A stark warning from the UK is shown in the latest data from the Bugs Matter survey. It paints a stark picture of insect decline and calls on all of us to take action for biodiversity.
If you’re over 30, you might remember driving down a motorway in summer and having to scrub your windshield clean of insect splatter. It was messy, but it was also a sign of a thriving insect population. Today, if you have noticed that those splats have all but disappeared, it’s not just your imagination.
The latest results from the Bugs Matter 2024 survey, a citizen science initiative led by Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife, reveal a startling 63% drop in flying insects hitting car number plates across the UK since 2021. More than 25,000 journeys were logged by volunteers, offering one of the clearest snapshots of insect decline in motion. Across all four UK nations, the trend is the same. Scotland saw the steepest drop at 65%, followed closely by Wales (64%), England (62%) and Northern Ireland (55%).
This isn’t just bad news for bug enthusiasts. It’s a shocking indicator that insect populations are collapsing, and the consequences ripple far beyond the UK.
Why this matters for Europe
While Bugs Matter is based in the UK, its findings reflect broader, well-documented trends. Across Europe, studies echo the same grim findings. A 2017 German study [1] revealed a 75% decline in flying insect biomass over 27 years, even in protected areas. In 2020, the first global meta-study on insect decline [2] concluded that insect populations are shrinking by about 0,92% every year. The science is clear and consistent: insects are disappearing at an unprecedented rate, across the European Union and globally.
This is catastrophic, not just for nature, but for us. Insects and other bugs make up around two-thirds of all terrestrial species. They pollinate crops, break down waste, enrich soils, control pests, and feed countless species, from amphibians to birds. Without them, ecosystems unravel and we risk the collapse of food systems and natural cycles we depend on.
“Without insects, the planet’s ecological systems would collapse.”
Bugs Matter survey statement
Worryingly, we’re already seeing the knock-on effects of their collapse across ecosystems. For instance, insect-eating bird populations are plummeting across Europe. According to a study published in Conservation Biology [3], their numbers have declined on average by 13%. Common small birds like house sparrows, starlings and common chaffinches are declining at high rates, not just because of lost habitats and loss of breeding space, but also because their food source is disappearing, which impacts their ability to survive and reproduce.
The decline of insect-eating birds is not the only visible consequence of the insect collapse we are witnessing. The disappearance of insects disrupts entire ecosystems, and amphibians, reptiles, and small mammals that rely on insects for food are also in decline. Reduced pollination is already affecting crop yields in some regions, threatening agricultural productivity and food availability. Harder to showcase, but soil health suffers as decomposer insects vanish, slowing nutrient cycling and affecting plant growth.
A slight slowdown, but no cause for relief
The 2024 Bugs Matter results show the rate of decline has slowed, down 8% from 2023, after sharper drops of 44% in 2023 and 28% in 2022. But experts caution against complacency. This pause may simply reflect short-term climate variability, not recovery. The long-term trend remains deeply concerning.
And behind the trend is a set of human-made drivers: habitat destruction, pollution, climate change, and significantly, industrial agriculture, with pesticide use as a major cause [4].
Pesticide reform: Europe’s powerful lever to protect insects
The EU has a law that is meant to protect the environment and non-target species from the harmful effects of pesticides, known as the EU Pesticide Law. But these protections are only as strong as the guidance documents used to implement them. And when it comes to non-target insects and other organisms, the system is badly broken.
A key guidance document [5], has been used for over two decades to assess pesticide risks to beneficial insects like beetles, spiders and millipedes. It was ghostwritten by the pesticide industry. It sets such weak protection goals that it effectively allows the continuous approval of highly toxic substances. Despite its outdated and biased nature, this document has remained in use for 22 years, a quiet failure with massive ecological consequences. Our November 2024 report, Licence to Kill, highlights the problems.
After years of inaction, this could finally be changing. In 2024, the European Commission tasked EFSA (the European Food Safety Authority) with revising the guidance. This long-overdue update is a crucial opportunity to change the rules that allow the licensing of chemicals that kill off our most vital invertebrates.
While habitat restoration and climate action are long-term battles, tightening pesticide regulation is a direct and immediate way to protect insect life. If the revised guidance is ambitious and science-based, it could mark a turning point for Europe’s biodiversity.
The silent crash of insect populations is not just a nature issue; it’s a food security issue, a health issue, and a survival issue. Every insect lost is a thread pulled from the web of life.
The revision of the guidance document is a rare chance to reverse course. But public pressure is essential to ensure this reform leads to real, enforceable protection, not another watered-down compromise. If we want a future where bees buzz, birds sing, and food grows in healthy soil, we need to act now.
Let’s not wait until Silent Spring is here.
Further reading
- Licence to Kill - an EU guideline with far-reaching consequences (Report, PAN Europe, November 2024)
- The Invertebrate Conservation Trust, Bugs matter (Report, Buglife, 2024)
- The Invertebrate Conservation Trust, Bugs matter (Press Release, Buglife, 2024)
Notes
[1] Hallmann, C. A., Sorg, M., Jongejans, E., Siepel, H., Hofland, N., Schwan, H., Stenmans, W., Müller, A., Sumser, H., Hörren, T., Goulson, D., & de Kroon, H. (2017). More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas. PLOS ONE, 12(10). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185809
[2] Sánchez-Bayo, F., & Wyckhuys, K. A. G. (2019). Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers. Biological Conservation, 232, 8–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.01.020
[3] Bowler, D. E., Heldbjerg, H., Fox, A. D., de Jong, M., & Böhning‐Gaese, K. (2019). Long‐term declines of European insectivorous bird populations and potential causes. Conservation Biology, 33(5), 1120–1130. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13307
[4] Sánchez-Bayo, F., & Wyckhuys, K. A. G. (2019). Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers. Biological Conservation, 232, 8–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.01.020
[5] European Commission (2002). Guidance Document on Terrestrial Ecotoxicology Under Council Directive 91/414/EEC, p.19-24.
https://food.ec.europa.eu/document/download/424e71a2-5beb-4fa3-9198-89be....
