On Tuesday, 15 December 2015 08:25:07 UTC, Dawlish wrote:
Sad, but fits with my observations and counts this summer. This was a poor year, especially for gatekeepers.

http://butterfly-conservation.org/48/news-and-blog.html

Periods of longer summer droughts, likely to be associated with UK climate change this century, may well exacerbate the problem.

Nature August 2015 (actually free to read!!)

http://bit.ly/1ml9ZiZ



Absolute piffle from a piffling piff taker.

Now what would you have said if we'd just started coming out of the 90 thousands years plus period of glaciation, yet again.


" Oh dem poor mammoths are gonna have to up sticks and dun move north, oh lordy ".

The sea level and temperature has been falling and rising and falling and rising for far longer the suv's have topped up with diesel at the foul hands of right-wing bigots

More species have been harmed by none man made disasters

On Tuesday, December 15, 2015 at 9:17:05 PM UTC, Lawrence Jenkins wrote:
On Tuesday, 15 December 2015 08:25:07 UTC, Dawlish wrote:
Sad, but fits with my observations and counts this summer. This was a poor year, especially for gatekeepers.

http://butterfly-conservation.org/48/news-and-blog.html

Periods of longer summer droughts, likely to be associated with UK climate change this century, may well exacerbate the problem.

Nature August 2015 (actually free to read!!)

http://bit.ly/1ml9ZiZ



Absolute piffle from a piffling piff taker.

Now what would you have said if we'd just started coming out of the 90 thousands years plus period of glaciation, yet again.


" Oh dem poor mammoths are gonna have to up sticks and dun move north, oh lordy ".

The sea level and temperature has been falling and rising and falling and rising for far longer the suv's have topped up with diesel at the foul hands of right-wing bigots

More species have been harmed by none man made disasters

I'm quoting science larry. Something which is beyond you.

"Dave Cornwell" wrote in message
...
On 15/12/2015 19:21, Anne B wrote:
far fewer wasps (thank goodness).

They've all decamped north and into my house. When I came home
last Friday after a few days away there were literally hundreds
of them lying dead on the kitchen window sill, and I've caught
and killed several more since then. Thank goodness for the frost
at the weekend - with luck that should have put paid to the rest
of them until the spring. Loathsome things.

----------------------------------------------------------
I doubt they hold you in that high a regard either if you are killing them
!

I'm sure the feeling is mutual. Occasionally we get big queen? wasps in the
house in winter, my solution is to put them outside as they are dopey, they
probably freeze to death but at least I kill moderately like the moderate
so-called rebels in Syria :-)

Will
--
http://www.lyneside.demon.co.uk/Hayt...antage_Pro.htm
Will Hand (Haytor, Devon, 1017 feet asl)
---------------------------------------------

On Wednesday, December 16, 2015 at 3:51:50 PM UTC, wrote:
"Dave Cornwell" wrote in message
...
On 15/12/2015 19:21, Anne B wrote:
far fewer wasps (thank goodness).

They've all decamped north and into my house. When I came home
last Friday after a few days away there were literally hundreds
of them lying dead on the kitchen window sill, and I've caught
and killed several more since then. Thank goodness for the frost
at the weekend - with luck that should have put paid to the rest
of them until the spring. Loathsome things.

----------------------------------------------------------
I doubt they hold you in that high a regard either if you are killing them
!

I'm sure the feeling is mutual. Occasionally we get big queen? wasps in the
house in winter, my solution is to put them outside as they are dopey, they
probably freeze to death but at least I kill moderately like the moderate
so-called rebels in Syria :-)

Will
--
http://www.lyneside.demon.co.uk/Hayt...antage_Pro.htm
Will Hand (Haytor, Devon, 1017 feet asl)
---------------------------------------------

What on earth is that last sentence about?? Something bugging at you Will? Keep it off this newsgroup and in an appropriate forum, like a good boy, eh?

