oñoñoñoñoñoñoñoñ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ eric campbell: flying insects, by definition, get around. along forests, over fields, and if they're lucky, through insecticides, but for decades people have had a nagging sense that insects aren't traveling well.

now, some scientists suggest their numbers are crashing. we could even be facing insectageddon. so, how bad is it, and can it be stopped? i'm in germany on the trail of disappearing bugs. eric: now, one of the reasons for the concerns has been dubbed the windshield phenomenon, people remembering that when they were kids and went on family drives across europe or north america that the windshield would be literally covered with insects. and these days it seems you can drive for days and never have to clean it. we've been traveling in this beetle and haven't hit a single bug. but how do you prove it? well, that would have meant people spending literally decades collecting and counting millions of insects to see if there really had been a drop. and who would have the time or inclination to do that? thank goodness for the germans.

♪♪♪ eric: i'm heading to the small northwest town of krefeld near the dutch border. it's home to a startling discovery that's rung alarm bells around the world. ♪♪♪ the local entomology society has been quietly collecting and sorting insects for more than a century. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ eric: so, this is where you keep all your insects, martin? martin sorg: yes, these are part of the rooms where the collections are stored and-- for instance, here.

eric: martin sorg started hanging out here when he was 13. he's now a phd in entomology. eric: how many insects do you think you have altogether in this building? martin: we don't know the real numbers, but we think far more than 80 millions. eric: eighty million insects in this building here. martin: yeah. ♪♪♪ eric: in 1989, he and some young colleagues decided to do something extraordinary. they began collecting flying insects from 63 nature reserves and tracked the changing numbers for 30 years. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

eric: it's taken extraordinary perseverance and obsessive attention to detail. martin: that's the trap. [speaking foreign language] eric: they've placed identical traps in identical locations year after year after year. eric: so, the insects fly up to the top of the tent and get caught in that bottle. eric: okay, they go to the high--the brightest high points, then you got 'em. ♪♪♪ eric: each sample was brought back, drained, sorted, and weighed in exactly the same way, and in october 2017 they were able to report a stunning finding.

in the course of 16,900 days of standardized sampling, flying insect numbers had crashed by three-quarters. [insects buzzing] martin: it was a drop of 75% during a timeline of 27 years. eric: that's shocking. martin: yes, that's shocking. eric: and it's shocking because a healthy environment depends on a healthy insect population. they keep weeds in check, dispose of dead animals, pollinate plants, and feed birds and frogs and other animals right up the food chain. our very existence depends on creepy-crawlies. martin: declines in biodiversity are a very serious thing, and we should be worried, yes.

eric: so, what's been killing so many insects? the data ruled out changes to weather or vegetation. the project's drone footage shows a more likely culprit. ♪♪♪ eric: the nature reserves are protected from land clearing and chemicals, but they're surrounded by farmland that's enemy territory for bugs, with huge stretches of monoculture, absolutely no flowers, and regular spraying of pesticides. martin: the farmland is inside of the daily flight activity of many of the species flying inside of these traps. eric: so, could the problem just be modern farming? eric: what do you suspect is a big reason for this?

eric: martin sorg says speculation is not his department. martin: i do not suspect. ♪♪♪ eric: to meet people who do suspect, he suggested we drive across the border to the dutch city of nijmegen. ♪♪♪ eric: for some years, researchers at radboud university had also been noticing a big drop in wildlife numbers. the krefeld study confirmed their worst fears. hans de kroon: all of a sudden we had a percentage, a scientifically proven percentage of how much this whole bulk of insects was going down. eric: i mean, how concerned should we be about that? eric: ecologist hans des kroon has little doubt that farming is responsible. hans: you know, agriculture can have effects on the living

conditions in the nature reserves. and we know, for example, that very low levels of insecticides can already disrupt insect life, and you know, these traces have been found spreading around. eric: since world war ii, pesticides have been used to kill organisms that are bad for crops, like cockroaches and grasshoppers, but what if their overuse is now threatening insects that are good for crops, like bees? farmers need pollinators to grow apples, onions, melons, broccoli, celery, cabbage, watermelon, cucumber, lemon, carrot-- hans: well, you must realize that about 80% of our crops depends on insects for pollination, 80% of the wild plant species as well. a major part of the insects is being eaten by birds and by

