WHO REMEMBERS when the garden buzzed with insects all summer?
Bees, butterflies, dragonflies and grasshoppers. Not now.
They are vital for pollination, food for birds, reptiles and mammals and for decomposing dead organic matter.
Worldwide we have lost 42 per cent of all insects in 10 years. This is catastrophic.
Causes include habitat loss, intensive farming, climate change and pesticides – insecticides, herbicides and fungicides.
They are all poisons and are heavily used in agriculture – 4million tonnes annually across the world and rising.
We know what damage they do to wildlife, including soil organisms, fish, birds, aquatic life, plants and terrestrial animals.
Fipronil is a poison in flea treatments for dogs – recently found by our group in Spadesbourne Brook.
There is a tablet used more now but that too is toxic when excreted.
There is more evidence now of pesticide’s effects on human health too, particularly children, who are much more susceptible to it .
There have been links to cancer, Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimers, childhood leukaemia, developmental delay and neurological development issues in children and male and female infertility, respiratory disease and cognitive impairment.
Governments frequently rely on research of these chemicals done by manufacturers. We can and must do something. About 30 per cent of urban land consists of gardens.
Bromsgrove Climate Action is asking people to pledge to give up using pesticides completely. There are so many alternatives.
We can encourage natural predators by making safe habitats for birds, frogs and hedgehogs.
Providing water and shelter is vital. Leave small gaps under fences so hedgehogs and frogs can get through. Don’t be too tidy.
Leave twigs and dead leaves in corners and patches of long grass for winter and leave dead flower heads and stems until spring – ideally when the temperature is consistently 10° or more. Insects overwinter in these.
Grow flowers to encourage predators, such as dragonflies, hoverflies and ladybirds, put up bird boxes or leave safe spaces for them to nest and reduce lighting at night. Bright lights interfere with birds’ nesting and sleeping patterns.
Doug Henderson from our council is committed to phasing out the use of Glyphosate in all public places and is piloting an alternative chemical-free weed control method.
Many councils have already done this successfully. Good news.
Please join us and pledge to give up using garden chemicals. We owe it to the planet and to our children.
10th Jun, 2026
