John  Hopkins.  British Wildlife Oct 2019  Volume 32 No 1
https://www.britishwildlife.com/back-issues/british-wildlife-311-october-2019

This is a review of insect decline.  The research was based on 73 studies of insect declines each covering a time period of 10 years or more.

Conclusions :-

• The rate of insect declined  is twice that reported for mammals.
• About one third of insects  are threatened with extinction in the countries studied.
• Rates of decline  in aquatic species are higher than for terrestial species.
• Many insect communities are  shifting  towards species poor collections of generalists and pollution tolerant species are dominating many fresh waters.
• Not only specialists with  narrow ecological requirements are being lost but also some once common generalists.
• The rate of decline for the UK was 60%, higher than the global rate of 41% and the 44% decline in Europe as a whole.

As well as pollination, insects also control pests, play a key role in decomposition , nutrient cycling, and soil aeration and are food for many other animals.

The largest driver of change was loss and conversion of habitats to intensive  agriculture or development.  The second most important factor is identified as pollution by synthetic pesticides and  fertilisers, significantly more influential than climate change.

Hertfordshire County Council is taking action on verge cutting.  Is this enough?  What about other County Councils?

Roadside verges could become home to wildflowers and the pollinators that feed on them, after Hertfordshire County Council agreed to test a new approach to grass cutting along the county’s roads.
Around 70 roadside verges in rural areas will be cut in a different way to encourage the growth of wildflowers. These areas will be cut only once a year, between mid-July and mid-August, with the grass cuttings removed. This will allow for the growth, flowering and seeding of wildflowers, as well as preventing the verges from being dominated by more aggressive plant species. This will provide an ideal habitat for bees and other pollinating insects.
The new approach to grass cutting will start in 2020, although it will take at least two years before the first wildflowers appear. Some verges may appear overgrown or unmaintained in the first year, but this a natural part of the new habitat establishing itself.
This new approach will contribute to the Sustainable Hertfordshire strategy – the county council’s ambitious programme to improve sustainability in the county.
The verges that will be cut in this way have been identified using wildlife and ecology data. They are mostly areas that have a medium to high quality of vegetation and diversity of species, and so are most likely to successfully establish themselves as wildflower habitats.
For safety reasons, verges in urban areas, and around rural junctions and bends in the road, will continue to be cut in the same way as before.

Hertfordshire County Council cuts approximately 6,500,000 square meters of roadside verges.  Hertfordshire County Council declared a climate emergency in July 2019 and has committed itself to developing an ambitious programme to improve sustainability in the county

Invasive non-native Asian hornets ( Vespa velutina) have been sighted in the UK since 2016. It is important to be able to distinguish them from our native Eurpoean hornets ( Vespa crabro).

According to Jess Chappell from the RSPB’s nature policy team, these are the distinguishing features to look out for:-

Our native European hornet has a brown and yellow striped abdomen and an orangey brown thorax and head. The Asian hornet has a black thorax, an orangey brown head and a mostly dark abdomen with a yellow/orange 4th abdominal segment.

The legs of European hornets are dark but the Asian hornets have bright yellow tips to their legs

Asian hornets are smaller than European hornets (European queens up to 35mm; Asian queens up to 30mm)

Asian hornets are day-flying insects and are not active at night whereas our native European hornets are active at night.

The invasive non-native Asian hornet is an aggressive predator of pollinating insects, including honeybees and wasps. It does not pose any greater risk to humans than our native hornets or bees but we are advised not to disturb a suspected nest . It was first found in France in 2004 and subsequently found in Jersey. It is now on the UK mainland and was first sighted in Gloucester and Somerset in September 2016: the latest sighting was in October 2019 in Dorset.

The UK government is keen to stop this non-native hornet becoming established in the UK. If established it could cause significant losses to bee colonies and potentially other native pollinating insects. We are asked to report any suspected sightings. New queens emerge from hibernation in February so this will be the time to be vigilant. The hornets are active from February to November.

Sightings should be reported to the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology at alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk with location details and a photo if possible. Or fill out the report form on their website.

The NNSS ( the Non-native Species secretariat) has downloadable information sheets on their website www.nonnativespecies.org

The British Beekeepers Association also has information and an Asian Hornet incursion map on www.bbka.org.uk/asian-hornet-incursion-map

Guardian newspaper report:-

“Britain could enjoy 400bn more flowers if road verges were cut later and less often according to guidelines drawn up by wildlife charities, highways authorities and contractors.

The national guidance for managing roadside verges for wildflowers calls for just two cuts a year – instead of four or more – and only after flowers have set seed, to restore floral diversity and save councils money. It would also provide grassland habitat the size of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh combined.

The recommendations have been produced by the wildlife charity Plantlife, backed by national highways agencies, the industry bodies Skanska and Kier, as well as Natural England and other environmental groups.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/27/uk-roadsides-verge-wildlife-corridors-guidelines-wildflowers?fbclid=IwAR33h3QnZ00NyZpeM1CNZhS09RxR0Mr3siJYMPZw2rJCwSO8tCe8PtcmJIY

Huffington Post: Recolouring The Countryside – Why We Need To Put Meadows Back On The Map:
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/recolouring-the-countryside-why-we-need-to-put-meadows_uk_5a96d715e4b062df100e865c

ITV News: Wildflowers and insects under threat due to vanishing meadows, experts warn:
https://www.itv.com/news/2018-07-06/wildflowers-and-insects-under-threat-due-to-vanishing-meadows-experts-warn/

The Guardian: Plummeting insect numbers ‘threaten collapse of nature’:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/10/plummeting-insect-numbers-threaten-collapse-of-nature

The Guardian: World’s food supply under ‘severe threat’ from loss of biodiversity:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/feb/21/worlds-food-supply-under-severe-threat-from-loss-of-biodiversity

BBC News: UN: Growing threat to food from decline in biodiversity:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47308235

BBC News: Nature crisis: Humans ‘threaten 1m species with extinction’:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-48169783

New Scientist: Destruction of nature is as big a threat to humanity as climate change:
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2201697-destruction-of-nature-is-as-big-a-threat-to-humanity-as-climate-change/