>And they would be coated with pesticides to ensure that there were no insects, or anything that ate them, or that ate the things that ate the insects, etc.. An

>And they would be coated with pesticides to ensure that there were no insects, or anything that ate them, or that ate the things that ate the insects, etc.. And indeed, returning to the airport in daytime, there was remarkably little wildlife. Did you also notice a lack of dead insects on your windshield? Maybe you're not old enough to remember, but several decades ago, any significant drive in most of the US would result in your windshield being coated in dead bugs. Not enough to cover it of course, but enough you'd have to run your washers and wipers sometimes, and use the scrubber at the gas station to clean your windshield (back in the full-service days, the attendant did this automatically for everyone, because they needed it). These days, you can take a long drive and get virtually no dead bugs at all.