Talk:Windshield phenomenon

Why so much tangential information?

This article should only be about the phenomenon itself. For general information on insect declines there is Decline in insect populations. Why are there references presented under 'Studies' that have nothing to do with the phenomenon? SmartSE (talk) 20:28, 9 April 2019 (UTC)

@Smartse and Gandydancer: there have been substantial recent changes to this article, and I do not think they accord with related discussions on the removal and addition of similar content. I would like to see the article article restored, help with some revisions, and leave the insertion and inclusion to a bit more discussion if contentious. I invite this revert because the edits are assured in their summaries, but there is little will to resolve any concerns arising not worth it As noted below, I queried one source earlier below, and prefer this article be built up well sourced content instead of to and fro of 'equal time' to supposed criticism. Just to be clear, this is my read of page histories and the poorly sourced content moving around: seemingly an aim for 'balance' on topics in a flurry of quick edits that have been—or are currently being—disputed elsewhere. Entirely possible I have misread this, standard disclaimer, so clarity on what you (or any one else) are certain should be removed or kept, or loss of interest as "not worth it", seems polite. cygnis insignis 00:16, 10 April 2019 (UTC)

Rawlins

Smartse, you can't use a blog for Rawlins. Cygnis insignis found a newspaper article that may be the original source for Rawlins, so that should be used instead; see the decline talk page. Someone should email Rawlins to make sure he stands by this. SarahSV ^(talk) 22:09, 9 April 2019 (UTC)

As I said there, I disagree - a museum blog is perfectly reliable for such information. I would change it to the newspaper regardless but archive.org isn't working for me right now. I don't see it as our job to contact people and question them - it's straying into OR and we should just report what the sources say. SmartSE (talk) 22:21, 9 April 2019 (UTC)

OR is about publishing original research on WP; it's not about doing it. I would contact him because it was arguably an odd thing to say. He may not stand by it, or he may have said more about it and can direct us to better sources. As for the blog, it's an SPS and using it as a source about a living person is a violation of BLPSPS. SarahSV ^(talk) 22:31, 9 April 2019 (UTC)

Insect Attractants Impact

Why no discussion of insect attractants such as light and chemical. Have changes to vehicle exhaust or headlamp type been considered? For example, aren’t Love bugs attracted to aldehydes in diesel exhaust. 2600:1700:E32:3000:35D6:13D2:C0F5:2CDD (talk) 13:05, 24 October 2022 (UTC)

How Fast Does A Car Have To Go To Kill Insects?

I ask because, in the UK, we have recently dropped speed limits in built up areas. Could this be saving insects as well as people? 2.223.203.104 (talk) 10:56, 30 April 2025 (UTC)

Vehicle Shape

I'm surprised no one has mentioned how vehicle shapes would affect bug strikes. As automobiles become more aerodynamic with highly raked windshields, the air (and bugs/leaves in the air) are much more likely to move with the airflow over the windshield than to strike it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.217.97.5 (talk)

If you can find a reliable source attesting to this, feel free to add it to the article. Otherwise, it constitutes original research and is therefore not suitable for Wikipedia. Anerdw (talk) 18:56, 29 May 2025 (UTC)

Origin of 66% decline in 2025 since 2021 statistic?

The last sentence of the United Kingdom section references a BBC article which mentions the 66% statistic, but the sources for that BBC article list a 59% decrease rather than 66%. Haven't been able to find a source for the 66% yet, but I'm probably missing something.

Here's the main article I was looking at, published a day before the BBC article and what I assume the BBC article is based on. https://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/new-data-suggest-insect-life-continues-decline-kent Ethiviju (talk) 04:41, 27 April 2026 (UTC)

The decrease was 59% across the UK and 66% in Kent.

Your link: "59% decline in splat rates across the UK between 2021 and 2025"

BBC News: "The 2025 Bugs Matter "splat survey" revealed the number of flying bugs in [Kent] has fallen by 66% in just five years." Firebrace (talk) 19:59, 27 April 2026 (UTC)

After looking more into it I'm just more confused where the BBC got the 66% statistic. I looked on the buglife website (https://www.buglife.org.uk/get-involved/surveys/bugs-matter/) for records for 2025 and all I got was the same infographic that was on the Kent Wildlife Trust website. I've looked through their records for the previous years and found inconsistent recordkeeping for Kent vs. the UK as a whole, but for the 2025 survey in particular--which the BBC article specifically references--I found no reference to the number 66 anywhere. The closest I could find is the annual decrease of 23% in Kent in 2025, but I can't see any calculation that would result in a total decrease of 66% in the previous four years. Is it possible the BBC article uses an incorrect statistic? Would the BBC article take priority over the buglife and Kent Wildlife Trust articles? I agree the 59% statistic only applies to the UK and not specifically Kent, would that be a better statistic to reference on this page? Sorry for the pestering, this has just been giving me a real headache while I'm working on an assignment. Ethiviju (talk) 01:11, 28 April 2026 (UTC)