Do you know what annoys Janine and Gordon Thompson?
The worldwide decline in bugs.
In a study described as the global insect apocalypse, we have lost an estimated 76% of insect biomass over the past 27 years just because we produce food.
However, the Thompsons, who own the Earthlore Insect Sanctuary near Owaka in the Catlins, say anyone can take some simple steps to get the insects back into their gardens and pastures. It is important to teach them the basics that all living things need: food, shelter and water.
Mr. Thompson, who is originally from Kurow and has a rural background, said that some logs or pieces of wood would rot on the paddocks or in the garden to attract the right kind of insects like the metallic green ground beetle by giving them somewhere to live.
“They eat the slugs and the slugs – basically they eat the pests.”
His love for insects and his self-taught knowledge of insects led to the creation of his Alter Ego Inspector Insector, a kind of eco-warrior who explains in a child-friendly way what causes the loss of insect life. The character and creative graphics surrounding the Thompson Garden in Earthlore are the result of Mr Thompson’s graphic and screen printing background.
Planting certain trees would also help attract the right type of insects, he said.
“Olearia hectorii used to be common in the Catlins and is now endangered. It is the host of 12 [insect] Species, that is, 12 endangered invertebrates. So when the tree disappears, so do the insects and the food chain collapses.
“They’re a really good peasant tree because they bring the insects in and they are native to the south.”
Ms. Thompson grew up in a horticultural and horticultural family in Dunedin and eventually made a career by working in garden centers.
She encouraged all gardeners and farmers to “keep some borders wild and with an unsprayed border”.
“That will provide shelter and habitat for insects.”
She advised the use of flat trays to collect water in the garden or in the paddock, “which is filled with gravel so that insects have something to climb on, because without that they drown”.
“Bees, for example, fly three or four kilometers [from their hives] and they need a lot of water. “
Farmers could also put stones in water troughs to give bees and other insects “islands” to drink.
People had to change their perception of insects, the Thompsons said.
Insects performed five important functions that were essential to life on earth, such as: B. the provision of a source of food as a decomposer, pest control, pollinator and soil improver.
“Most people consider insects to be pests, but only about 3% are actually pests,” Ms. Thompson said.
This would include the sod and the porina caterpillar.
Native to New Zealand, porina usually fed on tufts and increased in size as pasture increased, but it also provided an abundance of food for birds.
Agriculture tended to create monocultures – large areas planted in the same crop – and the pests soon multiplied in the presence of easy-to-obtain forage, she said.
“And if you don’t have a variety of other habitats, bring the pests with you and those pest numbers will explode.”
The Thompsons have created various mini-habitats, such as a wetland, to bring in desirable insects, such as dragonflies and maiden flies, which eat mosquitos.
Their tussock land brought butterflies with them, such as the increasingly rare tussock ringlet, which brings in nectar and food for bees.
To bring the country back into balance, people had to be patient, Thompson said.
“It could take three to four years, and it could take ten years to make a real difference.”
And that includes restoring trees.
“What would delight our insect and bird-loving hearts would be more corridors for wildlife,” said Ms. Thompson.
“That would create habitat. What you need is a source of food and a shelter and a host plant, so plant as many species as you can.”
– From Mary-Jo Tohill
