"The study, published in the journal Ecology, calculated the density of flying insects during 15 summers, between 20042024, in a remote meadow in the Colorado mountains. The bugs collected included common flies and a wide range of other, mostly winged species. The insect populations were found to have declined by an average 6.6% annually a 72.4% drop over the 20-year period."
"Sockman said his paper shows "a significant decline in these insects in an area that is not very much impacted at all. It's quite remote, quite pristine, and yet still showing this substantial decline in insects." The research showed a lag time between temperatures during summer months and their impact a year later, leading him to believe that warming summers were the strongest factor in insect numbers dropping."
Density of flying insects in a remote Colorado mountain meadow declined by an average 6.6% per year, amounting to a 72.4% decrease from 2004 to 2024. Sampling occurred across 15 summers and included common flies and a wide range of mostly winged species. The sampling site is remote with minimal human development within several kilometers, reducing the likelihood of direct land- or water-use impacts. A lagged relationship linked warmer summer temperatures to reduced insect numbers the following year, indicating warming summers as the most likely primary driver of the declines.
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