Where Has the Insect Hum Gone?

Britain's insects seem to be disappearing (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/aug/15/britain-insects-surveys-butterflies-climate-aoe). Insects are important providers of bioservices to humanity. Losses of insect pollinators and pest devourers has been anecdotally evident for some time. There is, however, little by the way of systematic surveys. The closest approximation to an annual survey is the Big Butterfly Count. This survey uses thousands of 'citizen scientists'. It focuses, however, only on prominent day-flying insects. These include a proportion of the UK's limited number of butterfly species (there would only be 50 or so, if all were registered) and a few diurnal moths. The count is also conducted over a limited period. The Big Butterfly Count confirmed that 2024 was the worst year on record. It also suggested a sequence of 3 consecutive years of butterfly decline. Most other insect species are more difficult to observe and harder for non-specialists to accurately identify. Many are nocturnal or only found by delving closely into burrowed materials. Accurate, annual data on these species is currently nonexistent. Having said that, these other insects are also generally in decline. Reductions in insect population numbers appear exaccerbated by climate change (wetter weather at crucial times of the year) and habitat loss. Habitat loss, in the UK, is being countered, to some extent, by changes in agricultural and gardening practises. Pesticide use, however, may still be an issue. Britain needs annual surveys of population numbers of beetles; bees, hoverflies and wasps. The country also needs to do much more to protect its insects from the effects of climate change. We surely don't want to get to a situation (as currently in parts of China), where people with artist's brushes, are employed to hand pollinate fruit trees!