Insects - where are they?

There are millions here still (mid Wales), I often pick my son up from work about 9pm, and you can hear and see their little bodies hitting the windscreen by the hundred (I hate it). Not many butterflies as yet, I think the large numbers are usually later in the summer though?
It probably depends whether you live in an area where there’s lots of cultivated fields where they use chemicals, it’s mainly hills and sheep where I am rather than crops.

no cabbage whites in my garden, nor butterflies but plenty of bumble bees. I have made a full insect-friendly garden, no lawn.

I have been quite concerned by the lack of insects.
Back in the 'eighties, and probably the 'nineties too, even a relatively short car journey in the evening would result in a windscreen absolutely covered in splattered insects.

Three or four years ago, it suddenly dawned on me that this is no longer the case - nowadays, the windscreen would still be clear after driving over 100 miles!

This year, however, for the first time, I have noticed an increase. Not a huge one, but an increase nonetheless.

We live in the countryside, and I regularly walk across fields. Some are grazed and some have crops. As well as wider strips around the edges of the fields now being left uncultivated, there are also some much larger areas being left too.

On some of my recent evening walks, I've seen more insects than I had seen for years, which is very promising.
I'm always happy if I see deer, foxes or badgers on my evening walks, but I would never have imagined that I'd be happy to see insects too - but I am.

I have the worlds population of ants in my garden - that's sandy soil for you - and my broad beans are home to tiny black beetles which the local ladybirds are greedily feasting on!

There's also lots of bees attracted to the flowers on my peas and beans now that the blackberry blossom has turned to fruit.

I do see the occasional butterfly but as I'm not growing any brassicas this year there's no attraction for the Cabbage White.

I’ve seen very few butterflies in the garden this year, but there are bees and other pollinators. When I mow my back lawn I leave a patch of clover for them. We had a walk recently and I have several large irritating bites that attest to the fact that other insects are also available!

Still a lot of insects where I live - I’m bitten to bits by midges (I’m not in Scotland) and mozzies. White tailed bees have taken over one of my bird boxes too, so they’re around the garden all day.

Same here in Central Italy. So few butterflies or bees, yet I cultivate my small garden to attract thm.

Trouble is they do a nighttime disfestation twic a year to eliminate mosquitoes (we do also have the tiger mosquito) and that definitely kills off all the other insects.

Saddest of all, when we first moved out of town in the late nineteeseventies we had the joy of fireflies at night in the early summer. All gone now.

Why is it that flies persist? Grrr!