Hear the insect hum

THE 'insectageddon' foretold by some conservationists may be on hold: 2025 is turning out to be a remarkable year for insects.

- By <em>Patrick Galbraith

Ladybird numbers were so great at Lord's Cricket Ground during England's recent Test match against India that play had to be paused and there are anecdotal reports of insects splattering car windscreens in Scotland for the first time in years. Dr Francis Buner, an ornithologist and the head of wildlife recovery at the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), explains that insects do well when it's warm and humid: 'Despite not having much rain lately, the spring was warm and quite wet, which seemed to help insects emerge.'