بتوقيت بيروت - 11/21/2025 6:04:34 PM - GMT (+2 )
Imagine driving down a highway in the summer. The windows are down, the music is loud, and the wind is whipping through your hair. Now picture your car’s windshield. You might expect to see a handful of splats from unfortunate bugs. But 30 years ago, there would have been significantly buggy skid marks plastered on the front of your vehicle.
“When I was a kid, you could go out driving in the summer, and you would come home and your car windshield was covered in bugs,” saidCheryl Schultz, an ecologist at Washington State University. “Now, you can go across many areas at the same time of year and your windshield is clean.”
This phenomenon, called the “windshield test,” is indicative of a larger, very worrying trend: Insects, particularly the flying ones that pollinate many crops, are in steep decline. This nosedive is disrupting ecosystems around the world, and could jeopardize the global food supply. But tracking the decrease of insect populations over the past three decades has proved tricky — and stopping the decline may be even harder.
However, researchers are working quickly to find ways to stem the tide and even reverse the trend. Key to that is a collaborative approach that includes local and federal conservation efforts, new pollinator habitats, and a reduction in pesticide use.
the و and و a - تفاصيل مهمة The age of the “insect apocalypse”Both the total number of insects and the number of insect species have been declining for decades in pretty much every place scientists have looked — prompting researchers to dub it “the insect apocalypse.” Global bee biodiversity isdown 25%compared with pre-1995 numbers, according to research published in 2021. A sweeping 2025 study showed that butterfly abundance across the U.S.fell by 22%over the past two decades. And a study in Germany found a whopping76% lossof flying insects in some of the country’s forested areas over 27 years.
and و a و for - تفاصيل مهمة A rough way to gauge insect abundance is called the “windshield” or “splat test.” Windshields now have far fewer buggy skid marks than they did 30 years ago, a sign of significant insect population declines.(Image credit: Dina Ivanova via Getty Images)The second driver is habitat loss — the inexorable creep of urbanization, deforestation and sterile suburban lawns, which host fewer and less-diverse ranges of insects. As humans encroach on insect habitats, insects likeground-dwelling beesare left without space to build nests, rear young and overwinter, leading to population declines.
to و insect و of - تفاصيل مهمة
Finally, there are pesticides. For instance, neonicotinoids (often labeled as the active ingredients acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam), have beenidentified as a major threatto wild bees, and they’re still used in the U.S. and some other industrialized countries, including parts of Canada and Australia. Other pesticides, like the common weed killer glyphosate, have been shown toweaken bees’ ability to regulate hive temperature, leaving them vulnerable to plunging winter temperatures.
“It’s really extremely rapid environmental changes that we’re seeing,”Roel van Klink, a researcher at the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research, told Live Science. “Those species that were adapted to the conditions that we had maybe 50 or 100 years ago are not adapted to the conditions now any . And so they go down.”
Collecting data on the scale and scope of these declines has been challenging, however. For one thing, some insects are easier to find than others.
Flying insects like beetles and dragonflies are much mobile, and therefore easier to spot, than earthbound bugs like earwigs and ants. Likewise, charismatic insects like bees and butterflies tend to have historical records of their numbers and are usually easier to identify.
to و and و the - تفاصيل مهمةBut there’s another reason these insects’ declines have gotten scientific attention: They are extremely important for global food security.
The importance of diverse pollinatorsDisappearing insects are bad news for the global food system. As the world’s population continues to grow, the stress that insect declines — and dropping pollinator numbers, in particular — put on the food system could lead to an agricultural economic collapse, as well as increased food scarcity.
“Preventing further declines is no longer enough,”Francesca Mancini, an ecological modeler at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, told Live Science. “We need to restore insect biodiversity to past levels.”
the و to و food - تفاصيل مهمة Cacao flowers are completely reliant on a species of fly for pollination.(Image credit: Helder Faria via Getty Images)Worldwide,three-quarters of the crops we eat— and just over one-third of total crop yields — depend on pollination by insects.The degree to which these crops rely on pollinators falls along a spectrum. Some, like soybeans, would bemuch lessproductive without insect pollination. Others would cease to exist. “Coffee and chocolate are actually 100% dependent on pollination by insects,” van Klink said.
A lot of that pollination work is done by managed European honeybees (Apis mellifera), which beekeepers around the world diligently maintain, transport and unleash upon fields across the globe each year. But to flourish, many crops need than just honeybees.
For example, fruits native to North America, like blueberries and tomatoes (which is technically a fruit), are effectively pollinated by native bumblebees, such asBombusfraternus. That’s because bumblebees can perform what’s known as “buzz pollination,” where they land on a flower and vibrate rapidly to release even the most deeply held pollen grains.
on و and و to - تفاصيل مهمةCacao trees (Theobroma cacao) — the source of the cocoa beans used to make chocolate — are entirely pollinated by chocolate midges. And cotton yields would plummet by up to50% without butterfly pollinators.
