If counting sheep is dull enough to send you to sleep, then trying to count insects must keep your head buzzing long into the night. It's a strange job, but somebody needs to do it if scientists are to discover dips in the bug population before they affect crops. One popular method of helping track the numbers is the annual National Farm Pollinator Survey, which prompts thousands of people across the country to head to participating estates in order to play spot the bee. Insects are also food, which is why the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds launched the Big Bug Count a few years ago. The charity wanted to know how many got squished on car number plates during one journey and almost 40,000 worryingly eager drivers responded The results were surprisingly low and the RSPB calculated that on average only one bug gets splattered every five miles, perhaps they should have asked for the windscreens to be checked.