other animals, being essential in the food chain, so if we're losing all of that, we're losing sort of the ecological foundation of ourselves. eric: now, some people have questioned the whole idea of an insect apocalypse because the study in krefeld just looked at some reserves in germany. but it's also been going on across the border here in the netherlands, and i'm about to meet some other keen entomologists who've been counting insects. eric: they're more laid-back than the krefeld crowd, but their findings have been almost as stunning. eric: i'm looking for paul van wielink. hello, paul. eric from australia. paul van wielink: from australia, and the guys from australia. paul: nice to meet you. be a guest. eric: thank you very much. this is your crew? eric: paul van wielink and his mates are retirees or hobby

collectors who meet just one evening a week. eric: hello, hank. how are you? hank: i'm the son of ájan vergas. eric: the son of jan vergas, excellent. paul: but he knows a lot of moths. eric: he knows a lot of moths personally? paul: everything. ♪♪♪ eric: their technique is simple. they set up a screen. eric: turn on a light, collect the insects that turn up, and send the results to radboud university. and it's all bad news. paul: all kind of insects are going down. eric: well, how much are the numbers going down? paul: the moths about 60%, beetles by about 70%,

and those figures are comparable with those in krefeld. that is kind of catastrophe, yes. i think so. that's happening here also. and i saw a study, i saw a study this afternoon that in denmark there was a study published with windscreens and counting hits in 20 years, and also they had also the same thing. eric: so, it's true about windscreens, there are less bugs hitting windscreens. paul: yes, and it's all over the world, more or less. and it'll be in australia also, i think, because you have farmers there too. eric: yeah. eric: the problem is we don't really know what's happening in australia, let alone most of the rest of the world. eric: they've been counting insects for more than 20 years, but there just aren't enough projects

like this internationally. the world has grown rather complacent since the last warning of insectageddon nearly 60 years ago. eric: in 196 a ldlife biologist, rachel carson, wrote a global best-seller called "silent spring," sounding the alarm on ddt. rachel carson: unless we do bring these chemicals under better control, we're certainly headed for disaster. eric: she exposed how the pesticide was wiping out insect populations and contaminating the food chain, and she envisioned silent springs without birdsong in the morning or frog choruses at night. rachel: these sprays, dusts, and aerosols are now applied

almost universally to farms, gardens, forests, and homes, non-selective chemicals that have the power to still the song of birds and the leaping of fish in the streams. eric: rachel carson's work led to a near-global ban on ddt, but since then other potent chemicals have taken its place. regulators fear some of the new ones have grown way too lethal. eric: if there is a smoking gun, some suspect it's a popular type of pesticide called neonicotinoids. now, in 2018 the eu brought in a near-total ban across europe, but they're still in use in australia. and the trump administration has overturned a ban to ensure their continued use in the us. some scientists believe that's bad news fobees.

hans: these neonics are usually broken down quite rapidly when they're out in the air, but then when they're in the soil or in the soil water or in surface water, they can hang around for a long time. probably in very low concentrations, but these low concentrations really affect insect life. so, it's a very special class, extremely poisonous for insects, and there's more and more evidence that they are really affecting non-target insect species. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ eric: so, what can be done to prevent a silent spring? i'm heading down to southern germany to see how an entire state is mobilizing. ♪♪♪ [bells chiming]

eric: bavaria is usually thought of as the heartland of conservatism, and that includes conserving nature. it's part of the culture here to protect the forests and look after wildlife in the city. [speaking foreign language] norbert schäffer: so, this is a nest of the great spotted woodpecker, these boys, they spotted this nest. it's actually used every year-- eric: dr. norbert schäffer is president of the bavarian bird society. he and his colleagues hit on the idea of a petition demanding insect protection, and they focused on everyone's favorite insect, calling their campaign save the bees. dr. schäffer: it's, of course, not only about honeybees. in fact, honeybees are a minor part. it's about insects, it's about biodiversity as a whole. eric: the idea captured the public's imagination.

