In the 1990s and early 2000s, Jenkins said, he would tag hundreds of monarchs in a week. Now, like many others across the continent, he sees fewer monarchs each year, though there are occasional influxes. Some years, the number he tags drops to single digits.
Jenkins is witnessing the North American monarchs’ rapid decline firsthand. Eastern monarch populations have decreased by at least 80 percent in the past two decades, according to Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. The Western monarch, which migrates only on the coast of California, has declined by 99 percent. The entire North American population is currently under review to be placed under the Endangered Species Act.
It's often okay when building small electronic projects to use inexpensive Chinese-manufactured microprocessors and electronic components. If they go bad, especially in self-build projects, you can replace them. But you should never cheap out on power supplies, as the built in isolation of the power supplies is what keeps you safe from fire and potentially deadly shock. Good quality USB phone chargers aren't that expensive, and buying them a reputable source like a big box store is much safer then getting them over the internet.
First applied commercially in the 1990s, ‘neonics’ are among the most popular insecticides in the world. They are coated onto crop seeds and – being water soluble –taken up and dispersed throughout the plant. Sometimes they are sprayed onto foliage. They are especially effective against sucking pests (such as aphids), but also chewing insects.
Why are they so widely used?
Treating seeds with neonics can protect seedlings for up to 10 weeks, a vulnerable stage in their lives. This also reduces the need for multiple pesticide sprays. When neonics were introduced, carbamates, organochlorine and organophosphorus compounds dominated the market: these were not very selective and toxic to mammals. The newcomers were viewed as safer and more efficient.
