Why There Are Fewer Bugs On Windshields Lately?

We wrote earlier this summer about the decline of wasps in our homes and gardens – and now, similarly, we are wondering where all the bugs have gone from our windshields?

Here’s what you need to know…

A survey called Bugs Matter by Buglife was conducted between 2021-2025. People were asked to clean their car number plates before a journey, take a photo of the plate and then take another afterwards, as well as counting the number of bugs killed.

The survey found that in this period of time, the number of flying insects had declined by 60%. Analysis of records from more than 25,000 journeys showed an annual average decline in bug splats of 19% since the survey began in 2021.

This may seem like good news – after all, who wants dead bugs all over their cars? But it’s a real cause for concern, not just for bug populations but for the planet as we know it.

This isn’t just a UK problem, either. We are losing insects at unprecedented rates around the world according to Earth.org.

Writing for The Conversation, Senior Lecturer in Zoology Alex Dittrich, said the decline stems from a range of factors, from habitat loss to disease pollution and pesticides.

Dittrich said: “Agriculture is a major concern as land is turned over to farming as it may remove existing habitats – essentially removing some insects homes – but agrichemicals such as pesticides, designed to kill agricultural pest outbreaks, are also negatively affecting those non target insects that we want.”

Of course, much like the decline in wasps, climate change also plays a key role in this concerning decline.

Dittrich added that when the weather is hot, water availability becomes scarce, plants become more stressed and food availability drops for insects.

“In the same way that humans struggle in the heat, this is the same case for other animals,” said the expert.

On their website, Buglife suggested small steps can have a “huge impact” if everyone does their bit: “We can stop, and reverse the global declines in our insects, but only if everyone pulls together to do their part.”

In a guide to reversing insect decline, the charity outlines five steps people can take to improve insect population numbers. These include:

• Using alternatives to peat in your garden
• Eliminating or at least reducing your use of pesticides in the garden
• Letting your grass grow longer and sowing wildflowers: “If every garden had a little patch for insects collectively it would probably be the biggest area of wildlife habitat in the world.”
• Reducing your use of fossil fuels by driving and flying less
• Avoiding import plants.