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In this study, 150 years of Bombus records in the state of New Hampshire from the University of New Hampshire Insect Collection were examined. This allowed for changes in abundance and distribution to be tracked over time, with focus on species designated of greatest conservation need by NH Fish & Game Department. Floral records also provided insight into the diet breadth of these species, which may affect their vulnerability.

Some of Britain’s favourite wildlife is at risk of becoming extinct unless there is a new, 21st-century agricultural revolution, experts are warning. Species from hedgehogs to skylarks and birds of prey are being wiped out – in part by companies with vested interests in “destructive” factory farming, it was claimed on World Wildlife Day, which takes place today. The “alarming” declines in wildlife will threaten not just the richness of the planet but also our ability to grow food, according to the RSPB.

During the latter half of the 20th century, it was noticed that global amphibian populations had entered a state of unusually rapid decline. Hundreds of species have since become categorized as “missing” or “lost,” a growing number of which are now believed extinct. Amphibians are often regarded as environmental indicator species because of their highly permeable skin and biphasic life cycles, during which most species inhabit aquatic zones as larvae and as adults become semi or wholly terrestrial. This means their overall health is closely tied to that of the landscape.

On September 27, 1962, Rachel Carson published the book Silent Spring, which warned against the harmful effects of pesticides on the environment, especially on birds, without knowing that insects that are of vital importance for biodiversity and food would be central in it. Dutch toxicologist Henk Tennekes published in September 2010 a scientific article in a professional journal for toxicology, followed by the book "A Disaster in the Making" and describes the ecological disaster as follows: "The pesticides industry creates a 'toxic landscape' in which only the crop can survive."

Nearly three million birds have disappeared from Denmark's farmlands in the space of four decades, according to a report. 15 of 22 species of bird connected to farmland habitats have shrunk in population size, while seven species have increased, reports the Fugle & Nature (Birds and Nature) magazine.

Scientists have identified infectious diseases as a key driver of bee population decline and have shown for the first time the extent to which the diseases are shared with other pollinator groups, in research published this week. Researchers from Royal Holloway, University of London, Oxford University and Cornell University have shown that viruses that are harmful to honeybees are also present in hoverfly pollinators. The study suggests that hoverflies are exposed to the same diseases, and may move the infections around when they feed from the same flowers as the honeybees.

A global crash in insect populations has found its way to Australia, with entomologists across the country reporting lower than average numbers of wild insects. Entomologist and owner of the Australian Insect Farm, near Innisfail in far north Queensland, Jack Hasenpusch is usually able to collect swarms of wild insects at this time of year. "I've been wondering for the last few years why some of the insects have been dropping off and put it down to lack of rainfall," Mr Hasenpusch said.

The publication in 1962 of Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring drew public attention to how pesticides had killed much of North America’s songbirds. The book launched an international environmental movement. A similar silence has descended upon Kathmandu Valley, as once ubiquitous birds like sparrows and mynahs decline. And ornithologists who have studied this trend say that in Nepal, too, it is the rampant use of pesticides that is mainly to blame.

Grassland-nesting bird populations continue to decline in numbers in Vermont, according to recent surveys conducted by the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bird species that nest in grasslands include vesper sparrows (Pooecetes gramineus), grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum), bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), and eastern meadowlarks (Sturnella magna), among others.

The first comprehensive assessment of Europe's crickets and grasshoppers has found that more than a quarter of species are being driven to extinction. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the insect group is the most threatened of those assessed so far in Europe. Europe harbours more than 1,000 species of grasshopper and cricket. If we don't act now the sound of crickets could become a thing of the past, said the IUCN.