Why there are fewer and fewer dead flies on your windshield | Mobility
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Not so long ago, the front of every car looked like a graveyard for flies, mosquitoes or other flying insects. This seems to be much less the case in recent years. But is that also true? And if so, why is that?
The number of flying insects in Britain has fallen by almost four-fifths in 20 years. This is evident from a campaign in which people were asked to count the number of squashed insects on their license plates. Wildlife groups are warning that this is a ‘red flag’ for the state of wildlife in Britain that we should not ignore. Insects pollinate crops, provide natural pest control, break down waste and are important for the food chain.
26,500 journeys examined
According to experts, the decline in insect numbers may be related to global habitat loss, climate change, pollution and the use of pesticides. “It seems that pollinating insects, which are crucial for many crops, are particularly affected,” said researcher Gallego-Zamorano.
Since the original study in 2004, data from almost 26,500 journeys across Britain has been analysed. To take part in the campaign, motorists had to clean their license plate and then take a long drive. They had to register the route via their mobile phone. Then they had to count the insects squashed on their license plate.
Because more people drive in the wake of others, fewer animals are killed per car window on average
The Washington Post
Danish research
Anders Pape Moller, a Danish biologist, previously observed using a similar method that the population of insects is declining sharply. He has also been using fly splatters on cars to estimate insect populations for decades. His data shows that the number of insects fell by 80 percent on one route between 1996 and 2017, and by 97 percent on the other.
The American newspaper The Washington Post investigated a few years ago whether it could also be due to the cars. For example, it could be that more aerodynamic vehicles result in fewer dead flies, because they are more likely to skim past the car instead of flying into it. But that argument turned out to be invalid.
Wake
Ultimately, the paper concluded that the phenomenon of increasingly cleaner windshields of modern cars, in addition to the decline in insect populations, is also due to an increase in the number of cars on the road. The number of vehicle kilometers traveled monthly has increased significantly in the Western world since the 1970s. And because more people follow in the wake of others, fewer animals are killed on average per car window. The increase in car traffic is therefore also an important cause, according to the The Washington Post.
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