Why do scientists fear a decrease in the number of insects scattered on car number plates?

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A new study finds that flying insect populations in the UK are collapsing rapidly, with numbers down 64 per cent across the country since 2004.

Conservation charities are now calling for “urgent” action to tackle and reverse the decline, which has had major repercussions on ecosystems everywhere, threatening food supplies for a wide range of animals as well as humans.

The latest figures, based on an annual survey of insects found on car number plates, reveal a significant drop in the past year, with 5 percent fewer insects detected in 2022 than in 2021.

The findings of the Bugs Matter Citizen Science survey come as world leaders gather to discuss the global decline in biodiversity at the UN Cop15 summit in Montreal, with the charities running the survey – Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife – warning of the world’s needs “on a larger scale”. Research the insects’ to better understand the scale of the decline and what needs to be done to address the problem.

In a statement announcing the results of the survey, the two organizations said: “Insects constitute the largest proportion of life on Earth.”

They support food chains, pollinate most of the world’s crops, and provide natural pest control services.

“Without insects, life on Earth would collapse and humanity’s survival on our planet would be threatened.”

The underlying causes of the rapid extinction of insects worldwide include loss and damage to habitats, air pollution, climate crisis, pollution of waterways, pesticide use, and development of wild spaces.

Andrew Whitehouse, Chief Operating Officer at Buglife, said: “For the second year in a row, Bugs Matter has shown potentially catastrophic declines in flying insect abundance.

“Urgent action is required to address the loss of diversity and abundance of insect life.

“We will look to our leaders at Cop15 to take decisive action to restore nature at scale – for both wildlife and the health and well-being of future generations.”

The team said they would like to see the survey method they have adopted in other countries, to get a better understanding of insect decline around the world.

The Bugs Matter team is currently working on an upgrade to the bug counting app in time for the 2023 survey season, including an AI experiment to automatically detect the number of bugs scattered on the number board.

Evan Bowen-Jones, chief executive at Kent Wildlife Trust, said: “Thanks to citizen scientists across the country, we are building a better picture of the health of our insect populations, and we are already seeing some worrying patterns in the data.

“However, we need more citizen scientists to participate in the Bugs Matter survey next year and in the future, to understand whether we are seeing actual long-term trends or the impact of the temperature extremes we encountered in 2022.”

The 2023 Bugs Matter poll season will begin on June 1 of next year.

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