RSB, the Royal Society of Biology, is hoping to benefit from recent popularity contests amongst bird-lovers, by launching a 'what's your favourite insect?' poll, or as the Guardian memorably puts it, a 'creepy-crawly celebrity contest' – more feral sub-editing, I fear, which does nothing for RSB's serious intent.
I guess RSB must be on the look out for new members, but this poll is not what it seems. The society says:
"Insects are vital for human life on earth but are often overlooked. There are over 20,000 insect species found in the UK, but which is your favourite?"
A good start, I thought, informative and encouraging, but it then goes on:
"Expert ecologists came up with a list of 10 of their favourite species and now we want to know what the rest of the UK thinks. Are you dotty for the seven spot ladybird, or do you go weak at the knees for the buff-tailed bumblebee?"
Sadly, we are not to be trusted to say what our own favourites actually are; rather, we have to select from the pooled prejudices of jobbing ecologists. What a shame. For the record, I don't have a favourite insect; I think it's a ridiculous idea. I might have a favourite butterfly or a favourite beetle, or even a favourite aphid or termite, if I thought about it, but why ask me to choose between Orders in this way? Indeed, why not take the opportunity to let people learn something interesting about insect classification?
The reason, I suspect, is that this isn't really an education project – just an opportunity for some welcome publicity for the Society in August.
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