Bush’s no to science, yes to war, bankers

This video says about itself:

The life cycle of a honey bee is presented as an example of complete metamorphosis, the development of an insect from egg to larva, then pupa, then adult. Moths, butterflies and wasps also develop with complete metamorphosis. Some aspects of beekeeping are also discussed.

From Debbie’s Insects Blog in the USA:

Budget Cuts Sting Entomologists

Tuesday November 18, 2008

In this rough economy, everyone is cutting back on spending. Unfortunately, university entomology programs often take a big financial hit when times are lean. As Sarah Palin demonstrated so clearly during a campaign policy speech, insect research seems frivolous to those outside the science world. The administrators making budget decisions at some of our big university programs seem to forget that our very survival depends in large part on insects.

Take honeybees, for instance. One-third of our food is pollinated by honeybees, insects that are mysteriously disappearing at an alarming rate. Now’s the time to step up research on honeybees, not eliminate it, as was recently done at Ohio State University. After two top bee researchers left the Buckeye State for other jobs, OSU opted to close the Rothenbuhler Honey Bee Research Laboratory rather than hire replacements.

Georgia Tech recently imposed a hiring freeze that will leave the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences short an entomologist. That researcher, whose job is now eliminated, would have studied an insect infestation in the state’s peanut crop. Georgia farmers grow 45% of the peanuts in the U.S., a $2 billion industry in the state. Those farmers rely on Georgia Tech’s research to keep their crops productive and pest-free.

Those entomologists that still have jobs are feeling the squeeze in their research budgets, as the Bush administration eliminated pesticide reports that scientists often cited in their studies. Without access to reliable USDA data, researchers must purchase data from other sources, usually at a high cost and for less accurate data.

At a time when our forests are being decimated by invasive pests and our food crops are threatened by the loss of pollinators, you would think entomology departments would be booming. We do need those trees, for important things like oxygen, clean water, and shade. We need to eat, right?

Government agencies and research institutions should think a little harder about where to save money. Eliminating vital insect research is only going to cost us all more in the long run.

Do you know of other entomology programs being cut due to the shaky economy?