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Good points.
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Is Jeff Ogden still a member of this forum?  He is/was a field ento=
mologist with DNR.  He would know the answer to some of these question=
s of yours.
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Cheers,
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Patricia L. Chalmers
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Halifax
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P.S.  I have just driven back into town from my parents' home i=
n Bedford, where I always enjoy the "surround sound" of crickets an=
d other night insects at this time of year.   None where I live i=
n the city!
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<br/>> On August 27, 2016 at 9:53 PM Bev Wigney <bkwigney@gmail.=
com> wrote:
<br/>>=20
<br/>>=20
<br/>> Last night, I did find a couple of references to Bt killing o=
f
<br/>> non-target insects, and Leps in particular. I've also bee=
n in touch
<br/>> with an entomologist friend in Chicago whose work deals with
<br/>> restoration projects for species at risk Leps. He feels that =
these
<br/>> kinds of spray programs do present a danger to non-target spe=
cies and
<br/>> has some references which he'll be sending along when he =
returns to
<br/>> work early next week.
<br/>>=20
<br/>> Does anyone know when there has been spraying in the past? Wh=
o is
<br/>> keeping track of where and when the spraying is done? That wo=
uld be a
<br/>> good question to begin with. If no one has been bothering to =
sample
<br/>> insect populations ahead of spraying, and again after, and if=
they
<br/>> aren't really keeping track of when and where spraying wa=
s done,
<br/>> that's not particularly responsible. I'd like to thin=
k that someone
<br/>> is actually caring enough about the insect diversity of the p=
rovince
<br/>> to want to avoid killing moths like Cecropia, Luna, Polyphemu=
s,
<br/>> various Sphinx, and the many other moths and all the butterfl=
ies that
<br/>> are part of the ecological web. And, as I read in one of the
<br/>> references last night, some species of insectivores actually =
*benefit*
<br/>> from spikes in some of the most despised forest insects -- an=
d that
<br/>> can actually take care of a population spike in a target spec=
ies while
<br/>> boosting those insectivore populations. That's just the k=
ind of thing
<br/>> we should be studying rather than jumping the gun on widespre=
ad
<br/>> spraying.
<br/>>=20
<br/>> Just for the record. I have been photographing moths at Round=
Hill
<br/>> for 7 summers now. This has been a very disappointing summer =
for
<br/>> moths at the lamps. Barely any Sphinx, only one Cecropia and =
a couple
<br/>> of Luna. I've had a lot of the smaller moths including a =
few new
<br/>> species, but many of the "regulars" have either been =
absent or only in
<br/>> small numbers. All in all, a real wash-out of a season. It wo=
uld be
<br/>> interesting to know what is going on. Not long ago, I read an=
article
<br/>> on biologists in Europe realizing that they need to be settin=
g up
<br/>> insect monitoring stations as they have a very poor base-line=
from
<br/>> which to figure out what species should occur and where, and =
whether
<br/>> numbers are dropping. I strongly suspect that we aren't d=
oing much if
<br/>> any better than the Europeans when it comes to monitoring.
<br/>>=20
<br/>> Bev Wigney
<br/>> Round Hill, NS
<br/>>=20
<br/>> On 8/27/16, Stephen Shaw <srshaw@dal.ca> wrote:
<br/>> > Donna=E2=80=99 original comment was about possible =E2=
=80=98bycatch=E2=80=99 effects on other
<br/>> > butterflies, of widespread spraying with Bt (Bacillus t=
huringiensis)
<br/>> > anti-insect preparations against budworm.
<br/>> >
<br/>> > I had a look for this on Google under =E2=80=98bt spruc=
e budworm=E2=80=99 for about 10
<br/>> > pages, and didn=E2=80=99t see any title that stood out =
as having examined this
<br/>> > critically. Maybe it=E2=80=99s there somewhere but woul=
d take work to uncover it.
<br/>> > Most of the articles seemed to be government- or forest=
industry-sourced and
<br/>> > 'good-thing positive=E2=80=99.
<br/>> > The Wikipedia entry under Bt is extensive but again is =
positive with little
<br/>> > negative regarding side effects, as if written by fores=
t industry
<br/>> > apologists. According to that source, Bt preparations b=
esides being toxic
<br/>> > to Lepidoptera also go for Diptera, flies, Hymenoptera,=
bees etc, and
<br/>> > Coleoptera, beetles: as these are the largest insect gr=
oups species- and
<br/>> > biomass-wise, it therefore would account for a large fr=
action of all
<br/>> > insects. Presumably any larva or adult in these groups =
in that habitat that
<br/>> > ingests recently sprayed leaves or needles is likely to=
suffer a similar
<br/>> > percentage mortality as the spruce budworm larvae.
