Many humans have an innate fear of the “creepy crawlies”. Many times, this (mostly unfounded) fear leads to unnecessary carnage of the poor insect specimen in question.
Here are some letters that would have otherwise been a fabulous addition to our site but we have reported them in our “unnecessary carnage” section.
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Letter 1 – Fanmail concerning Unnecessary Carnage
praise! July 29, 2009 WTB folks: Just discovered you, and went right for the ‘Unnecessary carnage’ page. I am an insect lover, technician for several entomology labs here at Nova Scotia Agricultural College. Great sense of humour and so right about unnecessary killing. Only critisim would be to get away from narrow column pages..fill up the’ empty margins. Anna Fitzgerald NSAC, Truro, Canada
Letter 2 – Starting an Insect Collection is not Unnecessary Carnage
Question about Unnecessary Carnage July 29, 2009 Hello WTB! My kids and I are huge fans of your site. One of my kids decided at the tender of age of three that he wants to become an entomologist someday and spends hours each day out searching for bugs. For a five year old he’s pretty amazing at identifying what he finds, but when he isn’t sure we check your site. Sometimes, we still have questions and would like to send a photo for an ID, but hesitate because we don’t want to be chastised for unnecessary carnage. See, my son decided this year to start an official collection of specimens like he’s seen in museums. When he finds an insect he does not have, he puts it into the freezer and then later (with my help), pins it into his collection display box. I help him label his specimens correctly, and he always lets insects go if that species is already represented in his collection. If someone were to email you a photo of an insect that is part of a specimen collection of this nature, would you classify it as unnecessary carnage? I think I could handle the criticism, but your biggest almost-six-year-old fan would be crushed. Whatever the outcome of this question, we love your site and will continue to use it daily. Even though we walk away from the computer with severe bug envy, we just can’t stay away. Susanne Hi Susanne, We do not consider starting an insect collection to be Unnecessary Carnage. We believe strongly in education, and beginning a collection of insects is an excellent educational tool. Thank your for your very sweet letter, though we are a bit troubled that you would even entertain the thought that we would chastise an enthusiastic and curious child and crush his spirits for doing something that he loves. Another point of View Comment on insect collection/ carnage July 30, 2009 As a naturalist who presents educational insect programs to thousands of children a year, I’d like to comment on the insect collection question. I agree with the answer that WTB provided about encouraging young entomologists. I do, however, think that insect collections are a relic of the kill-and-study age of nature discovery. Thanks to digital photography, kids can create a record of their discovery that is far superior to a box full of dead insects. Some inexpensive digital cameras can capture great close-ups. You can crop images to highlight interesting features of different insects. You can display magnified images that show things they would never see on a dead insect in a box. Can you capture these images without killing the insect? WTB is filled with proof that you can. Vince Northern Indiana Thank you for your input Vince, Of course, we agree with you on this matter, but we must reiterate that we still do not consider creating an insect collection to be Unnecessary Carnage. Is photography an alternative that we endorse? It certainly is, and it will help to prolong our careers as photography instructors. Suzanne Responds Thank you for the wonderful response. My son’s entomological pursuits have taught him patience, observational skills, and vocabulary words that astound his teachers. He’s gotten our entire family interested in bugs, and we are all constantly on the lookout for interesting speciments. The look on his face when he found a green tiger beetle or saw the first monarch of the summer is something I will never forget. Vince from Indiana (the state I lived in for most of my life!) has a very good point. In fact, we do photograph many of the insects we see. I am always amazed by the photos of insects other people are able to take. Sadly, I lack both the knowledge and the equipment for taking detailed close-up shots of insects. In spite of that, my son’s room is decorated with enlarged photos of some bigger bugs he’s found in the past. Purchasing an entomology kit designed for a child was much more economical for us than investing in a nicer camera with a macro lens. Because of his young age, it is also more feasible for him to catch the insects with a net than an expensive camera. His collection is much more than a box of dead bugs, as the attached photo will show. We spend a lot of time together mounting things properly, making sure the toe biter’s rostrum is extended or the large rove beetle’s jaws are open wide. Yes, this could be done with photographs, and maybe as my son gets older (and gets a job) he will move in that direction. Again, thank you for the reply!
Letter 3 – Fanmail regarding Unnecessary Carnage
Unnecessary Carnage Comment August 9, 2009 RE: unnecessary carnage I love your site, and visit it several times a day. Many thanks for posting such lovely images and so much information (you helped me ID a one-eyed Sphinx moth here in Seattle)! I also love the fact that you tell folks when they have committed an act of unnecessary carnage, but sadly, you have been very hesitant to do so lately… Please don’t let one or two unhinged people keep you from providing a vital service- letting humans know that insects are innocent until proven guilty! Leah S.
