscapers, general contractors, HOAs, and code departments might have some of the greatest possible positive influence."
• "We have been monitoring terrestrial invertebrates with students in the Smokies since 2003, so we are in our 20th year of collecting long term monitoring data. We haven't been looking at overall declines, but I am inspired for us to look into this in our data."
• "We talk alot about Monarchs. Personally I like to talk about lighning bugs (fireflies)"
• "We are focusing on fireflies this year to keep focus on dark skies. https://www.fireflyatlas.org/"
• "We are using insects as one of the main topics for our mobile nature center as we are sure that the urban places we will visit will have them and povide a link to nature."
• "The park where I was based has done annual butterfly festivals for many years (probably more than 20.) During some years I did a 'pollinator buffet' program with foods produced by pollinators for people to eat. And at the festivals, a state butterfly expert leads walks where people can use a net to catch one, let group identify and then release."
• "We are having a bug fest focusing on pollinators. I love the picnic basket interpretation idea."
• "Spruce Bark Beetles get a lot of attention here in Alaska, because of their impact on the forests - they're killing off the black spruce pretty extensively, There's a temperature-related reason why - as winters warm, they're able to survive longer and able to spread more broadly throughout the ecosystem. These have always been occurring cyclically in the past - is what's happening with beetles now unique - or just an extraordinary period of abundance? And - the beetles are generally perceived negatively for killing off the treees - is there an upside or positive message we could be providing about these circumstances?"  
• "One positive message about the bark beetle situation is, perhaps, that not all trees do get killed and some appear to be more resistant - so this might be a way that plant communities might evolve resilience to climate change."
• "Here at Cerrillos, we have an annual Tarantula hike. I often hear people say they see fewer now than in the past during Tarantula mating season."
• "I'm loving the green walls I am seeing put in within urban areas."
• "With the changing climate pushing so many insects into new habitats (as we see wholesale landscape changes across continents) the idea of 'invasive species' becomes an interesting topic for conversation. Traditionally we have defined 'invasives' as something humans have introduced (intentionally or not) because of our actions. But now, because we are changing climate on a global scale, do we define these huge migrations of animals (insects in particular) as invasive, and how do we balance that with just natural movement of species into new areas because of biological niche/succession cycles?"
• "We're part of the monarch butterfly migration study and have a lot of darkling beetles. I'm going to use the tarantula hawk / 'Alien' story in the future."
• "At our field station, a favorite activity is to go out at night with handheld black lights and hunt for scorpions."
• "In Maine we are experiencing increase in the non-native brown tail moths - possibly tied to climate (warmer winters and springs). For those unfamiliar, the urticating hairs are extremely irritating to people, akin to poison ivy."
• "No more “save the bees” messaging."
• "Dog food made from crickets! My dog LOVES cricket treats."
• "In my entomology class oh sooo many years ago, my professor told us that if we increased the percentage of insects allowed in our cereals by just a fraction of a percent it would cause us to use FAR less insecticide in agriculture (there is a little insect protein in all of our cereals)."
• "Anyone who has seen industrial chicken farming could not make an argument about 'disgust' when it comes to using insects for protein."
• "I think the ecosystem connection is most useful for me. At the Monterey Bay Aquarium we would call phytoplankton the insects of the sea and make the food web connections all the way up to the great whales."
• "There's such a big birding community out there, I would think that would be a great path to insect advocacy."
• "Songbirds use tons of insects to feed their young."
• "Mosquitoes and birds are a great connection."

Thanks for contributing to the discussion!