Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust asks where have all the insects have gone following the results of the Butterfly Conservation’s 2024 Big Butterfly Count

Where have all the insects gone – and why does it matter — asks Erin McDaid of the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust.

If, like me, you spend a lot of time outdoors, whether you are simply walking the dog, gardening or visiting local parks and nature reserves, I’d hazard a guess that you too have noticed that the number of flying insects has been lower than usual this year.

As a keen gardener, I have been struck by the lack of bees and hoverflies and butterflies have been particularly conspicuous by their absence both in the garden and at my allotment.

Rarely have I had an opportunity to enjoy watching bees flit from bloom to bloom and only towards the back end of the summer did I spot any caterpillars – and by that time, I fear it was too late in the season for them to complete their lifecycle – even my two buddleias, otherwise known as the ‘butterfly bush’ have been devoid of butterflies.

Even the ubiquitous flying ant ‘day’ seems to have passed unnoticed - this is the first year I can remember not being called by the media for a comment about the swarms.

While the weather hasn’t been great for picnics and barbeques recently, gatherings that usually provide flashpoints for late summer for conflict with wasps, the numbers of wasps also appears to be strangely low.

While picnickers might have given a collective sigh of relief, pest controllers are reportedly ruining the population crash and whilst no one relishes the risk of being stung. Small though it might be, the worry has to be that anecdotal reports of low numbers of wasps, along with low recorded numbers of species such as butterflies are the latest evidence of a wider insect decline.

While the unseasonably cool temperatures and wet conditions at points throughout the summer will have played a part, habitat loss to agriculture, housing and other development along with climate change and continued use of damaging insecticides are contribute to an increasingly bleak outlook.

The charity, Butterfly Conservation has just released figures from the 2024 Big Butterfly Count — its annual ‘citizen science’ survey which calls on the public to record numbers of butterflies.

They’ve announced that the count saw the lowest number of butterflies in its 14-year history and that more than 9000 participants did not see a single butterfly during their survey slot.

So bad are the figures, in the eyes of Butterfly Conservation, that they’ve called on the Government to declare a ‘butterfly emergency’ and have repeated calls for an immediate outright ban on all butterfly-killing neonicotinoid pesticides – something The Wildlife Trusts have also been campaigning for.

Taken in isolation, people might wonder what all the fuss is about in terms of insect decline, after all, other than bees and butterflies, flying insects are often seen as a nuisance, but they play a variety of key roles including assisting with pollinating our food, recycling waste and providing sustenance for other species that are perhaps more cherished such as birds.

While the results of the Big Butterfly Count are in, it may be many months, and even into next year, before we have access to data showing if the reported decline in insect numbers has impacted on the many bird species that feed directly on insects or the majority of bird species, including seed eating species, that rely on insects including caterpillars to feed their chicks.

In the face of negative news about our natural world, it can be difficult to remain upbeat, but the small number of late-season butterflies I have seen in the garden has lifted my spirits and made me determined to plant more late-flowering plant species to give them a better chance of survival and success in years to come.

Doing something positive is usually the best response when faced with almost overwhelming negativity. A sense of agency much preferable to a feeling of helplessness.

As well as planting nectar-rich flowers, you could leave an area of longer grass to boost food sources, install a small bug house or even create an elaborate bug ‘hotel’ to provide somewhere for beneficial insects to shelter over winter.

And, when the weather isn’t good enough to take action outdoors you could head inside to email your MP urging them to call on the Government to ban damaging insecticides.