"The Playbook for Poisoning the Earth"

[seanconnery]

History of Neonics Ascendance:
https://theintercept.com/2020/01/18/bees-insecticides-pesticides-neonicotinoids-bayer-monsanto-syngenta/

[Ben Framed]

sean I have noticed in the past few years, driving at night bugs were constantly being splattered on my vehicle with night driving during the summer months. I live in the south, not very far from the Mississippi Delta. It is rare that I go to the Delta but used to be when I did occasionally drive there during nightly hours I couldn?t keep the windshield clean for any amount of time because of all the bug Splatter. That is not the case any longer. It really seems odd not to have all the bug splatter as before.

[MikeyN.C.]

Phil, u talking about Jack an Jill ( love bugs).?
When I lived in Louisiana years ago, one year would be really bad, next year hardly any.

[Ben Framed]

No, I was speaking of night dwelling insects in general. They just are not there as they once were. As I said before you could not drive at night during the summer without uncountable numbers smashed against the windshield and Vehicle. Drastic difference now

[FloridaGardener]

@seanconnery Thanks for the link to the well written article. The information is horrifying. Another reason for the big "Why?" of CCD, unconquered human cancer, etc.

[CoolBees]

Great article Seanconnery, and I don't argue any of it.

However, I'm still left with questions. See, I was born and raised in the Northeastern US. All my childhood memories of spring, summer and fall include clouds of knats following me around trying to bite. If you turned around fast, several of them would end up in your mouth or eyes, gagging you. I also remember the (biting) deer flies, horse flies, and clouds mosquitoes. By the time I came along, they had been spraying DDT for 30-odd years. I never wanted to return to where I was born simply because of all the insects that want to eat you (there).

Fast forward some number of years - 2 years ago I returned to visit in mid June. I spent some time with the family and relatives - fishing, hiking, etc. Not one bug bothered me or anyone else - except maybe the stray mosquito occasionally. I asked them about it and they said "we don't really have a problem with knats and such, anymore".

This area of the country isn't know as an agricultural center for great distances in any direction - and further, many of the biting insects (that bothered me as a child) never eat from plants - they are swamp/marsh/wet are insects that feed on animals (yes, I know male mosquitoes do). So ..

.. where did all of those insects go? Certainly neonics can't have reached them too? If so, how? ... I don't know the answer(s), and I don't defend neonics. But I do wonder how much of the answer can be found via other chemicals or growing practices that aren't being talked about, or maybe the answer lays in the book of Revelations. ... wish I knew ...

[Acebird]

By the time I came along, they had been spraying DDT for 30-odd years. I never wanted to return to where I was born simply because of all the insects that want to eat you (there).

The curse of man trying to control nature...
DDT killed all the bugs along with all the predators like birds and snakes.  DDT was stopped and the bugs come back with a vengeance, no predators.  That is the period you remember.  It takes a long time for the predators to come back and balance nature again.
Again we face the curse with Round up.  If you start with chemical farming you are held hostage.  The chemical companies do this on purpose.  Pharmaceuticals are the exact same thing.