Some staple crops, like soybeans, can make it without insects. However, research has shown that soybean fields visited by pollinators havesignificantly higher yields.
Alfalfa fields must be pollinated, yet honeybees aren’t the best insects to do the job. Crop yields rise significantly when the alfalfa leaf-cutting bee (Megachile rotundata) is involved in the pollination.(Image credit: Tanja Nik via Getty Images)Then, there are crops like alfalfa (Medicago sativa). This legume isn’t widely consumed by humans, but it is a staple for livestock — particularly dairy and beef cattle. Like blueberries and tomatoes, alfalfa depends on insect pollinators to thrive. However, honeybees will only pollinate it reluctantly; given the choice, they’d rather buzz around plants with flowers that are easier for them to access. But wild bees, particularly the alfalfa leaf-cutting bee (Megachile rotundata), are extremely effective alfalfa pollinators.
the و alfalfa و it - تفاصيل مهمةArecent studyfound that alfalfa fields visited by a mix of honeybees, wild bees and other pollinators, like wasps and butterflies, produced significantly and larger seeds than fields visited by honeybees alone. This higher yield translates to food for cattle — and thus milk, cheeseburgers and steaks for us.
Glimmers of hopeOf course, restoring insect abundance and biodiversity is no easy task, especially in the face of an all-encompassing threat like global climate change. Experts told Live Science that coordinated federal regulations aimed at slowing climate change, reducing industrial pesticide use, and preventing the destruction of wild spaces are essential for protecting insects. But there are also actions people can take at the local and personal level that can have a positive impact.
Although the current U.S. administration’s cuts to federal science programs and green energy have dealt a harsh blow to progress on these fronts, many experts still see reasons for optimism.
“As much as the overall picture is overwhelming, there’s lots of places for hope,” Schultz told Live Science.
the و of و and - تفاصيل مهمة the و to و and - تفاصيل مهمة The Fender’s blue butterfly (Icaricia icarioides fenderi),native to Oregon, was listed as endangered in 2000. But thanks to concerted conservation measures, the population has recovered somewhat. A new report found that those conservation efforts also improved the population numbers of dozens of other insect species.(Image credit: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) Increasing healthy habitatOne of the best ways to help butterflies and other pollinators is to create habitat for them. Unlike grizzly bears or elk, these insectsdon’t need large stretches of unbroken wilderness. Even something as small as a backyard butterfly garden or a flower-filled window box can go a long way,Wendy Leuenberger, an ecologist at Michigan State University, told Live Science.
of و the و to - تفاصيل مهمة Hoverflies are incidental pollinators that help boost production of apples and strawberries.(Image credit: Victoria Caruso via Getty Images)“I would say it’s the closer, the better for your crops,”Andy Grinstead, a conservation manager at Pollinator Partnership, told Live Science.
In agricultural communities, experts like Grinsteadrecommendplanting “buffer strips” of native vegetation near (or, if possible, in between) crops. He also suggests planting hedgerows of woody, flowering plants around fields to act as both pollinator habitat and wind protection.
But you don’t have to be a farmer to support pollinators. Folks living within a few miles of farms can plant “bee lawns,” which are filled with low-growing flowering plants like clover, instead of pure turfgrass.
of و a و to - تفاصيل مهمةAnd for those without yards, growing micro-plots of native wildflowers — even just a pot on a rooftop or balcony or hanging from a window — can create green “stepping stones” for bees, hoverflies, migratory butterflies and beetles passing through urban areas.
“Pollinator-friendly practices are valuable across all landscapes,” Grinstead said. “It takes very little space to actually make an impact.”
Reducing pesticide use on an industrial scale can also benefit pollinators, Black said.
One way to do this is to adopt an integratedpest management framework. This can mean rotating crops to keep soil healthy; accurately identifying pests before applying pesticides; and carefully spraying in targeted areas (away from blooms) when the wind is low to prevent the pesticides from drifting into the surrounding environment.
to و an و the - تفاصيل مهمةBut even home gardeners can help reduce pesticides by replacing lawns or ornamental plants with hardier native species, hand-weeding rather than blanket-spraying small plots, and using screens or draining standing water instead of spraying for pests like mosquitoes, Black said. Taken together, these actions can help create havens where pollinators can thrive.
Taking actionCrucially, scientists are still researching the full scope of global insect declines, especially for species that have been historically understudied. This means we need field research to estimate insect numbers, Black said.
Community pollinator counts, whether as part of a formal program or through apps like iNaturalist, are also essential, Leuenberger told Live Science. These data help experts pinpoint which species are most vulnerable and which conservation efforts are most effective.
But with the future of the global food system hanging in the balance, it’s important to try to restore these numbers now — not wait till researchers have published comprehensive data on how and where insect numbers are plummeting, Black said. “We don’t want to wait until we have everything tucked into a perfect paper before we take action,” he said. “We know how to take action.”
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