Ringlet butterfly ©Guy Edwardes/2020VISION
Guy Edwardes, 2020VISION

Citizen science programme suggests dramatic decline in Kent insect numbers, as UK Government approve the use of lethal pesticides

Conservationists have described the outlook in Kent as "alarming", with the county's reduction in insect numbers higher than the national average.

  • The Bugs Matter survey finds bug splats on number plates have declined by nearly 75% in less than 20 years

  • Conservationists describe the outlook for Kent as “alarming” with the county seeing a greater reduction than the national average

  • The announcement comes as the UK Government lifted a ban on pesticides that harm bees

New analysis of data from the 2022 Bugs Matter survey suggests alarming declines in insect numbers in Kent: the number of flying insects sampled on number plates by citizen scientists has declined by a massive 74% since 2004.

This is an increase from last year’s figures, which showed a 72% decline between 2004 and 2021. The news comes just a week after the UK Government announced the permitted use of the banned pesticide thiamethoxam (a neonicotinoid) on sugar beet crops in England for the third year running, even after advocating for a global pesticide reduction target at the UN COP15 Biodiversity Conference in Montreal in December 2022. A single teaspoon of the neonicotinoid pesticide is enough to kill 1.25 billion bees.  

Bugs Matter Kent report 2022

Bugs Matter Kent report 2022 (1.96 MB)

The Bugs Matter Citizen Science Survey uses an innovative method for the large-scale surveying of flying insect abundance across the UK. The survey runs every summer and involves citizen scientists recording the number of insect splats on their vehicle number plates following a journey. Counting insects not only gives an estimate of the abundance of insect life but is also a measure of the health of the environment, so when their numbers fall it is an indication that nature is in trouble.

The Bugs Matter data also indicates that insect declines appear to be happening at a higher rate in Kent compared to the rest of the UK, where a 64% national decline in the number of bug splats on number plates was recorded across the same time period.

Green Tiger Beetle. © Ian Rickards

Kent has been termed ‘The Garden of England’ for hundreds of years, thanks to its scenic hills, fertile farmland and fruit-filled orchards. In fact, over 70% of Kent is farmland, making it a valuable food producer for the rest of the UK. Crops like oilseed rape, strawberries, tomatoes and apples all benefit from wild insect pollination. The worrying numbers revealed by the Bugs Matter survey may change the role of Kent as one of our most valued food production regions and the food security of the nation as a whole. Kent Wildlife Trust are working with farmers across Kent in ‘Farmer Clusters’ to support collaborative working to drive wildlife-friendly farming practices.

The results from the Bugs Matter surveys inform a growing requirement for conservation research, policy and practice targeted at insects. It is also hoped that the survey method could be adopted in other countries, with citizen scientists across the planet taking part to compile a hugely valuable global dataset.

Landscape at Nashenden. ©Tom George Cawdron

The Bugs Matter team are now busy with upgrades to the app in time for the 2023 survey season, including a trial of artificial intelligence to automatically detect the number of insect splats on a number plate. Participation in the 2022 Bugs Matter survey in Kent was fantastic: the number of journeys increased from 378 to 556 between 2021 and 2022 and the top two journey recorders in Kent have logged 150 and 124 journeys over the lifetime of the Bugs Matter survey. It is hoped that the survey will continue to grow each year.

Dr Lawrence Ball from Kent Wildlife Trust said: “We are pleased that so many citizen scientists in Kent have signed up to the Bugs Matter app – more than in any other county! The data we’re generating means that for the first time we can get a county-wide estimate of how insect populations are changing over time. The results from these first few years are concerning, but we need more citizen scientists to record more journeys across more of our road network every year, to understand the long-term trends in insect numbers in Kent.”

Andrew Whitehouse from Buglife said: “For the second year running, Bugs Matter has shown potentially catastrophic declines in the abundance of flying insects in Kent and across the UK. It doesn’t have to be this way, but urgent action is required to address the loss of the diversity and abundance of insect life. We need to make more space for wildlife and reconnect the wild parts of our landscapes, and we must free our land and freshwaters from pesticides and other pollutants.”

The 2023 Bugs Matter survey season will begin on 1 June 2023. Those keen to get involved can download the free Bugs Matter app now to sign up for next year’s survey:

Apple Store

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