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Anecdote from Wisconsin. 30 years ago when driving across the state in summer I remember my father having to stop at gas stations to scrape bugs off the windshi

by alar44 4y ago

Anecdote from Wisconsin. 30 years ago when driving across the state in summer I remember my father having to stop at gas stations to scrape bugs off the windshield. As a 40 year old, I have never had to do this. There also used to be so many fireflies I'd have jars full in a matter of minutes. I could count on my hands how many I've seen this year. Shit is not good.

FartyMcFarter 4y ago
I installed a roof rack on my car recently, it's always full of bugs. The car itself is almost bug free. It's possible that modern aerodynamic cars are better at avoiding bugs than old cars, although I don't know if this explains the whole difference.
- bregma 4y ago
  I think it does. I don't remember the bugs being nearly so bad back in the 1960s and 1970s as they are now where I live, but I never have to clean off the windshield of my car. When I was a youth we would fight for the privilege of squeegeeing the windshield at every gas fill-up. Now, it's hard to go out without drawing a cloud and even the dog wants to stay inside in the summer. I suspect automobile aerodynamics play a bigger role in the windscreen index reduction than ecological destruction does.
  - jfk13 4y ago
    I'm sure aerodynamics play a part, but insect population decline is a very real issue. You (and your dog) may think you have a "bug problem" where you live, but the wider picture is grim. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2019/february/the-world-s-insect-populations-are-plummeting-everywhere-we-look.html https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2019/february/the-world-... https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2023989118 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2023989118
- voisin 4y ago
  I concur with this. I drove an RV for a period - possibly the least aerodynamic vehicle around. It was a losing battle to keep it remotely clean of bugs. Now driving in the same areas in a normal vehicle, it is a practically non existent problem.

by alar44 4y ago

FartyMcFarter 4y ago

I installed a roof rack on my car recently, it's always full of bugs. The car itself is almost bug free. It's possible that modern aerodynamic cars are better at avoiding bugs than old cars, although I don't know if this explains the whole difference.

bregma 4y ago
I think it does. I don't remember the bugs being nearly so bad back in the 1960s and 1970s as they are now where I live, but I never have to clean off the windshield of my car. When I was a youth we would fight for the privilege of squeegeeing the windshield at every gas fill-up. Now, it's hard to go out without drawing a cloud and even the dog wants to stay inside in the summer. I suspect automobile aerodynamics play a bigger role in the windscreen index reduction than ecological destruction does.
- jfk13 4y ago
  I'm sure aerodynamics play a part, but insect population decline is a very real issue. You (and your dog) may think you have a "bug problem" where you live, but the wider picture is grim. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2019/february/the-world-s-insect-populations-are-plummeting-everywhere-we-look.html https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2019/february/the-world-... https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2023989118 https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2023989118
voisin 4y ago
I concur with this. I drove an RV for a period - possibly the least aerodynamic vehicle around. It was a losing battle to keep it remotely clean of bugs. Now driving in the same areas in a normal vehicle, it is a practically non existent problem.