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[-] bigfoot@lemm.ee 10 points 7 months ago

I see this meme a lot but is there any actual truth to it? I just drove to see the eclipse (April, not the warmest month) and my car was covered in bug splats.

[-] TSG_Asmodeus@lemmy.world 10 points 7 months ago

I see this meme a lot but is there any actual truth to it?

Effectively, yes.

Denmark: A 20-year study measured the number of dead insects on car windshields on two stretches of road in Denmark from 1997 until 2017. Adjusted for variables such as time of day, date, temperature, and wind speed, the research found an 80% decline in insects. A parallel study using sweep nets and sticky plates in the same area positively correlated with the reduction of insects killed by cars

United Kingdom: 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.

[-] Addv4@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

It kinda is. I used to constantly get bug splats all over my car, but as of the last year or two I don't have nearly as many. I've noticed that I spend less time when washing compared to then. What makes it even more worrying is I drive a lot more now.

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[-] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 10 points 7 months ago

I remember there being hordes of butterflies every year when I was a kid.

I havent seen a butterfly in years now.

[-] rsuri@lemmy.world 9 points 7 months ago

Yet somehow the one species that avoided it is mosquitoes. I moved back to an area I lived in 15 years ago, I swear there's way more mosquitoes now.

[-] chetradley@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

Makes perfect sense, as human population grows, parasites and pathogens are going to thrive while the others will continue to die off.

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[-] blazeknave@lemmy.world 8 points 7 months ago

On a hike with my kid and actually said, "Oh look! A bee! Stop, let's watch it! When I was a kid these were everywhere. They pollinated all the flowers.. and we thought the world would end if they went away... And they did.. .... And here are all these flowers.... Hmmm"

[-] angrystego@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

If you live in the USA and if that was a honey bee, please be aware that they're not native.

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[-] SplashJackson@lemmy.ca 8 points 7 months ago

Good, fuck bugs! Especially mosquitos! And those grubs that crawl up your urethra!

[-] Tikiporch@lemmy.world 6 points 7 months ago

It's okay, we just put all the bugs on big bug reservations where they can practice their bug culture.

[-] cybersandwich@lemmy.world 5 points 7 months ago

I wonder if the South still has love bug season.

[-] Anticorp@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago

Idk, but I know that there are far fewer fireflies now.

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[-] Tag365@lemmy.world 4 points 7 months ago

What happened then in 1998?

[-] Emmie@lemm.ee 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

What's bizarre is the smile of the guy at the wheel. I mean I get it but it's still surreal.

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[-] Smoogs@lemmy.world 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

This isn’t actually a bad omen. It’s actually better this way as things that were sticking to windshields were pests on crops. So fewer is actually better for food stock. That’s kinda what the farmers are trying to head towards. There used to be a lot of insects. There were also many many shortages on farms as a result.

[-] Bourff@lemmy.world 7 points 7 months ago

Another good news is we'll have plenty of jobs pollinating crops manually instead of those damn bugs.

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this post was submitted on 12 Apr 2024
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