"What's This Bug?" Questions from the Public Provide Relevant Information on Species Distribution and Human-Insect Interactions.

Abstract

Simple SummarySince its opening in 1990, the Montreal Insectarium has offered an entomological information service, allowing the public to send questions, photographs, and specimens for identification. All requests are answered by entomologists. Over the years, almost 14,000 requests have been received. We wanted to know which species have been seen over the years, which subjects were frequently asked about, and where requests came from. We analyzed the 4163 requests received in 2010–2011 and 2017–2018. Requests received during those four years came from 35 countries, and most of those requests came from Canada. Butterflies and moths were the most popular group. The five most frequent species were the eastern dobsonfly, the masked hunter, the giant water bug, the western conifer-seed bug, and the Japanese beetle. A comparison with the data from the citizen science platform iNaturalist shows that the EIS is a valuable tool to detect invasive species. Frequent subjects included school projects, entomophagy (eating insects), and wasp and bee nests.In general, insects and arthropods polarizing: they either fascinate people, disgust people, or both, and they generate lots of questions. Museums are perceived as reliable sources of information and, as such, a go-to destination for the public to receive answers. Since its opening in 1990, the Montreal Insectarium has offered an entomological information service, allowing the public to send questions, photographs, and specimens for identification. All requests are answered by entomologists. Spatiotemporal variations in taxonomic, geographic, and thematic profiles of the 4163 requests received in 2010–2011 and 2017–2018 were analyzed. Requests came from 35 countries, and most of those requests came from Canada. The majority of requests were identification requests. Representing 25% of identification requests, the five most frequent species were the eastern dobsonfly Corydalus cornutus, the masked hunter Reduvius personatus, the giant water bug Lethocerus americanus, the western conifer-seed bug Leptoglossus occidentalis, and the Japanese beetle Popillia japonica. A comparison with the data from the citizen science platform iNaturalist shows that the EIS can be a valuable tool for invasive species detection. Frequent subjects included school projects, entomophagy (eating insects), and wasp and bee nests. Finally, we discuss the role of entomologists in providing scientific information but also in addressing common concerns regarding cohabitation with arthropods.