They've all decamped north and into my house. When I came
home
last Friday after a few days away there were literally
hundreds
of them lying dead on the kitchen window sill, and I've
caught
and killed several more since then. Thank goodness for the
frost
at the weekend - with luck that should have put paid to the
rest
of them until the spring. Loathsome things.
Anne

I doubt they hold you in that high a regard either if you are
killing them !
Dave

I'm sure they don't. Wasps are the only kind of wildlife in this
country which really terrify me - I have suffered all my life
from spheksophobia.

Anne

On 15/12/2015 18:57, Eskimo Will wrote:
Big decline in moths and all sorts of bugs in the autumn up here in the
past 13 years. Used to have two big colonies of house martins every year
in the eaves, now they try, may get a couple of pairs, but most give up
as there are very few flying insects around now in early summer. Still
plenty of bees and butterflys though but far fewer wasps (thank goodness).

Interesting Will, the wasps were more numerous here this year than for
at least 10 or maybe even 20 years. They massacred a couple of vine's
worth of grapes this autumn.

I am slightly sceptical about whether we can blame declining bird/insect
numbers on climate change and maybe have to look to changing farming
practices and the increase in the number of fields given over to
planting maize as an animal feed for meat and dairy production.

Increasing flooding of rivers like the Otter and bank erosion are also a
problem for sand martins. The flooding again linked to changing farming
practices and soil compaction. The clearance of woodlands and hedgerows
after the WW2 for food production may have led to a longer lasting
decline that we are still feeling the effects of today.

The tidying up of gardens to create that 'outdoor space' may also be
behind the loss of hedgehog, thrush and sparrow populations. Conversion
of old farm buildings into houses could also be having an effect.

I don't think there is one single cause but many and when you do look
out at the countryside most of it is completely man-made and very
depleted from an ecological point of view. Shifting baseline syndrome
often means that we keep it depleted with Dartmoor and the Pennines
being a couple of prime examples.

--
Nick Gardner
Otter Valley, Devon
20 m amsl
http://www.ottervalley.co.uk

On 16/12/2015 16:15, Anne B wrote:
I'm sure they don't. Wasps are the only kind of wildlife in this
country which really terrify me - I have suffered all my life
from spheksophobia.

I actually encourage wasps into my garden (even though they eat my
grapes) by planting native wildflowers such as marsh figwort. The wasps
go mad over this plant and you can stand right next to it and the plant
can be covered in 100s of wasps who will completely ignore you.

You can even put a bit of honey on the back of your hand and they will
land and lick the honey but they will not sting you. The common wasp
rarely stings for no reason and I have not been stung for years.
Besides, the sting is not that painfall.

The common, social wasps are an important predator of pests such as
aphids and the parasitic wasps are amazing, totally fascinating insects
that parasitise many pests including slugs and snails.

I think we need a wasp appreciation society - I believe Chris Packham
once sported a T-Shirt on Springwatch supporting our wasps.

--
Nick Gardner
Otter Valley, Devon
20 m amsl
http://www.ottervalley.co.uk

On Wednesday, 16 December 2015 16:06:18 UTC, Dawlish wrote:
On Wednesday, December 16, 2015 at 3:51:50 PM UTC, wrote:
"Dave Cornwell" wrote in message
...
On 15/12/2015 19:21, Anne B wrote:
far fewer wasps (thank goodness).

They've all decamped north and into my house. When I came home
last Friday after a few days away there were literally hundreds
of them lying dead on the kitchen window sill, and I've caught
and killed several more since then. Thank goodness for the frost
at the weekend - with luck that should have put paid to the rest
of them until the spring. Loathsome things.

----------------------------------------------------------
I doubt they hold you in that high a regard either if you are killing them
!

I'm sure the feeling is mutual. Occasionally we get big queen? wasps in the
house in winter, my solution is to put them outside as they are dopey, they
probably freeze to death but at least I kill moderately like the moderate
so-called rebels in Syria :-)

Will
--
http://www.lyneside.demon.co.uk/Hayt...antage_Pro.htm
Will Hand (Haytor, Devon, 1017 feet asl)
---------------------------------------------

What on earth is that last sentence about?? Something bugging at you Will? Keep it off this newsgroup and in an appropriate forum, like a good boy, eh?

Blimey, there's touchy, inni' aye?

Tudor Hughes