Humans tend to do one of two things when they see a bug—squish it or save it. Probably more the former.

Memorial University is tackling what it sees as a decline worldwide in the number of insects with a multi-faceted program designed to raise awareness of the importance of bugs and to enlist the help of the general public in assessing the state of the stock in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Citizen Science Insect Monitoring and Outreach project has been launched to provide baseline information about the diversity of insects in the province while educating interested members of the public.

The project, which began this summer, continues into fall.