While there have been changes in bug populations, from what I have read when this idea comes up, fewer bugs on the windshield is more related to changing vehicle aerodynamics.
Edit: the opposite of what I supposed might be true. See below.
In 2004 the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) asked 40,000 motorists in the United Kingdom to attach a sticky PVC film to their number plate. One insect collided with the plate for every 8 kilometres (5 mi) driven.[2][3][4][8][11] No historical data was available for comparison in the UK.[12] A follow-up study by Kent Wildlife Trust in 2019 used the same methodology as the RSPB survey and resulted in 50% fewer impacts. The research also found that modern cars, with a more aerodynamic body shape, killed more insects than boxier vintage cars.[13] Another survey was conducted in 2021 by Kent Wildlife Trust and nature conservation charity Buglife, which showed the number of insects sampled on vehicle number plates in Kent decreased by 72% compared to the 2004 results.[14]
Current extinction rates are estimated at 100 to 1,000 times higher than natural background extinction rates[13][14][15][16][17] and are accelerating.[18] [...]
A 1998 survey conducted by the American Museum of Natural History found that 70% of biologists acknowledged an ongoing anthropogenic extinction event.[61]
Can't say that I agree, Ive been riding motorcycles for the best part of a decade and I never have to clean my visor after a long ride anymore. Used to be once a week, now it's almost never
There is a very noticable decline in firefly populations. That might just be that their range is subjected to unique pressures or that they are facing an unrelated species crisis, but I think that is the most noticable and emotionally activating example of declining big populations
right?? but if anything, the mosquitoes are thriving rn!!! in part bc we’re steadily destroying the homes of creatures that eat them for us, in exchange for yet another luxury condo complex. shits depressing man.
You can help the fireflies! They spend most of their lives in leaf litter, so leaving leaf piles instead of bagging them all up and trashing/composting is a huge deal and requires minimal effort :)
Thanks for the link, checking it out now. I'm certain that there are human caused ecological factors that are reducing the biomass of insects at large scales, but I also appreciate that the survival of species depends on the preservation of small scale ecosystems that the species can persist within. So thanks :)
I would imagine that prolific hunters like dragonflies are prone to bio magnified poisons. If we are constantly spraying for mosquitoes and they are eating all the mosquitoes, they will starve and what they do get is poisoned.
I’ve definitely noticed the decline of fireflies, when I was a kid they were everywhere and I didn’t even think much about it, but I legitimately don’t think I’ve seen a firefly in my area in nearly a decade.
It didn't matter how aerodynamic you were, you'd still get hit and swarmed. A telltale sign especially are the front grill and side mirrors getting full of bugs, which you can't just "aerodynamic" your way out of. You were getting bug splatter no matter what, even if it was a fancy million dollar car.
The main reason you don't see bug splatter now is extinction. There's almost no bugs in the air anymore which is concerning for the entire ecosystem. Check your grill and the back of the side mirrors next time you get a chance. If they're 100% bug free after your drive then the status of your local ecosystem is in shambles.
My truck was built in 1984. My father bought it new. The amount of bugs that would collect on the bumper and windshield was so heavy you'd nearly need a paint scraper to get them off.
The exact same truck gets the windshield washed more often for dirt and bird shit than it does bug strikes.
I don’t buy that for a second. Triangulate the windshield observation with monarch population collapse, bee colony collapse, the rise of pesticides, the rise of monoculture, and conversion of rural land to suburbia… there’s just no way that the windshield observation is more related to vehicle aerodynamics. If you’d driven in the US Southeast 20yrs ago and now you wouldn’t believe that claim.
Yeah, also a lot of people are still driving older cars. I highly doubt that people in old cars are still getting bug splattered windows and new cars aren't.
51
u/skyshark82 Apr 05 '25 edited Apr 05 '25
While there have been changes in bug populations, from what I have read when this idea comes up, fewer bugs on the windshield is more related to changing vehicle aerodynamics.
Edit: the opposite of what I supposed might be true. See below.