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General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Nic in Western NYS on September 14, 2017, 05:53:59 AM

Title: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: Nic in Western NYS on September 14, 2017, 05:53:59 AM
For us old timers (over 50): When you think back to driving or riding 30 years ago, were there more or fewer bugs splattered on your windshield than now all else being equal?  I saw this  https://e360.yale.edu/features/insect_numbers_declining_why_it_matters (https://e360.yale.edu/features/insect_numbers_declining_why_it_matters) and wondered about people's experiences.

Best,
Nic
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: yogidozer on September 14, 2017, 05:56:02 AM
I didn't have a windshield 30 years ago  :laugh:
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: Nic in Western NYS on September 14, 2017, 06:05:22 AM
I didn't have a windshield 30 years ago  :laugh:
Feel free to substitute "teeth" for "the windshield"

 :grin:
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: Mr Pootle on September 14, 2017, 06:05:36 AM
It's happening in the UK too. Some say it's because vehicles are more aerodynamically shaped now, but I don't buy it. Older vehicles are less splattered too. I can't believe that neonicotinoids are as innocent as the agrochemical industry would have us believe.
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: Zoom Zoom on September 14, 2017, 06:20:01 AM
I'm not sure it is an easy answer. But, as developers fill and build on what was once wetlands for instance, the amount of space where insects can propagate has likely been reduced, at least in very populated areas.

I guess it depends on where you live/ride.

John Henry 
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: Guzzi Gal on September 14, 2017, 08:07:48 AM
I didn't live in a desert 30 years ago, like I do now.  Areas with more rainfall seem to have more suicidal winged things.
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: jas67 on September 14, 2017, 08:25:16 AM
I frequently get splattered with insects, even on those cool, dry days, when you're riding along, being happy that your fact shield is clear of insects, you go through a gnat-ball and suddenly have a hundred of 'em on your shield.

And, why is it that the big juicy bugs always hit directly in front of one eye?
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: Kiwi_Roy on September 14, 2017, 08:27:05 AM
Growing up in Aotearoa it was moths, large ones over an inch long, billions of them.

Don't know what its like there now, Kiwi_Kev has killed off a few LOL
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: Yukonica on September 14, 2017, 08:41:16 AM
30 years ago I lived on Vancouver Island where bugs exist discretely. Now I live in the subarctic where caribou bury their muzzles in moss to avoid breathing in mosquitos. Definitely more bugs now.
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: Triple Jim on September 14, 2017, 08:46:40 AM
In my earlier days of riding, I lived in Bethesda, MD.  Now I'm in rural NC.  A lot more bugs splat on my face shield and clothes now.
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: lorazepam on September 14, 2017, 08:59:49 AM
Still riding the same general areas, and the bugs seem about the same. I have noticed less honey bees than there used to be.
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: Chuck in Indiana on September 14, 2017, 09:29:00 AM
No doubt there are fewer now.. but we live in a farming area. Very aggressive with the pesticides. Lightning bugs used to light up the fields at night. Now.. there are a few. Butterflys, crickets, grasshoppers, bees.. you name them..definitely fewer.
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: Scud on September 14, 2017, 09:49:57 AM
(https://static.imgzeit.com/reduced/718134eeb5bbf4dc/IMG_6951.jpg)
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: Socalrob on September 14, 2017, 10:33:45 AM
Nice thing about SoCal is the lack of bugs.  I go months between face shield cleanings.
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: fotoguzzi on September 14, 2017, 10:39:47 AM
I do know there are A LOT less frogs than when I was a kid.. they used to cover the roads on cool moist nights, never see that now.
(https://www.pca.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/leopardfrog-rpipielg.jpg)
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: screamday on September 14, 2017, 10:46:10 AM
30 years ago I was living in Florida. I hated love bug season. Now I live in SC....no love bugs, so I would say less bugs.   :laugh:
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: tazio on September 14, 2017, 12:20:48 PM
Less night riding= Less bugs for me.
A cloud of Florida love bugs christened my freshly detailed bike years ago.
Louisiana at night was a slaughter house too.
(http://thumb.ibb.co/gPy43k/IMG_20170615_205110164.jpg) (http://ibb.co/gPy43k)
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: PJPR01 on September 14, 2017, 12:26:01 PM
Love bug season is in full effect here!!  One second of open visor on the helmet and you've got a mouth full of bugs!


(http://thumb.ibb.co/cLcTw5/IMG_0363.jpg) (http://ibb.co/cLcTw5)

images shares (http://imgbb.com/)
Title: Re: Bugs on the windshield then and now
Post by: Sasquatch Jim on September 14, 2017, 12:29:47 PM
 It is probably because I have killed off most of them by swatting them with my face when riding.
 However, imidacloprid, acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, nithiazine, thiacloprid and thiamethoxam ain't
 good for people either.