Car drivers and passengers in Gedling borough are being asked to count ‘bug splats’ on their number plates and aid a UK study into insect decline.
Smartphone users can take part in the survey by downloading the free Bugs Matter app from their app stores.
The concept is simple; before making an essential journey in a vehicle, clean the number plate. When you reach your destination count the bugs squashed on a section of the number plate by placing a ‘splatometer’ grid featured on the app against the plate. A photo and details are then submitted. You don’t even need to be the driver of the vehicle you are travelling in (though you will need their permission).
The new app has been created by insect charity Buglife to help people join in with the new study.
The survey is based on the ‘windscreen phenomenon’, a term given to the observation that people tend to find fewer insects squashed on the windscreens of their cars compared to several decades ago.
There is growing evidence of insect decline on a global scale, caused by habitat loss and pesticides. The charity say the consequences are potentially catastrophic for the integrity of our ecosystems, the future survival of other wildlife and the pollination of crops.
However, evidence is still lacking or only partly understood for many insect groups and species. Gathering evidence to show the need for urgent action is the first step in making a difference. In the UK only butterflies and moths have been monitored in enough detail to allow trends to be fully understood.
Andrew Whitehouse, countries manager for Buglife said: “Many people remark on not having to clean bug splats off their car windscreens as much as they did twenty or thirty years ago. The falling abundance of flying insects should be a major concern to everybody as these essential creatures are, quite simply, the small things that run the world.
“Bugs Matter gives everybody the opportunity to take part in essential monitoring that will help us to better understand the health of our insect populations, and our environment as a whole.”
The survey period runs from 1 June to 31 August 2021.
