With the summer months approaching, it's likely we'll see more flies, wasps and bees in our homes.
When the sun is out, your windows and doors are open and this can lead to a number of winged creatures inside your house or flat, and they often don't seem to realise they can go back out the way they came in.
This summer, however, you might see fewer flies and wasps than ever coming inside to buzz around your head. And for that reason, it might be better if you don't kill them, even when they're getting a bit annoying and in your face, Examiner Live reports.
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This is because a new study has revealed the UK's flying insect population has declined by as much as 60% in the last 20 years,
Conservation charities Buglife and the Kent Wildlife Trust asked members of the public to count the number of insects splatted against their vehicle number plates, reports The Natural History Museum, and compared it to a similar study from 2004. They found that counts were down the most in England, where 65% fewer insects were recorded, and the least in Scotland, which recorded a 28% fall.
Paul Hadaway, the director of conservation at Kent Wildlife Trust, said: "We are seeing declines in insects, which reflect the enormous threats and loss of wildlife more broadly across the country. These declines are happening at an alarming rate and without concerted action to address them we face a stark future.
"Insects and pollinators are fundamental to the health of our environment and rural economies."
People online have in the past shared their techniques for killing flying bugs at home including traps, electric rackets and sticky fly paper, or sicking their cats on them. But in the face of such startling figures, the best bet might be to shoo flies and wasps back outside rather than kill them.
Rather than killing bugs, you could set up an insect house in your garden, and stick to real grass rather than astro turf. Other tips include mowing the lawn less regularly (as longer grass provides a home for more insects), and creating log piles for beetles.
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