Through this report, besides the topic itself, I want to also highlight how being a member of Tunza Ecogen has helped me relate the lessons learnt online on this forum, to environmental issues that I have come across in real life. 

Introduction

As I had mentioned in some of my previous reports, I was maintaining a balcony garden, when I lived in Dubai. While trying to grow Cucumber and Bitter gourd in pots, the plants grew well, flowered too, but there were no fruits to be seen.

After some research I gathered that perhaps the plants did not bear fruit because pollination could not take place. A fellow member, through a comment on my report, suggested hand pollination.

Problem- Dwindling Population of Pollinators

It was then that I also remembered some reports that I had earlier done (in 2013) on the perils of the dwindling populations of bees and other pollinators. I recalled also the various reports by other members on the same issue. 

Indeed insects as pollinators are elementary for survival of life on the planet. Without them we will have no food. 

Two of the recent topics that we have covered on the Tunza Ecogen reports- Pesticides and Endangered species- got me thinking further and I could connect them to my failure to grow some fruits in my balcony garden. Excessive use of Pesticides has led to the collapse of the populations of Bees and other insect pollinators, affecting the availability of food crops.

Reason- Collapse of Insect Colonies

To further substantiate the enormity of the matter, I came across a recent report in the UAE national daily Gulf News dated 21^st October 2017, highlighting the looming catastrophe due to the giant insect ecosystem collapse caused by human activity. 

According to the report, insects are perhaps the most successful group of creatures the Earth has ever seen. They have thrived in soil, water, and air for hundreds of millions of years- in every continent bar Antarctica, in every habitat but the ocean. But today the remorselessly expanding human enterprise has become too much, even for them.

As reported, flying insect biomass has been reducing alarmingly. This hints an impending disaster as most of our fruit crops are insect-pollinated, as are the vast majority of our wild plants. Furthermore, insects form the base of countless food chains, and their disappearance is a principal reason for reducing populations of many birds.

Please follow the link below to read more in this alarming report

http://gulfnews.com/news/europe/uk/it-s-catastrophe-as-a-giant-insect-ecosystem-collapses-due-to-humans-1.2109962 

With respect to this topic, I want to introduce some possible solutions

Possible Solutions

INSECT HOTELS

During my trip to the Living Rainforest in UK, this summer for the International Environmental Schools Debate, I was introduced to a new term and a concept that was new to me. 

INSECT HOTELS

An insect hotel, also known as a bug hotel or insect house, is a manmade structure created to provide shelter for insects. They can come in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the specific purpose or specific insect it is catered to. Most consist of several different sections that provide insects with nesting facilities – particularly during winter, offering shelter or refuge for many types of insects.

Many insect hotels are used as nest sites by insects including solitary bees and solitary wasps. These insects drag prey to the nest where an egg is deposited. Other insects hotels are specifically designed to allow the insects to hibernate, notable examples include ladybirds and butterflies. Insect hotels are popular amongst gardeners and fruit and vegetable growers due to their role encouraging insect pollination. Some elaborately designed insect hotels may also be attractions in their own right and, increasingly, can be found in pub gardens and various tourist locations.

Source & more information on Insect Hotels

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insect_hotel

https://permaculturenews.org/2013/10/08/building-insect-hotel/

Further research introduced me to two other similar solutions that can be practiced easily by farmers and urban gardeners.

BEETLE BANKS

A beetle bank (a concept developed by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust in collaboration with the University of Southampton) is a strip planted with grasses and/or perennial plants, within a crop field or a garden, that fosters and provides habitat for beneficial insects, birds, and other fauna that prey on pests. Other important benefits can be providing habitat for pollinators and endangered species. If using local native plants, endemic and indigenous flora and fauna restoration ecology is supported.

Beetle banks are typically made up from plants such as sunflowers, Vicia faba, Centaurea cyanus, coriander, borage, Muhlenbergia, Stipa, and buckwheats Beetle banks are used to reduce or replace the use of insecticides as a form of biological pest control and can also serve as habitat for birds and beneficial rodents. Eg. Insects such as Chrysoperla carnea and the Ichneumon fly can prey on pests.

Source & more information on Beetle Banks

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beetle_bank

INSECTARY PLANTS

Insectary plants are those that attract insects. As such, beneficial insectary plants are intentionally introduced into an ecosystem to increase pollen resources and nectar resources required by the natural enemies of harmful or unwanted insect pests. Beyond an effective natural control of pests, the friendly insects attracted to the insectary plants also assist in pollination of other nearby plants.

The "friendly insects" include ladybeetles, bees, ground beetles, hoverflies, and parasitic wasps. Other animals that are frequently considered beneficial include lizards, spiders, toads, and humming birds.

Many members of the Apiaceae family are excellent insectary plants. Fennel, angelica, coriander (cilantro), dill, and wild carrot all provide in great number the tiny flowers required by parasitic wasps. Various clovers, yarrow, and rue also attract parasitic and predatory insects. Low-growing plants, such as thyme, rosemary, or mint, provide shelter for ground beetles and other beneficial insects. Composite flowers (daisy and chamomile) and mints (spearmint, peppermint, or catnip) will attract predatory wasps, hoverflies, and robber flies. The wasps will catch caterpillars and grubs to feed their young, while the predatory and parasitic flies attack many kinds of insects, including leafhoppers and caterpillars.

Source & more information on Insectary plants

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insectary_plant

 

Conclusion

Three generations of pesticide-based industrialised farming has been pouring a vast tide of poisons over the land year after year after year, since the end of the Second World War. Going forward, as we struggle to feed the nine billion people expected inhabit the world by 2050, and the possible 12 billion by 2100, and agriculture intensifies even further to let us do so, we cannot afford to let this damage our insect ecosystems.

It is thus imperative to consider ways to protect our plants and crops from pests without relying on heavy insecticides and pesticides, while at the same time allowing the vital pollinators and harmless insects to thrive. While I hope our governments and scientists are working on research for long term and large scale solutions, through my report I have tried to cover some possible solutions that can be used by small scale farmers and urban gardeners like us to do our share to help the precious pollinators to thrive.

 

 Photo Credit:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Bugs_and_Beetles_Welcome_at_the_Insect_Hotel%2C_RSPB_Old_Moor_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1636030.jpg

An Insect hotel...