the streets of the capital, munich, were soon packed with campaigners dressed as bees, braving freezing weather to encourage some of bavaria's 9 million voters to come out and sign. eric: now, what happened next took everyone by surprise, because 1.75 million people signed it. it was the most popular petition here ever, and the government soon promised to sign it into law. environmentalists could hardly believe their success. farmers could hardly believe what was about to hit them. eric: the news laws call for 13% of the state to be put aside as ecological zones and almost a third of farmland to become organic. dr. schäffer: it is a target, no one will be forced to go organic, farmers cannot be forced to do things. the government has to deliver. most of the legislation is really aimed at the government.

the government has to deliver certain targets and all the government has to put offers on the table. eric: so, going 30% organic is a massive change, isn't it? dr. schäffer: i hope so, i hope it will change our landscape. it is a massive change, but it is doable, there's no doubt. in other land in germany, they're talking about 50% organic now, so it is doable, we know this. it is affordable, it's good for our environment, and it's good for people. it is, of course, a big change. well, yes, and it's a change many, many people in bavaria want, and this is why they sign up to the petition. eric: away from munich, farmers aren't so sanguine. many, like franz lehner fear they'll be lumbered with the cost of going organic. we caught up with him as he was spraying his wheat fields with nitrogen fertilizer. he insists chemicals are essential to grow a productive crop.

eric: franz lehner says if greenies in the city really want to help to change farming, they have to do more than sign petitions: they need to open their wallets. he started a program for people to sponsor bee-friendly crops and get their name on a stick for it. eric: this is interesting: farmers like franz are now leasing their land for people in the city to sponsor growing flowers to help bees and other insects, rather than what? [speaking foreign language] rather than potatoes or something. people have to pay, or can pay, farmers to grow flowers. so, instead of just signing a petition, they actually give money as well. ♪♪♪

eric: other businesses are cashing in on the concerns. german and dutch hardware stores are now featuring bee-friendly flowers and bee hotels, but much more will be needed to help make farming more sustainable. ♪♪♪ hans: what we see right here is that flower strips i created in the landscape. eric: in the dutch border country, professor de kroon and his team are also starting to tackle the problems of intensive land clearing. hans: in other words, quite a bit of diversity-- eric: they're working with farmers to plant wildflowers on the edges of their fields, creating a network of bug-friendly corridors between the nature reserves, allowing insects to avoid the dangers of farmland. hans: it should connect, you know, bigger nature reserves on that side with

bigger nature reserves on that side. eric: so, these are like highways for bees to-- hans: yes, exactly, yeah. eric: hans de kroon says they're already seeing results. not just for insects, but for the birds and frogs that feed on them. hans: it's somewhat surprising, but you can really get it back quite rapidly, you know, in a matter of years. and, you know, you have to help it a little bit, but it's certainly possible. it's this landscape that makes me optimistic about the changes that we can make. ♪♪♪ eric: some scientists are finding it harder to muster optimism. across the channel in the english counties, dave goulson has been studying the krefeld report with dismay. [turkey gobbling] dave goulson: shut up, geoffrey.

eric: he's professor of biology at sussex university, and he fears society is headed for the silent spring that rachel carson warned of. dave: it's like déjà vu, you know? we're going round in circles here, it's nuts. she saw what was happening all that time ago, and we banned a whole bunch of pesticides as a result, but then we introduced new ones to replace them, many of which, then, eventually, we banned. so, we introduced even more, including the neonicotinoids, and 20 years on into their use we're starting to realize that they, too, are harming the envinment. the whole system of having a way of farming which is entirely reliant on chucking on bucketloads of chemicals is not sustainable. we are gonna wipe out insect life if we carry on this way. eric: but he's not giving up yet. his back garden is a showcase of what individuals can do, creating organic habitats for insects and letting nature take its course.

