Researchers uncover disturbing trend after examining car license plates across the country: ‘This huge decrease … is really alarming’

A U.K. study has found a dramatic decline in flying insect populations, and scientists are sounding the alarm.

What’s happening?

A survey by the Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife, with the help of citizen scientists, recorded a 63% drop in insect impacts, or bug splats, on car number plates between 2021 and 2024.

Dr. Lawrence Ball of the KWT told The Guardian, “This huge decrease in insect splats over such a short time is really alarming.”

The survey found the steepest declines in Scotland (65.2%), but further drops in Wales (64.2%), England (62.0%), and Northern Ireland (55.4%) indicate the issue is widespread.

While insect numbers have been falling globally for decades, researchers suggested that the sharp drop in the U.K. possibly stemmed from the effects of long-term background decline and the short-term cycle linked to extreme weather during 2022 and 2023.

Why are bug splats important?

Insects, whether they’re flying or crawling, are essential to a stable food system. They pollinate flowers and crops, help control pests, promote biodiversity, and keep ecosystems healthy.

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A sharp drop in their numbers threatens food production and could drive up prices.

The effects go beyond our plates. As insect populations crash, birds, amphibians, and other wildlife that rely on them for survival are also at risk. Without intervention, entire ecosystems could unravel.

This drop in insect numbers also highlights how human activities and increasing global temperatures are reshaping insect habitats and disrupting their life cycles.

These factors are pushing ecosystems past their limits, which is something we’ve seen in other cases, like disappearing monarch butterflies and coral bleaching.

What’s being done about the decline of flying insects?

Researchers are proposing a roadmap to conserve and restore insect populations.

People can mitigate the problem and help insects by planting native flowers, minimizing outdoor light pollution, and reducing pesticide use in home gardens.

One Reddit user commented, “I can remember the bug splats on our family car, back in the 1960s. Driving from Austin to San Antonio would require major cleanup. Fast forward 60 years and I can drive the equivalent distance in my area and not get a single splat.”

Creating bee-friendly yards and supporting regenerative farming practices are some of the best ways to protect pollinators. These efforts help boost biodiversity and build environmental resilience.

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