Why Bugs Matter

Val explains how you can collect information via an app to help save the small things that run the planet

- Val Bourne

I Bought a new-to-me car last November, in the middle of lockdown, and it’s been very economical. I was still on the same tank of petrol five months later, because I couldn’t get out! It’s only been in the carwash once since I’ve had it, so it already has that lived-in look both inside and out. I have had to use screen wash once or twice, but there are not very many insects splattered on my car.

It was all so different 30 years ago, when my daily commute was 40 miles (65km) long. In the summer I would have to allow an extra five minutes in the morning, twice a week, to scrape the windscreen, otherwise I couldn’t see properly. The headlights had to have the same treatment, because insects were so abundant that they splattered all the glass surfaces as you drove along.

That doesn’t happen now, sadly, but the charity Buglife ( buglife.org.uk) is encouraging us to reverse the trend. You can help the charity collect more information by downloading a free app called Bugs Matter and this will provide you with a ‘splatometer’. I’ve always wanted one!