Alarming declines of insects elicited a vivid public debate, particularly in Germany (#Insektensterben), but also in many other countries (see http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/where-have-all-insects-gone ). While anecdotal evidence and personal experience definitely confirm this decline, reliable long-term monitoring data are scarce. Likewise, the causes are unclear: insecticides, particularly neonicotinoids, are certainly among the usual suspects, but many other factors (e.g. air and light pollution) contribute. The problem with neonics is that they are highly persistent and active in very small doses. Smaller insect species should be even more affected than bigger ones, and I wonder if there are any data from malaise traps or light traps which could be used to investigate this hypothesis.
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/05/where-have-all-insects-gone
Smaller insect species are more susceptible to residual insectides, than the bigger species, but it also depemds on the insecticide and its mode of action like for example DDT, or neonicotinoids. The last one had a magor role in the CCD the colony colase disorder of the honeybees. Any way the polution doen't differetiant between smaller or bigger animals, but all the biosystem is threatened.
It is not easy to get such data, there should be research.
Please see the following link:
Article Insecticides mode of action in relation to their toxicity to...
Dear Klaus,
Your question is too genuine, the smaller insects due to their low immunity, are too vulnerable towards the toxicity of insecticide such that they easily response towards it. Also, even a small fluctuation in the abiotic factors i.e., temperature, humidity, light intensity, water availability, wind velocity, etc affect their population following to the introduction of stress within them. In contrast to it, the larger insects due to strong immunity, becomes resilient towards the toxicity of insecticide, hence they easily develop tolerance towards it.
Therefore, in nutshell, it can be hypothesize that smaller insect are much more sensitive towards to toxicity of insecticide.
Best of Luck.....!!!!
Dear Aarti, as you say: probably smaller insects are much more sensitive to insecticides! Badluck for insect diversity, particularly for a high number of small parasitic and hyperparasitic insects! This means that the disturbance of biological equilibrium by insecticides is much higher than most studies suggest, because most of them concentrate on pollinators, which are probably within the size class of most target insects.
Dear Klaus,
I do not know specific experiments, but you are right; smaller insects should be more affected by insecticides. Their higher ratio surface/volume makes them more sensitive to heat, dryness and other stressors which effect depends on the relative surface; this is the case of most insecticides diffusing through the cuticle.
Un abrazo!
Claudio
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