this post was submitted on 01 May 2025
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UK Nature and Environment

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‘Alarming’ bug splat decline on UK cars raises fears for flying insect numbers (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 1 month ago by GreyShuck@feddit.uk to c/nature@feddit.uk
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The long-term decline in the number of flying insects being splattered on cars after a journey is well recognised by older drivers. But the latest survey has revealed that the number of insects found on vehicle number plates has plummeted by 63% since 2021.

An analysis of records from more than 25,000 journeys across Britain since 2021 reveals an alarming apparent drop in flying insect abundance, although the rate of decrease slowed in 2024.

Bug splats on the numberplates of citizen scientists using the Bugs Matter app for the Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife survey declined 8% from 2023 to 2024, after sharper drops of 44% in 2023 and 28% in 2022.

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[–] stopdropandprole@lemmy.world 28 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Windshield phenomenon

The windshield phenomenon (or windscreen phenomenon) is the observation that fewer dead insects accumulate on the windshields and front bumpers of people's cars since the early 2000s. It has been attributed to a global decrease of insect populations caused by human activity, e.g. use of pesticides.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windshield_phenomenon

[–] fartsparkles@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Would modern vehicle aerodynamics not be playing a part in all of this?

[–] NocturnalEngineer@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Apparently the Kent Wildlife Trust found the opposite to be true:

The research also found that modern cars, with a more aerodynamic body shape, killed more insects than boxier vintage cars.

[–] fartsparkles@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Don’t tell the Cybertruck gang. They latch on to any W they can get at this point.

[–] smeg@feddit.uk 18 points 1 month ago

I would guess that's why counting bugs on the numberplate is mentioned, I think that's basically stayed the same for decades

[–] Sixtyforce@sh.itjust.works 12 points 1 month ago

In Alberta I used to have to wash bug guts off my windshield pretty often. Every gas station stop for sure, sometimes more.

That was decades ago. Now it's pretty rare I hit any bugs...at all.

[–] vampatori@feddit.uk 11 points 1 month ago

I noticed last year in-particular there was a very sharp drop-off. Normally a variety of flying insects invade my personal space in the evenings - it was always a tough call... a room too hot to sleep in, or a room full of hornets; you'd be surprised how often the hornets won.

There was even a time not so long ago where we used to get "waves" of certain flying insects each year, presumably one species won the Insect Sex Games each year, and were crowned champions with wave after wave of children.. ladybirds, daddy longlegs, etc. Thousands everywhere! I think the last one of these was a long time ago now, perhaps nearly a decade.

Presumably this is devastating for bird and bat populations.. hopefully they don't start invading my personal space in response.

[–] x00z@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yeah this is awful. I even notice the lack of insects when simply walking outside.

I'm currently in the process of putting flowers in my yard for the sake of the bees.

[–] Redfox8@mander.xyz 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

If you like bumblebees, get lots of plants in the borage family, they go made for them! Aromatic/culinary herbs are also great.

[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I've got a whole row of borage flowering in my container garden, and haven't seen a single bee in it :/

[–] Redfox8@mander.xyz 2 points 1 month ago

My California lilac and rosemary are getting all the attention at the moment. There's still a lot of trees etc in flower at the moment so don't dispair yet! I expect my green alkanet and viper's bugloss (when it flowers later) will be busy once the spring moves to summer. Geraniums and salvias too!

[–] curiousaur@reddthat.com 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

How about worms on the ground after a rain. Remember those? The earth is dying.

[–] match@pawb.social 1 points 1 month ago

earthworms are invasive to north America though

[–] WhatSay@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The real problem is that cars are becoming more aerodynamic.

More cubes, More splats, for Science!

[–] conditional_soup@lemm.ee 1 points 1 month ago

I don't think that's true, unless the same car I've had for years is getting aerodynamics updates.

[–] Tweak@feddit.uk 4 points 1 month ago

I was actually surprised by how many bug splats I had on my car during this week's heat wave. Seems like they've come out in force this season, or at least this initial wave.

[–] Redfox8@mander.xyz 3 points 1 month ago

Last year was an absolute wash out, so wet and grey for so long. It'll probably be worse again at next year's count. Hopefully the warm dry weather atm will help a little.

[–] yournamehere@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

but maga will say this creates jobs!

[–] match@pawb.social 1 points 1 month ago

we're bringing malaria back to america and making it great again

[–] sirico@feddit.uk 1 points 1 month ago

Get a water habitat on your land even a balcony can have a pot pond.

[–] roawn@feddit.uk 1 points 1 month ago

i cleaned my car yesterday because i was hitting so many of them on the windscreen, ive not had to do that before, i noticed a lot of them around my number plate too, loads more than previous years, mustve been a freak spike