No insects in my garden

Thank you so much for responding. I have been thinking about the area around us. That sounds very interesting. Yes please, I would like details.

I am in a rural area with one garden bordering mine, fields on the longest border and a road and then fields on the other sides. I know the farmer and they let the grass grow in the field next to us and harvest it two or three times a year. Then they have a small flock of sheep in the field or just leave it empty. They definitely go around with some spot weedkiller but have done this for years and I have not seen any changes to this routine.
The garden next door has a gardener who appears to just trim hedges, grass etc. every week as the owners are rarely living there, second/third home! My neighbour does talk about looking after wildlife so I assume he does not use pesticides, of course I cannot be certain. He has lived there for 12 years, we have been here 25.

I will ask neighbours in the two nearby hamlets if they have noticed anything. I saw a small bee on the scabious today but nothing else. We have had butterflies flying about and resting in the sun etc. which I am pleased about. We are not even getting as many flies in the house even though doors and windows have been open longer the last few days. It is all very worrying as it is such a huge change in insect numbers.

Thank you again and I look forward to details.

That sounds very disturbing - you may need to look wider - ie 5 miles range
This is the link to POMS (UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme) and it gives a good explanation of how to do a FIT count and which plants to look for

Thank Zo, I had a senior moment and forgot to add the link - remembered when I was half way around my transect in the middle a dead zone

Thats ok

Thanks so much for that, I will read it carefully.

While walking the dog yesterday I mentioned the lack of insects to my nearest neighbour, over 2 fields in a small hamlet. She has a lovely flowery garden with lots of plants to attract insects. She immediately responded with "I've noticed that. I usually have bees/insects buzzing around on the lavender etc. but hardly any this year." Looking round her many flowers beds, they were as empty of insects as mine.Very depressing.

I walked all around the surrounding lanes, about 2 to 3 miles, with untouched borders/hedges etc and saw a grand total of 2 little insects (unidentified) on an umbellifer, one bee buzzing into some ivy and several small black flies on a larger umbellifer. Not great and it is the lack of noise which is unsettling as well.

Another neighbour in the other hamlet (about 1 mile apart) asked if I had heather (I don't) as she did have bees on her heather as usual. She then said "Actually, now you mention it, there are certainly not as many as usual."
So, not scientific I know but I am finding it very worrying.

May not be related but we have house martins on our house. It is only a chalet style so the nests are not very high which means I can hear them chattering away. I completed the BTO survey a few years ago. This year, only one pair returned approx. on time and eventually produced one egg........I found the egg still full of yolk which is abnormal, it looked liked it had been discarded. Another pair settled in the neighbouring nest about a month later (again odd, pairs usually arrive within days of each other) and the exact same thing happened, one yolky egg on the floor although I cannot be certain which nest this fell from. All 4 HMs appear healthy and seen flying over the fields each day, but they are not breeding. In 20 years this has never happened.

Again, may not be connected but we have a camera in a nest box. We have had blue and great tits raising young successfully. Best year was 10 Bluetits and ALL survived and fledged. Usually some do die. This year, 7 blue tits hatched, seemed ok then within a few days, they all died over a period of 3 days. I know this happens although I have never witnessed all the chicks dying. I always put out live mealworms for several months in the spring. I know it may have been inexperienced parents or other reasons.

I know none of this is scientific and will report back after reading the info. you have so kindly provided. It will be a relief to at least do something constructive.

Has Sellafield up the coast been leaking again? (I am only half joking!) Anyone else in LA18 area noticing this lack of insects? Sorry for long post its because I am so concerned and feel helpless.

Thanks for replying, My partner said he has started looking for insects on our flowers etc. and also never sees any so it is not just me (I hope).
Yes, Cumbria and specifically the area around us is just sheep, a few cows and grass crops. Our closest farmer, just over the road, has been very ill this year and has reduced his operation. However, he lets out his fields to another local farmer who also grazes sheep and cows. There probably are fewer animals in the surrounding fields this year but I cannot be sure of this. There have been sheep and a small group of 5 cows with their calves in the field nearest us, same as last few years.
I am very grateful for the link as I would like to report it to a relevant organisation/department. I do agree, it appears as if some intensive spraying has caused the disappearance of all the insects but I have never seen that type of spraying around us. It is weird and upsetting.
Thank you for all your advice, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it. One feels so helpless about it all.

Didn't know that Robbo

That was very interesting to read and could well be the answer.