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A new study has revealed that the flying insect population has declined by as much as 60 percent in the last 20 years. Conservation charities Buglife and the Kent Wildlife Trust conducted a
survey of insect numbers by asking members of the public to count the number of bugs on their vehicle number plates. Comparing the results to a similar 2004 study, they found that insect
numbers were down by 65 percent in England. They had declined the least in Scotland, which recorded a 28 percent fall. Paul Hadaway, director of conservation at Kent Wildlife Trust, said the
decline in insect populations is occurring at "an alarming rate". In an article in Yorkshire Live which shared the results of the study, readers were advised to "set up an
insect house" in their gardens, "rather than killing bugs". According to the RSPB, building an insect house, also known as a "bug hotel", "can provide a safe
hideaway for wildlife and help make use of your garden waste." It added: "A well-built hotel can shelter anything from hedgehogs to toads, solitary bees to bumblebees, and
ladybirds to woodlice. "You can build your bug hotel at any time of year, but you might have the most natural materials such as straw, dry grass and hollow plant stems in autumn."
Speaking about the study, Mr Hadaway said: "The results from the Bugs Matter study should shock and concern us all. "We are seeing declines in insects, which reflect the enormous
threats and loss of wildlife more broadly across the country. READ MORE: WARNING ISSUED AS KILLER ASIAN HORNETS ARE SPOTTED IN THE UK "In the next few decades, as many as 40 percent of
the world's species could become extinct, including bees, ants and butterflies. "These insects represent some of the most significant pollinators of plants. "While plants are
pollinated in many different ways, insect-pollinated crop plants such as apples, pears, cucumbers, watermelons and almonds, will become significantly less productive without pollinators and
could fail altogether. "The impact of insect loss goes far beyond our food supplies, however, as animals such as birds which depend on them for food will also be hit." Additional
reporting by Alex Evans.