<br/>> >
<br/>> > Beyond the approach of spraying Bt, there has been cont=
roversy over a study
<br/>> > that found monarch butterflies could suffer Bt poisonin=
g from nearby maize
<br/>> > plants genetically engineered to express Bt genes. This=
seems to have been
<br/>> > refuted by later work claiming that the level of Bt tox=
ins from maize
<br/>> > encountered by such monarchs would be too low to affect=
them adversely.
<br/>> >
<br/>> > I would have liked to have a read a more critical evalu=
ation of
<br/>> > insect-bycatch from a credible source but didn=E2=80=99=
t find anything so far.
<br/>> > Maybe others here have found better information?
<br/>> > Steve (Hfx)
<br/>> >
<br/>> >
<br/>> > Aug 27, 2016, at 5:44 PM, Rick Whitman <dendroica.c=
aerulescens@gmail.com>
<br/>> > wrote:
<br/>> >> Indeed ! I have been thinking this for several yea=
rs now. Surely many of
<br/>> >> us can remember those windshields. It can't be=
all better air flow /
<br/>> >> design ?
<br/>> >>
<br/>> >> A phone message, may be brief!
<br/>> >> Rick
<br/>> >>
<br/>> >>
<br/>> >> On Aug 27, 2016, at 10:08 AM, Eleanor Lindsay <=
;kelindsay135@gmail.com>
<br/>> >> wrote:
<br/>> >>
<br/>> >> For the past 30+ years I have made regular summer =
car trips from St
<br/>> >> Margarets Bay to Fredericton; in the early days I =
used to frequently have
<br/>> >> to stop to clear accumulations of dead insects fro=
m my front windshield. I
<br/>> >> am no longer sure about the exact time frame of th=
is change, but yesterday
<br/>> >> on return home I was struck by the total lack - no=
t one single insect on
<br/>> >> my windshield, which speaks such volumes about the=
enormity of change
<br/>> >> happening around us - and also how easy it can be =
not to be so quick to
<br/>> >> notice or object to the 'convenient' chang=
es...................
<br/>> >>
<br/>> >> Eleanor Lindsay
<br/>> >>
<br/>> >>
<br/>> >>> On 2016-08-26 9:17 PM, Donna Crossland wrote:
<br/>> >>> It's very interesting to read of these va=
rious insect observations.
<br/>> >>> Creating awareness is valuable to those of us=
who haven't yet ventured
<br/>> >>> into
<br/>> >>> this domain.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> I could use some help from folks who are much=
more in-the-know on what
<br/>> >>> they
<br/>> >>> might predict the potential effects of sprayi=
ng bT for spruce budworm
<br/>> >>> would
<br/>> >>> do to our butterfly populations and other ins=
ects. It's all potential
<br/>> >>> bird
<br/>> >>> food in my mind, and that's a concern, bu=
t what of other non-target
<br/>> >>> insect
<br/>> >>> populations here? Timing is everything, as I =
understand it. I haven't
<br/>> >>> had
<br/>> >>> time to research this topic, but I would like=
some Nova Scotia-specific
<br/>> >>> observations/predictions on what that might m=
ean to our insect
<br/>> >>> populations
<br/>> >>> if spraying began next year, which may happen=
. Thoughts?
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Donna Crossland (naive insect person)
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> From: naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca
<br/>> >>> [mailto:naturens-owner@chebucto.ns.ca]
<br/>> >>> On Behalf Of Mary Macaulay
<br/>> >>> Sent: August-26-16 9:09 AM
<br/>> >>> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
<br/>> >>> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Butterfly numbers
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Sadly this is a global phenomenon. We are now=
very sophisticated with
<br/>> >>> our
<br/>> >>> chemical strategies for indiscriminately kill=
ing all insects.
<br/>> >>> http://butterfly-conservation.org/48-10581/ne=
onicotinoid-pesticides-linked-t
<br/>> >>> o-butterfly-declines.html
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Those of us who notice need to wake those up =
who'd care IF they noticed.
<br/>> >>> Spread the word persistently.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> With kindest regards
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Mary (Macaulay), P.Eng.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Owner, Remember Adventures & Caper Cafe
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Pedal Buggy & snowshoe rentals, great bir=
d friendly coffee, breakfast &
<br/>> >>> pasta, pollinator meadow, games & more!!
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> (Open Wed to Sunday: 8:30 am-7pm)
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> HWY 6 & Station Road
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Trans-Canada Trail
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Tatamagouche
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> RememberAdventures.ca & InsectRecovery.or=
g
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> 1-902-657-0054
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Twitter @RememberTata & @InsectRecovery
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> On Aug 26, 2016, at 8:57 AM, Angus MacLean &#=
60;cold_mac@hotmail.com> wrote:
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> I spent 5 days in the field while visiting in=
northern Cape Breton,
<br/>> >>> returning yesterday. I saw three fritillaries=
in total, likely Great
<br/>> >>> Spangled, but I could not catch up to them. N=
o other butterflies!
