‘This year has been dead’: where have Britain’s insects gone?

When Christina Letanka moved to Chiddingly village in East Sussex 28 years ago, insects were everywhere. “Everything was prolific when we first arrived,” she says. The kitchen used to be full of flies during the day and moths at night, swarming under the light. “Now they’ve all gone.”
Fewer butterflies, wasps and hornets dance around in the garden. “Normally everything comes out with the buddleia, but this year has been surprisingly bad – it’s dead,” Letanka says. “Is it the wet? I don’t know what’s happened. It’s been truly shocking.”
Many concerned gardeners and nature lovers in Britain have noticed fewer insects around this year. Kevin Coward has been gardening in south Manchester for more than 40 years, growing a mixture of flowers, as well as fruit and vegetables. He used to love watching butterflies over a cup of tea. “I’ve had a huge reduction in butterflies, with no caterpillars until this past week,” says Coward. “I have not actually seen any larger moths this year.” He says it is “a problem noticed by other people in my village too”.
The rumblings have reached social media, with gardeners voicing their alarm and posting photos of quiet, insect-free gardens. The former Top Gear host – and now farmer – Jeremy Clarkson also chimed in: “Just been for a walk round the farm and I’m a bit alarmed by how few butterflies there are. Something is afoot.”
Additional reporting by Patrick Greenfield