A couple of years ago, but I don’t drive all that far most days. It sure seems like there are fewer and fewer. For instance, last summer, I saw fireflies for the first time in over a decade. This can’t be good.
Last week.
But cars tend to have more of a slant to the windows then they used to, so less bugs smack and splatter.
June bugs are already out here, and I went out last night. Got a bunch still splattered on the windshield rn.
You’ve activated my “thing”. No one seems to have noticed that the bottom of the ecosystem just fucking dropped out.
When I was a child, dad taught me to always clean the windshield when we stopped for gas, and sometimes in between. I have not done this in years, easily more than a decade.
We drive hundreds of miles of back country highway to pick up my kids. Talking the South here, mostly Alabama which is 77% wooded. Nada.
Screw it, I could tell stories for an hour, too depressing to go on.
A part of it is how car aerodynamics have changed.
My work car has a flatter windshield and gets a lot more bug splatter than my personal car.
Took the words out of my mouth. I used to plan for a car wash after every trip through the countryside. Haven’t done that going on 15 years now. Amazing how few people notice.
I’ve definitely noticed. When I was a kid in the South, lovebug season was a whole thing. I got drafted to wash the car constantly. Last time I was down there during lovebug season driving around, I didn’t see a single one. No splats, no scraping bugs out of the grill, nothing. No fireflies either. It is depressing. I’m a city girl now, but I still keep a densely planted organic flower garden. Even with huge patches of native flowers, I see very few pollinators, and it really bums me out. But I do often see bees sleeping in my flowers, so there’s that.
No, no. You’re not alone. I’ve noticed too.
I drove from San Diego to Boston with my buddy a couple years back and it never even crossed our minds to wipe the windshields the entire trip
Every time I take a trip out of the city.
Generally, I NEED to clean it every 300 miles due to not being able to see through the sheet of bug-goo covering my windshield.
I remember it being like that decades ago - a long car trip might have required more stops to clean the windshield than to get gas. Not in a very long time though. Now I do get at least one hit per week but I don’t have to clean it even as frequently as I get car washes.
Where are you that there are still bugs (other than mosquitoes)?
Don’t really drive anymore so no idea. If I did it probably would’ve been within the last 24 hours as at least in this neighborhood the bug problem has gotten atrocious bordering on apocalyptic. My fellow bicycle riders have advised me not to open my mouth on the trail lest ye get an involuntary protein supplement.
It’s been years.
Was talking about this a few weeks ago. Then we spent a week on the Gulf coast of TX, and the rental car collected a pretty good number of bugs. Not as much as when I was younger, but more than I remember seeing in a long time.
They’re 70-80% gone here since around ‘20, anecdotally as someone who’s driven the same highway corridor day and night.
They still get hit by the vehicle, but there is a profoundly apparent absence.
I live near a metro so its not as noticable but yeah 50 years ago you would get some. More significantly you did not need to go far (you could reach it in a day trip. say within 2 hours away) and you would have your windshield plastered. Basically out were you could see some farmland. Even in the 90’s though going to school downstate you did not see much and Every so often I have trips across states and even down south and stays crystal clear. I will note besides insect decline there is a thing were more airodynamic vehicles don’t get as many. The air flows around and the insects are more likely to survive. That being said just going camping and such im amazed at how few insects there are. I used to get eaten alive.
When I roadtrip my windshield get so fucking nasty every time I stop I have to clean it cause the windshield fluid isn’t enough to degunk everything
Almost every day. Rural living.
Yeah, I was going to say - when was the last time this didn’t happen?
I have some roads which would be swarming with bugs at certain times of day barely have any now. A lot of the country roads by fields just don’t have the insect populations they used to around, I assume due to the massive amount of insecticides they use.
Yeah, I’ve never had to deal with swarms of insects splattering against my windshield. We’ve never had that, here. But a few here and there every time I drive.
We have some roads that pass next to woods and other shady areas where insects like to group up for mating/feeding/whatever else bugs do in a group and passing through them at the right times would mean stopping by a gas station shortly after to clean them off. I avoided those areas entirely during certain parts of the year when riding a bike, because it is way worse without a windshield!
Now those areas barely have anything at all.
I also miss the large numbers of lightning bugs that used to hang out in our back yard. A couple dozen is a lot less fun to watch compared to hundreds.
Nothing like it use to be though
Not really on my windshield often but my bumper and mirrors are covered within a few miles of driving. Maybe it’s an aerodynamics thing?
A few months ago when I still lived in Brandenburg in Germany (I had to clean my windscreen regularly). Haven’t had a single one in Baden-Württemberg. I wonder if the wine growers use more pesticides.
When I lived in England my windscreen was suspiciously empty too.
sadly, global warming is killing them. I remember years ago they’d splatter my windshield every commute
“Sadly” is a massive understatement. There will be devastating knock-on effects.
That, but I’d put pesticides and environment devastation to more blame.
Monoculture farming in particular is absolutely horrific for biodiversity.
