Number of insects

[BurntBroccoli]

Just wondered if anyone else's garden is devoid of insects such bees and butterflies?
I'm East Yorkshire.
Very worrying 😢

Mine is full of insects; but no butterflies or ladybirds yet.
Lots of bees (honey, bumble & solitary), flies, hover flies, spiders, etc Even had a hummingbird hawk moth this evening whilst watering.
But no butterflies yet & one of my buddleia is now in flower, which they love. And I'm overrun with aphids but no ladybirds in sight unfortunately.
Seem to have a little colony of crab spiders too.

We have a normal number of bees and insects, but this year has seen far more butterflies than usual.

I'm in the midlands, and last weekend didn't see any bees or wasps in my garden. I have a lot of bee friendly plants as well, and find this very concerning. There's plenty of slugs, snails, spiders and flies. A few butterflies, but not many, and a few ladybirds, but not many.

I have a lavender that's in full bloom but not many bees sadly

Too many slugs and snails

Yes my buddleia is now in flower, plus crocosmia and jasmine but no hovers, butterflies or wasps. It was quite sunny today too and I would have expected to see a few. Last year I saw a hummingbird hawk moth on the jasmine!
There were some Mason bees a few weeks ago that started to fill the bee hotel but haven't been back for a while.
It's been quite dull this week and quite cold for the end of June.

Is that far more or far less? Whereabouts are you?

I know - the garden is eerily quiet.
I did see a few moths this evening.

What are you doing to facilitate caterpillars and other larvae?
I have a rich garden of what others would consider "weeds" (I don't use that term) and I get bees, butterflies and all manner of caterpillars and insects.

Grow nettles, brambles, ragwort, clover etc etc.

I have loads of bees and wasps in my garden, and a few ladybirds and butterflies. A gardener told me that these particular bees are small native English bees. He thinks someone might be beekeeping them in the area.

Suburban south london.

I love wasps for keeping the aphids off the roses

I do have what has been described as a wild garden...! (Ie, horrendously overgrown at all times because keeping it tidy is way down the list of to-dos).

But if the bees and wasps like it then that's a nice bonus

South West and the car is covered in dead insects like I remember as a child (obviously sad but for years there have hardly been any) I think not mowing is working

More. Western Isles.

My garden isn't a tidy one and I only mow every so often. I have nettles for the peacock larvae and also some ragwort (in case cinnabar moths appear!). Every new plant I buy is for pollinators and every year there are usually loads of bumblebees and butterflies, even the ant population seems thin on the ground this year.

I live in a rural area and there has been a LOT of spraying in the fields this year.

Had a swarm of bees settle on a tree the other day. They buzzed for ages before settling, then disappeared.

Lots of bees but no butterflies and my budleia is usually covered

I've had lots of bees (in the south), spiders, slugs. Less flies than normal. I've seen a few butterflies, but less than when it's warmer.

Yes my buddleia is now in flower, plus crocosmia and jasmine but no hovers, butterflies or wasps. Yorkshire. Buddleia, Crocosmia nowhere near in flower! A few early butterflies, wide range of bees and the odd hoverfly - I always think of them as a bit later.

I spend a lot of time on a national nature reserve - the difference between the agricultural areas and the wilder areas is immediately apparent in the level of birdsong before you even start looking at insects. And this is improved grassland, so that’s without insecticides.

NE Scotland. Quite a lot of bees, but hardly any butterflies. Previous years my buddleia was covered in them, but last year only a few. It has been really cold here, so maybe some sun will help 🤞. Over the last 20 years Imhave noticed a marked decline in bees and butterflies, and even flies. There would always be flies coming through the open door of the kitchen, but now very few. Remember years ago the bonnet and number plate of the car would be covered, but clean as a whistle now. Indeed very worrying. Agricultural area, and lots of spraying, but I try and keep my garden wild.

Noticeably fewer insects this year. I've hardly seen any butterflies or bees. My garden is definitely on the wild and weedy side and it's usually beautifully loud and crawling with bugs. We've done nothing different this year but it's been cold and windy since the autumn.

I've intentionally created a biodiverse garden in North Yorkshire, aiming to support a variety of wildlife. However, over the past 4-5 years, I've noticed a clear decrease in butterflies, moths, and flying insects. In contrast, there's been an increase in millipedes, slugs, and woodlice.

Oh if we're including flies and mosquitos, then yes we're inundated on a hot day!

Also south west and have noticed this too, sad but actually a bit exciting. Not sure if the wet weather and mild winter played a part too... hoping butterflies will increase once it warms up a bit more.. have a few but not much variety

And it's raining again and quite chilly today in E Yorks. Bit of sunshine though at least.
Someone mentioned horseflies, yes seen quite a few of those on warmer days.
The calendula had quite a few mason bees on as well a few weeks ago.

We've also had several daddy long legses if that counts. My dd pronounces it "Daddy Yong Yegs" which my dh finds adorable every time, that's how I know how often they're coming in the house lol

Loads of ladybugs, now larvae. Not as many bees as normal. Aphids below average (because ladybugs). Spiders though - waaaaay fewer than normal, which is weird.

We usually get those in latish summer so that's quite unusual.