A 'bug splat' survey of animals squashed on cars has found the number of flying insects has fallen by nearly four-fifths in two decades. The citizen science survey, which asked people to count squashed insects on their number plates, found a fall of 78% across the UK between 2004 and 2023. Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife, who led the project, warned the 'staggering' fall was a 'red flag' for the state of nature in the UK that should not be ignored.
To take part in the scheme, drivers had to clean their vehicle number plates before making an essential journey, record the route on their phones, and afterwards count the insects squashed on it using a supplied 'splatometer grid'. The survey analysed 6,637 journeys last year, and found the sharpest fall in England of 83% since 2004.