Letter 4 – Unnecessary Carnage: Sharing the Title
Butterfly Gardens in Costa Rica asking if we may adopt the term unnecessary carnage August 11, 2009 Myself and the volunteers at the Monteverde Butterfly Gardens were looking over your site the other day (we use it for IDs that people ask us for), and came across the Unnecessary Carnage page and were so happy and impressed! We laughed so hard that we all ended up in tears, peoples over dramatic response to calling out their (is there any better way to put it? We don’t think so) Unnecessary Carnage was hysterical. Taking people on educational bug tours all day long means that we all inevitably end up hearing tales of harmless arthropods meeting gruesome ends. We have all tried to come up with equally offensive retorts to these horrid tales of violence, however we feel that that your term really hits the nail into the Dobson fly. Therefore we entomologist and bug loving volunteers her e at the butterfly gardens ask we if may officially adopt the term Unnecessary Carnage and use it in our educational programming. We are Very thankful for your hard work. We want you know that down here in Costa Rica you have a group of people who will be using your term as an act of solidarity for all those of us who flight to protect bugs every day of our lives! Muchas gracias! Bryna Belisle Manager, Monteverde butterfly gardens Costa Rica Dear Bryna, By all mean, use the term Unnecessary Carnage as a means to educate the public. We are honored that entomologists in Costa Rica think the term is appropriate.
Letter 5 – Unnecessary Slaughter
Insects are prone to unnecessary slaughter, be it from an overzealous homemaker who doesn’t want to see bugs, or from a strapping he-man who is a closet arachnophobe, or from a youngster who likes to torture. At any rate, we get a goodly amount of photos of poor arthropods whose lives ended prematurely. In an effort to educate, we present Unnecessary Carnage. This page is not intended for the squeamish.
Letter 6 – Unnecessary Carnage comments and confessions
Unnecessary Carnage Hi, I like the unnecessary carnage posts. I don’t understand why some people feel they need to kill every insect they find… at least before committing “insecticide” one should seek education. I always seek to capture and release. That said, I admit to killing some of our many-legged friends in select cases. One example is when a yellow-fly or deer fly decides to “defend” such territory as the front doorstep and aggressively trespasses into the house (In Florida, lethal force is authorized under the “Castle Doctrine” you see…). But seriously, these dear flies should seek education too; it is not in their best interest to break into a house, armed and intending to cause great bodily harm. Have you seen the welts they leave? Bigger than a silver dollar! I know, you probably think I’m an evil person for defending myself. Alas. Maybe I shouldn’t tell you about the panic I go into when surrounded by Culex nigripalpus during an encephalitis outbreak; I’m sure there are casualties. I’m not sure what came over me there. I really just meant to tell you about all the spiders and moths and such that I release or leave alone. I don’t even bother the black widows out in the shed (but I’m not attempting diplomacy either… we just stay out of each others’ way). But somehow your site has the attraction of the confession booth, I think; else why do people send in pictures of viciously mauled hexapods when clearly the site is staffed by insect advocates? Kind regards, Robert Beverly Friend of the Many-Legged; With the exception of a few irreconcilable terrorists. Dear Robert, Thanks for your thoughtful letter. We too draw the line at bloodsuckers. We have no problem swatting Mosquitoes. We also dispatch Sugar Ants that invade the kitchen, though we leave them alone in the yard. We have no mercy with pantry pests and aphids sucking the juices from our garden plants are manually dispatched.
Letter 7 – Unnecessary Carnage Champion
Awesome! September 5, 2009 Hey there! I just happened to stumble onto your site thru a series of random clicking on the internet. Just wanted to say you guys are awesome for pointing out when people have needlessly killed a bug. Personally, though I am not a huge fan of bugs, I think it is ridiculous to kill one just because it looks “gross” or you don’t want it in your house. I’m sure you can relate to the crazy looks I get when I tell people I don’t kill bugs, I simply put them outside unless they are a threat to my pets. Even then, I have months of guilt afterwards! Sorry to ramble, just nice to see that there are still people out there who also see the idiocy of someone shrieking “kill it, kill it” at the top of their lungs while throwing things at a tiny and often defenseless bug whose only offense was to walk across the living room floor. Thanks for showing people how unreasonable they’re being! Amy
Letter 8 – Car Grill Road Kill
Unavoidable Carnage? September 29, 2009 Hi Daniel This is not an ID request and I am not suggesting a new category – I just thought you might find this interesting. I habitually check my grill after a road trip to see what I missed, or more correctly, what I hit but might have seen had I stopped more frequently to look around. Here’s what can happen during a late summer trip down some prairie country roads. I hasten to add that this was not my truck; I have never been quite so morbidly “successful”. I wonder if anyone has thought of using vehicle grill counts as a way of conducting insect surveys. Regards. Karl
Letter 9 – Unnecessary Carnage and Fanmail
Thank you October 3, 2009 I just submitted a question for you, and forgot to tell you how much myself and my boys enjoy your site. I have two boys, 8 & 3, who are fascinated by bugs. While I am not squeamish of bugs, and don’t believe in unnecessary carnage, I am not an expert or even a student of insects. I also homeschool my boys. Your site, and bugguide.net have helped me immensely in identifying various specimens that they find. Both sites have also helped me turn their curiousity into a teaching moment. Your unecessary carnage comments have helped me make the same points to them, (it isn’t just momma’s opinion anymore) and my oldest has gained an understanding of each creature having a place in the cycle of life. Thank you for your labors!! The Koelbls of Noth Alabama
Letter 10 – Unnecessary Carnage Comment
Unecessary Carnage responses January 22, 2011 4:47 pm I love your witty and informative Unecessary Carnage responses. Signature: Mary Sue Rubin Hi Mary Sue, It is refreshing to hear that. Few things incite more vitriol on our website than Unnecessary Carnage comments. The only possible exception is the Nasty Reader Award section.
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