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> In Kings County, virtually the same story but=
the lack of skippers is
<br/>> >>> particularly noticeable & troubling.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Large numbers of moths coming to the lights, =
especially in Cape Breton,
<br/>> >>> so
<br/>> >>> whatever is impacting the butterflies is not =
affecting the moth
<br/>> >>> population.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> As for bumble bees, Bombus ternarius is alway=
s very common/numerous when
<br/>> >>> goldenrod is at its height. Goldenrod does no=
t attract other nectaring
<br/>> >>> insects so its a mystery to me. This summer B=
. ternarius on the average
<br/>> >>> appears quite small indicating a lack of food=
for them in their larval
<br/>> >>> stage.
<br/>> >>> Angus
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> _____
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> From: srshaw@Dal.Ca
<br/>> >>> To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
<br/>> >>> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Butterfly numbers
<br/>> >>> Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2016 02:55:23 +0000
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> I was on the lower part of the drumlin in the=
Mt Uniacke House grounds
<br/>> >>> for
<br/>> >>> about an hour in mid-afternoon with a net, lo=
oking for flies (not many).
<br/>> >>> In
<br/>> >>> hot sunny conditions I saw only one butterfly=
in that time, a common
<br/>> >>> wood-nymph; also two dragonflies, the small r=
ed meadow hawks like those
<br/>> >>> I
<br/>> >>> used to catch in Cape Cod, Sympetrum sp there=
.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> The only insects that were common were a smal=
l bumble bee, in hundreds
<br/>> >>> everywhere on goldenrod and asters, and a fai=
r number of Virginia
<br/>> >>> Ctenuca
<br/>> >>> moths. The small creek there has dried up com=
pletely.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Steve (Hfx)
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> On Aug 25, 2016, at 3:02 PM, Ron Wilson <=
solidago123@gmail.com> wrote:
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> I too noticed a noticeable lack of butterflie=
s on my property this year,
<br/>> >>> that is until a couple of days ago.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> While the flight time for many species has pa=
ssed there has been an
<br/>> >>> emergence of adult Common Ringlet Butterflies=
here with approx 12
<br/>> >>> flitting
<br/>> >>> around at any given time.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Today marked the appearance of this year'=
s second Red Admiral seen here
<br/>> >>> along with one Great-spangled Fritillary.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Clouded Sulphurs and Cabbage Whites are numer=
ous now as well.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> No sign of American or Painted Ladies this ye=
ar whereas last year they
<br/>> >>> were
<br/>> >>> a frequent visitor.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Ron Wilson
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Somerset NS
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> On Fri, Aug 19, 2016 at 2:48 PM, Larry Bogan =
<larry@bogan.ca> wrote:
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Peter et al
<br/>> >>> Yes, I feel that there have been fewer butter=
flies this summer. Our
<br/>> >>> field
<br/>> >>> used to hold lots of skippers and Wood Nymphs=
and there were sparse this
<br/>> >>> year. The mission-monarch blitz last weekend =
looked for Monarch
<br/>> >>> evidence
<br/>> >>> and found some few and far between.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> The last rain has seemed to sparked butterfli=
es. Since then I have seen
<br/>> >>> two Viceroys, a White Admiral, and lots of Ca=
bbage whites and sulphurs.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> We hope to increase the Monarch population. T=
he protection and raising
<br/>> >>> from eggs and larvae is at the release stage.=
So far we have released 26
<br/>> >>> adult Monarchs and have quite a few to go. We=
hope to be up near 80 this
<br/>> >>> year. All this from two females and a male in=
our field during July.
<br/>> >>> Some
<br/>> >>> of the ones we released have stayed around an=
d twice in the last few
<br/>> >>> days,
<br/>> >>> we saw a pair coupled. No eggs found yet.
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> Larry
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> ////// =3D=3D=3D ///////
<br/>> >>> Larry Bogan
<br/>> >>> Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia
<br/>> >>> <larry@bogan.ca>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>> On Fri, 19 Aug 2016 13:09:15 -0300
<br/>> >>> pce@accesswave.ca wrote:
<br/>> >>>
<br/>> >>>> It seems to me that butterfly numbers ha=
ve been way down over the last
<br/>> >>>> few weeks, during that prolonged dry spe=
ll.
<br/>> >>>>
<br/>> >>>> However, with a couple of decent rains, =
we're starting to see a few
<br/>> >>>> butterflies flying again. In particular,=
my neighbours' Buddleia had
<br/>> >>>> three Red Admirals on it this morning, a=
nd the lowly Cabbage White has
<br/>> >>>> become more common, too.
<br/>> >>>>
<br/>> >>>> Anybody else feel that this has not been=
a great summer for
<br/>> >>>> butterflies?
<br/>> >>>>
<br/>> >>>> Peter Payzant
<br/>> >>
<br/>> >
<br/>> >
</div>
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