Straight from Buglife Sepotember Bug Bites

Oilseed rape flourishes without bee-killing chemicals

As you know, Buglife have been campaigning extensively on neonicotinoids after finding out that they’re harmful to pollinating insects such as bumblebees and other types of wildlife. Our UK Government, Pesticide companies and National Farmer’s Union have long argued against us, saying that neonicotinoids are essential for farmers as they protect the growing crop against pests, especially for oilseed rape.


Now, the first harvest results of oilseed rape planted without neonicotinoid seed treatments have come in, and farmers are experiencing a better than usual crop – yields are higher than the 10 year average. 90% of the harvest has come in and yields are between 3.6 and 3.8 tonnes per hectare, higher than the normal farm average of 3.5. This suggests that the increase in pollinating insects after not using the chemicals, has helped the oilseed rape achieve fantastic yields and has outweighed any losses from pests.

This means the Government’s recent controversial decision to allow these banned bee-killing chemicals to be used in four eastern counties as an ‘emergency’ measure is nonsense.

Buglife is now calling on the UK Government to reconsider its decision to allow the use of banned bee toxins now that it is clear that there is no ‘emergency’ and indeed that bees have helped farmers bring in a bumper crop.

where are the flies this year?????????????

So a serious question based on my observations this year.

Are there as many flies of all shapes and sizes about this year, I dont think so. Why well usually while gardening I get bothered by lots of them and need to knock the biting ones off now and then but this year, no.

Then theres the surveys I do for a particular species of bat every August, four walks alongside a river at night using a torch to find my way, that usually sees me keeping me mouth shut and wafting flies away from my eyes while lots of them are visible in the beam of the torch, this year well theres some but nowhere near as many nor as many of the bat I am looking for.

Does it mean anything? What do I know is its not a scientific number of flies survey but my own view based on observation on four evenings in the Cambridge area. Whatever its worrying if this is replicated across the country as a whole. You might say good no flies. But think on, no flies equals no bats and no birds, not sure I like the sound of that at all.

interesting times for the environment with the greenest government

I dont know if I am being cynical but what the permission for certain eastern counties to use neonicotinoids on oilseed rape seed despite a bumper harvest this year on seed planted without it, and todays announcement of the badger cull being extended, I get this feeling that the shade of green the government was wanting to be known by is fading all the time.

ashes thoughts

So all over the media they are saying we thrashed them, we took revenge.

Hang on we lost a match out of the four and there is still a game to go where I dont doubt the Aussies will try and regain some pride.

But well done England.

Interesting this morning on Radio 4 I heard a joke doing the rounds in Australian started by a journalist.

Q; What do you call an Australian who can handle a bat.

A; A Vet.

Now thats got Basil Brush written all over it.........Boom Boom.