Bugs and butterflies gone with the wind

Nature lovers have one more reason to worry.

Insects are slowly disappearing from this ‘garden city’ as trees and plants are being cut to give way to concrete jungles.

“This is true of any rapidly developing city… but in Bangalore, it is hard to take statistics as each road is different from the other,” said YB Srinivas, scientist with Institute of Wood Science and Technology.

Fireflies used to visit the city in June, soon after the first showers, but now they have almost vanished as they do not find enough moisture in the city. This makes our nights darker and less magical.

“Many species of butterflies are also disappearing as there are no conducive places for them to reside and feed, like shrubs and trees, which are vanishing,” he said.

Some agile insects such as cockroaches and pests have increased in number while others are fading out.

“In the food chain, insects play an important role. But urbanisation affects them a lot. Availability of water in soil and food in the form of leaves or honey are factors that impact the insect population… When there are not enough plants, the insect population is bound to decline,” he said.

Unlike birds, which can fly around looking for food or water, insects perish, resulting in a fall in their population.

“Among the worst victims are cicada insects, which used to make a humming noise in shrubs. One can’t hear them now. Crickets too have faded out,” he said.

The population of ‘jewel bug’ has also fallen. “These bugs used to be caught and put in bottles as they looked colourful like a jewel. But their numbers are reduced now,” he said.

The only way to revive them, experts say, is to grow more insect-friendly trees and make room for their existence as they play an important role in the food chain.

“Alongside the infrastructure development, green growth also needs to happen as the insect species will only be restricted to green campuses like Indian Institute of Science, University of Agriculture Sciences or Institute of Wood Science and Technology, where green cover is more. When they (insects) run out of space, they perish,” he said.