Interstate highways and bug splats

This is more of an observation that older people on this site should be able to ponder about.

Back in the early 70's the Interstate 29 was just being finish between St. Joseph and Kansas City. Not a big deal by any stretch of the imagination. It made the trip to KC much faster and easier.

The one thing you did notice was bugs on windshields and grill work. Tons of bugs. I pitied the motorcyclists as they would be covered with bug splats.

I'm sure this was a common event everywhere the interstate system was put in. Into the 80's it wasn't as bad and has gotten progressively better with fewer splats.

As you drive the interstate system now, there are hardly any bug splats compared to that time. And it would follow that this is a common event everywhere else. A noticeable decline in insects along highway routes. I have noticed this across the Midwest during different times of the year. You can go several hundred miles and maybe get a couple dozen hits.

I wonder if this part of the food chain has impacted higher levels of animals that feed on the missing insects? I'd think so.

Or is it the same number of insects, that are now being splatted on a greater number of vehicles? I know that there is certainly a lot more traffic on the roadways these days.

I used to drive the London to Windsor corridor all the time and it really bothered me when the Monarchs were migrating. It was a carnage that I found very disturbing.
This was also around the time that stories in the press were saying GM crops were destroying milkweed, their main source of food.

Monarchs were a very common sight a few years ago in my area, but this summer was an exception. There were very few around, and the same goes for bees, we saw very few of those this summer, and not a single hummingbird.
I know I splatted my share of butterflies, but I'm not taking any blame for the hummingbirds.

Something is going on, and it's not just the bees that are disappearing. :shk:

The planet is once again undergoing a mass extinction, only this time it's humans to blame. 65 million years ago we're pretty sure it was an impact that triggered the massive die off, but some have suggested it was well underway before the planet took the hit.

Before that, about 250 million years ago, about 99% of life was wiped out due to massive volcanic activity that poisoned the atmosphere and oceans.

I think the world has gone through 6 major extinction events and this is the first one that can be attributed directly to humans. Deforestation and the hunting of bush meat has killed of most of the great apes and now there are only about 7,000 orangutans in the wild. Due to their dispersal this won't leave a viable breading population or genetic diversity for the last remaining ones to survive.

Sumatran Orangutan (Indonesia)

This great ape has been reduced to 7,000 animals living in 13 fragments of land on the island of Sumatra, according to a new report.

Large-scale logging continues to convert this orangutan's native forests to agriculture and palm oil plantations, says the October 26, 2007, report by the Primate Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union's Species Survival Commission and the International Primatological Society, in collaboration with Conservation International.
news.nationalgeographic.com...

So long, and thanks for all the fish..........

[edit on 29/10/2007 by anxietydisorder]

Well, in my neck of the woods here in GA the insects is still a big problem, but this year unseasonal drought has taken care of the population.

Also I did have an unusual population of honey bees in the spring because I have a large flowering garden, they were everywhere and as long as we let them do their thing I have not problem doing my gardening with hem buzzing around.

That was a welcoming site for me.

Now as for the monarchs I find interesting that I didn't see many during th spring but now in the last few weeks I have to many to ignore in my garden specially on my lantana shrubs.

Originally posted by marg6043

Now as for the monarchs I find interesting that I didn't see many during th spring but now in the last few weeks I have to many to ignore in my garden specially on my lantana shrubs.

It's migration season for them right now as they move down to Mexico for their annual holiday.

Ok, then it should no be a surprise to see them around, perhaps our unseasonal warm weathers in the last month is attracting them o the area.

They look very pretty.

Any chance you're observing the insects at a quiet time of the year for them?

I lived in farm country for quite a while and it was common to be free of them for a while and other times be somewhat inundated.

The wet year/drought year cycles make a difference as well.
Some species do well at one time and another will fall back.
Next year, if weather patterns are reversed, seems like the species that fell back wll come to the front.

I'm glad Marg is seeing more honey bee's this year.
And hoping that's an indicator of their return to normal levels.

As for seeing less bugs on that highway over the years since it was constructed, I'd have to guess that it's just because things have settled down since construction. When you build something new, you're stirring up a lot of bugs. When we built our house, we had an unbelievable amount of spiders (ewwwww). Now 3 years later, that's calming down (thankfully, whew!)

I have also noticed a lot more humming birds, monarchs, and bees because of the planting we did in our yard. We have planted flowering things that attract those types of species. Not all is lost yet! Do some gardening! It'll do ya good!

I was being very American centered when I posted so thank you from England with sharing your views. I thought about this much later than when I posted this, this morning.

The disturbing areas with construction probably has much merit. Now lets think about all the highways built across the US Midwest. A much larger view of the planet would have to include roads across Africa where there were none. Even high speed trains in Europe and Japan probably takes a toll.

I know this is petty, but you'd think it would affect the food chain.

Maybe the bugs are just smarter now and some know to avoid the interstate Who knows right? Bugs are a pretty old species, who knows how smart they might really be.

I'm no scientist, but I would just figure they adapt. I can't imagine a highway is going to affect the food chain all that much. I'd hope they're smart enough to just stay to the side, eh?

Originally posted by hinky

As you drive the interstate system now, there are hardly any bug splats compared to that time. And it would follow that this is a common event everywhere else. A noticeable decline in insects along highway routes. I have noticed this across the Midwest during different times of the year. You can go several hundred miles and maybe get a couple dozen hits.

I totally disagree.

Last month, My family and I took a two week vacation from Virginia to Colorado, i've never been hit by so many bugs. By the end of the trip my Expedition and cartop carrier were covered with so many bugs that it looked like it had grown fur. I had to scrub my windshield every time I stopped for gas or I would have had a hard time seeing out the windshield.

Originally posted by hinky

The disturbing areas with construction probably has much merit. Now lets think about all the highways built across the US Midwest. A much larger view of the planet would have to include roads across Africa where there were none. Even high speed trains in Europe and Japan probably takes a toll.

If there is any effect, I would have to say it is extremely minimal.

If you've traveled on the highways out there, you would know what I mean.

Drive through Kansas or Wyoming, the highway is about the only thing you see, a whole lot of nothing in those states. Just 2 lanes going each way and A LOT of empty space.

To say the highways are effecting bugs is like saying the spoon I'm using the move the sand in the desert is doing a great job.

[edit on 31/10/07 by Skibum]