The number of flying insects hitting vehicle number plates in Northern Ireland has fallen by more than half in just five years, according to new data.
The annual Bugs Matter “splat survey” — a citizen-science project used to track insect abundance — recorded an average 8% drop each year, resulting in a 56% decline overall. The fall mirrors trends in Wales (55%) and is only slightly less severe than in England (60%) and Scotland (59%).
The invertebrate conservation charity Buglife, which runs the survey with Kent Wildlife Trust, said the findings point to a “potentially catastrophic” collapse in insect populations.
A fifth year of significant decline
Rebecca Lewis, Buglife’s Scotland and Northern Ireland manager, said the results were especially concerning given the favourable spring and summer weather.
“Insects might be small, but they are incredibly important for healthy ecosystems — from maintaining soils and clean rivers to pollinating crops,” she said.
Lewis described the halving of insect numbers as “potentially catastrophic”, urging swift action to halt the decline. “We need large-scale restoration of nature and urgent reductions in pesticide use, habitat loss and climate change impacts,” she added.
How the ‘splat survey’ works
The Bugs Matter survey uses a simple method:
participants count the insects splatted on their car licence plates after a journey, then log the distance travelled using the Bugs Matter app.
The five-month survey runs from May to September. This year, citizens in Northern Ireland tracked nearly 12,000 km (7,500 miles) of travel — from Portrush to Crossmaglen — to help build a picture of insect abundance.
For the first time, the survey also expanded into the Republic of Ireland, creating a baseline for future comparisons.
Kent Wildlife Trust’s citizen-science lead, Rosie Bleet, described the Northern Ireland decline as a “red flag” that cannot be ignored.
“A yearly decrease of 8% is really alarming,” she said. “It’s vital that Bugs Matter continues next year and beyond.”
She added that the project had “captured the imagination” of volunteers across Northern Ireland and called for even more people to take part in the next survey.
