Season 9 Episode 2: About Bees, Culture & Curiosity Podcast – No Bugs on the Windshield. Is it the Insect Apocalypse?
A summer drive from Calgary to Banff used to leave my windshield covered with insects. A few days ago, the same 250-kilometre round trip left just three bug splatters. Three. It used to be dozens. Is this simply better automobile design, or is it ssigns of an insect apocalypse?
In this episode of About Bees, Culture, and Curiosity, I explore the science behind what researchers call the windshield phenomenon. Beginning with observations from the Rocky Mountains, we examine decades of insect monitoring, including the famous Krefeld study from Germany, Britain's Bugs Matter citizen science project, and recent research on long-term insect declines across Europe.
Along the way we check on alpine wildflowers, bumble bees, hoverflies masquerading as bees, Marilyn Monroe in Banff, and even a look back at my 2016 Bad Beekeeping Blog proposing some rather unorthodox solutions to insect roadkill.
Are insects really disappearing? What does science actually say? And why should beekeepers, birdwatchers, and anyone who enjoys the outdoors care?
Links
1. Original Krefeld Study (PLOS ONE, 2017)
Hallmann, C.A. et al. (2017)
More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass in protected areas
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0185809
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185809
2. Krefeld Statistical Rebuttal (Nature, 2025)
Hallmann, C.A. et al. (2025)
Weather anomalies cannot explain insect decline
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08528-0
This is the response to the statistical reanalysis that argued weather explained much of the observed decline.
3. Bugs Matter (United Kingdom)
Official website:
https://www.buglife.org.uk/bugs-matter/
Survey information:
https://www.buglife.org.uk/get-involved/surveys/bugs-matter/
This includes:
- annual reports
- the smartphone app
- methods
- volunteer instructions
- published results
4. Swiss 90-Year Study (Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2026)
Neff, F. et al. (2026)
Twentieth-century insect declines and partial recoveries driven by changes in land use and climate
Abstract (PubMed):
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42231010/
A freely available PDF (author repository):
https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261/437414/1/Ninety-year_trends_reveal_sharpest_insect.pdf
Dave Goulson
Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/677807/silent-earth-by-dave-goulson/
One of the best popular science books on insect decline.
Brooke Jarvis
The Insect Apocalypse Is Here
The New York Times Magazine (2018)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/27/magazine/insect-apocalypse.html
Probably the best long-form magazine article introducing the subject to the general public.
This podcast was
Recorded August 2026 in Calgary.
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