Go wild for bees

The latest EU Grassland Butterfly Index warns that we are in danger of losing 90% of our bumblebees and 20% of butterflies by mid-century if current trends continue.

Bumblebees may face extinction in Ireland in another 30 years unless we throw the species a lifeline — and that is far easier than you might imagine.

Commenting on the report, Tomás Murray of the National Biodiversity Data Centre warned that these figures indicate the health or otherwise of the 11,440 species of insects in Ireland.

An abundance of butterflies indicates that all insects are doing well but when you see butterflies declining it’s frightening to think of how much all the other insects we can’t measure are declining, he warned.

He also pointed out we can reverse this loss by recreating the habitat these insects need. By simply letting a small corner of a garden or a field, or a road verge, go wild we offer sanctuary to species we depend on for pollination and soil enrichment through decomposition.

These measures might avert a loss the consequences of which we may not fully appreciate yet.