Inside the Killing Jar

The work of the entomologist very often involves the killing of
insects in large numbers. This happens in the search for new
species in the exploration of the planet's biodiversity and in
ecological investigations to monitor the health of wild insect
populations and the impact we are having on the environment. But
the methods of entomologists have come under criticism.


Last August presenter and entomologist Adam Hart was involved in
a citizen science project aimed at surveying the abundance and
distribution of the various species of social wasp around the
country. The survey entailed members of the public setting up
wasp traps in their gardens for a week and then sending the dead
insects to the lab running the project. Many people took part but
the study also generated negative newspaper coverage and stinging
criticism on social media.


The reaction got Adam Hart thinking: can his profession really
defend the death of thousands and sometimes millions of insects
for the sake of science, especially when there's so much concern
around insect conservation? How do entomologists feel about
killing their subjects, and might the insects themselves feel
something akin to pain and suffering themselves?


Producer: Andrew Luck-Baker.