Ask Lemmy

Few days ago. Went birding in a wetland conservation area. Tons of birds. Megatons of bugs.

Two days ago.

Daily

Maybe this question should also request the responder's general location, because I imagine the situations vary substantially.

I've lived in California for most of my life, and we go on frequent drives between LA and SF, usually a few times a year.

In the 80's and 90's bugs would cover the front of our vehicles and the windshield would be difficult to see through even with wipers and washer fluid. We'd actually have to stop to manually scrape them off.

In the 00's and 10's we noticed that we'd get basically zero bugs on a long drive, and that sparked many conversations about California environmental law.

I just got back from a drive up the coast and I can happily say that we're back to insane numbers of bug strikes on the highway. Just north of Ventura I drove through a cloud of large bugs that hit like rocks and instantly covered almost my entire windshield. This situation has been noticably turning around since COVID, which I think is a good thing

Is there a word missing in that question?

The front of my car is pretty splattered with bug remains.

I recently drove half a continent. Anyways, probably 10-20 years. Idk, I don't really remember it happening much except maybe when I was a young child

You've activated my "thing". No one seems to have noticed that the bottom of the ecosystem just fucking dropped out.

When I was a child, dad taught me to always clean the windshield when we stopped for gas, and sometimes in between. I have not done this in years, easily more than a decade.

We drive hundreds of miles of back country highway to pick up my kids. Talking the South here, mostly Alabama which is 77% wooded. Nada.

Screw it, I could tell stories for an hour, too depressing to go on.

Insect populations are affected by human urbanization.

In other words, the area you live in has become more developed over the last few decades and has become a poorer ecosystem for insects.

They’re 70-80% gone here since around ‘20, anecdotally as someone who’s driven the same highway corridor day and night.

They still get hit by the vehicle, but there is a profoundly apparent absence.

UK here. It's just not a thing any more. I regularly drive - or am a passenger - on a ~200 mile round trip and insect strikes just don't happen.

That said, I recently drove from the North of England to the South of France. Almost as soon as we crossed the Channel we were instantly getting insects splattered on the windscreen to the point we had to refill buy some bright pink no-nonsense washer fluid at the next services. So I assume some counties are more responsible than others with their use of pesticides.

Almost every day. Rural living.

Last time I drove at highway speed: Thursday around 19:40

Last week.

But cars tend to have more of a slant to the windows then they used to, so less bugs smack and splatter.

Every day, over and over and over... I have to keep actual glass cleaner in my car and spray the windshield occasionally—like at stop lights by sticking my arm out the window—because not even the "bug remover" windshield washer fluid works well enough. You need something strong like ammonia to loosen all the protein.

Note: I don't live in a city.

sadly, global warming is killing them. I remember years ago they'd splatter my windshield every commute

Not really on my windshield often but my bumper and mirrors are covered within a few miles of driving. Maybe it's an aerodynamics thing?

Like 2 days ago.

I drove for 8 hours today, I'd estimate I hit at least 200

I live near a metro so its not as noticable but yeah 50 years ago you would get some. More significantly you did not need to go far (you could reach it in a day trip. say within 2 hours away) and you would have your windshield plastered. Basically out were you could see some farmland. Even in the 90's though going to school downstate you did not see much and Every so often I have trips across states and even down south and stays crystal clear. I will note besides insect decline there is a thing were more airodynamic vehicles don't get as many. The air flows around and the insects are more likely to survive. That being said just going camping and such im amazed at how few insects there are. I used to get eaten alive.

It’s been years.

A couple of years ago, but I don't drive all that far most days. It sure seems like there are fewer and fewer. For instance, last summer, I saw fireflies for the first time in over a decade. This can't be good.