Virtual ‘splatometer’ makes it even easier for citizen scientists to contribute to Bugs Matter survey - Buglife

• The Bugs Matter survey involves citizen scientists counting the number of insect splats on their number plates after a journey.
• New virtual ‘splatometer’ makes counting and photographing splats even easier and improves the sustainability of the survey.
• The 2022 survey revealed a dramatic reduction in insect splats of 35% per decade since 2004.

Conservation charities Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife have launched the Bugs Matter 2023 Survey, introducing a new virtual ‘splatometer’ to measure insect splats on number plates as a measure of insect abundance. This ground-breaking initiative aims to measure the alarming decline in insect numbers repeatedly reported across the United Kingdom and the globe.

Last year’s results from the Bugs Matter citizen science survey revealed a dramatic decrease in insect populations. Across the UK, the survey found a staggering decrease of 64% in the number of insects splatted on vehicle number plates between 2004 and 2022. The annual Bugs Matter survey is valuable tool to better understand trends in insect abundance up and down the UK.

Read more about the survey in recent article from Kent Wildlife Trust: Bugs Matter - the National citizen science survey of flying insect abundance