dave: bee-friendly. butterfly-friendly. nature-friendly, actually. it isn't just about bees. it's about everything, you know? birds and everything else that makes up a, kind of, natural, healthy ecosystem, if you like. eric: how do you do that? dave: don't be too tidy. grow--don't mow all the time, you know? grow lots of the right kinds of flowers. eric: well, there's a few bumblebees over here. dave: yeah, so, one of the reasons bees are struggling in the modern world is there aren't many flowers. modern farmland is pretty flower-free, and it's a really nice thing that you can do in your own garden. lupine'srilliant lavenders, lots of herbs, things like marjoram and thyme and sage, rosemary. they're all really good for bees, and you can cook with them as well, so, you know, what's not to like? eric: one thing you won't find here is insecticide. dave: just don't, is my advice. i've got a big garden that i somehow manage to produce lots

of fruit and veg, lots of pretty flowers, and i don't use any pesticides, i haven't done for years, and i'm not alone. france recently banned pesticides for use in urban areas. eric: really? dave: completely, the whole country, so, you know, paris from now on. i bet you it will still look just as beautiful, all the parks and everything, they're not gonna be overrun with dandelions and cockroaches, i'm sure. some cities did this years ago. toronto banned pesticides more than a decade ago, and toronto is still standing. we could get rid of pesticides completely from our cities, and it would be good for bees and butterflies, and good for people, too. ♪♪♪ eric: an hour's drive away, in the shadow of a nuclear power plant, a band of eco-volunteers is showing the tide can be turned. nikki gammans: no? anyone else for tea? did you get your tea?

[chatter] chris and nick mencheb, you've got lydd golf course. you got your clubs [laughing] to go golf? eric: led by entomologist nikki gammans, they're on the trail of endangered bumblebees. dr. gammans: dave just got a brown-banded bombus humilis there the other day, so i'm keeping my fingers crossed for you, that you see a few rare bees. these guys are specifically here to see rare bees, so no pressure, you two. eric: their hunting ground is the dungeness national nature reserve on the strait of dover. for the past decade, dr. gammans has been monitoring bees for the bumblebee conservation trust. dr. gammans: if you just take the uk alone, we have one in three of our bee species is actually classed as rare or threatened. we've had two species go extinct in the uk and a further seven are rare and threatened of just our bumblebees. eric: it's not just the wildlife that's disappearing, but the wild land they once depended on.

dr. gammans: over the last 60, 70 years, we've lost over 97% of our ancient wildflower meadows. eric: as well as counting bees, dr. gammans is planting bee-friendly flowers, and today there's an unexpected find, a rare bee she feared was gone for good. male: want another pot? dr. gammans: yeah, if you've got another pot. oh, wonderful. brilliant. there we go. this is one of the uk's rarest bumblebee species. it's actually the third rarest bumblebee. beautiful queen. really fresh. it's called the brown-banded carder, she's very beautiful. eric: this is an exciting moment for you. dr. gammans: yes, yes, it's really great, and i'm really pleased that we found her here. it's been a very slow season this year. the weather hasn't been very consistent. we had some quite hot weather over the easter period, and then it went very cold again, and we were concerned how that might affect the emergence of

many of our queens. eric: this discovery gives you a little bit of hope. dr. gammans: definitely, and when we've been looking at our analysis of our data from the last ten years, actually where we've given advice and where we've done actual improvement of the wildflowers, some of these rare species have doubled in number. and this is one of the first experiments that's actually shown it, and becae we've had that continuation of ten years, we've been able to monitor them really well, so it's lovely to see this species out and flying. eric: great. what happens to her now? dr. gammans: we let her go. ♪♪♪ eric: the first challenge will be finding out how big the global problem is. the ground-breaking study in krefeld showed the potential scale of an apocalypse in europe. other continents are only starting to wake up to the danger.

citizen scientists across europe are helping to fill the gaps, but it may take a global effort to avoid a silent spring. ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ cc by aberdeen captioning 1-800-688-6621 www.aberdeen.io