Bloomberg Law
Feb. 3, 2020, 9:00 PM UTC

Fireflies Face Extinction Threats From Habitat Loss, Pesticides

Adam Allington
Adam Allington
Reporter

Add fireflies to the list of insects in massive decline, often called the “insect apocalypse.” That was the broad upshot of a study released today in the publication BioScience.

According to the report, firefly populations face a triple threat posed by rapid development, artificial-light pollution, and pesticides.

“Lots of wildlife species are declining because their habitat is shrinking, so it wasn’t a huge surprise to see that as the biggest threat,” said Sara Lewis, a professor at Tufts University and lead author of the paper.

Based on an anecdotal survey of 49 leading firefly researchers from around the world, ...

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