Skip to main content
The Morning Star Shop
Amateur entomologists bug out
Insect-watchers can make an important contribution to our understanding of local species populations and assist in conservation efforts – but this hobby is on the decline. ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT ask why that might be
FASCINATION ON THE WANE: Jan van Kessel the Elder (1626–1679): A Study of Butterflies, Moths, Spiders, and Insects [Museum of Fine Arts Houston/CC]

HOBBYIST insect-lovers are becoming rarer. To understand why it matters, we might need to know more about what it means to be an entomologist. 

There are many niche interests in the world. Amateur entomology — the study of insects — is one of these. It is perhaps hard for those outside the field to grasp the popularity of the hobby, but amateur entomology has its own strong culture with an infrastructure of clubs and societies as well as scientific journals. A lot of people really like looking at insects. But why?

One answer is that there is still a lot to discover about insects. There are more than one million species of insects already described — 75 per cent of all known animal species are insects — but it is believed there are approximately another four to nine million unidentified insect species out there. A large number of all these insects are at risk of extinction because of humans. 

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Atom
Science and Society / 19 November 2025
19 November 2025

Neutrinos are so abundant that 400 trillion pass through your body every second. ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT explain how scientists are seeking to know more about them

SCIENCE AND SOCIETY / 22 April 2025
22 April 2025

Science has always been mixed up with money and power, but as a decorative facade for megayachts, it risks leaving reality behind altogether, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS: (L to R) Church of St Mary Magdalene
Books / 13 March 2025
13 March 2025
WILL PODMORE recommends an excellent and useful introduction to a lesser-known giant of the scientific revolution in Britain
GROUP SUPREMACY: Alois Alzheimer (standing third from right)
Science and Society / 11 February 2025
11 February 2025
Fraud in Alzheimer’s research raises difficult questions about the current state of science, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT