The text below is from:

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=scienceNews&storyID=3012903

Bruce McKenzie
Kenmore, WA USA
mailto:bruce at bmsh.net


Britain to Use 'Splatometers' to Count Its Insects
Mon June 30, 2003 11:11 AM ET
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's insect population seems to be falling and so
some 100,000 people will arm themselves with "splatometers" next year to
count them.
The device is effectively a square of flypaper on a car windshield which
traps insects when they crash into the glass.
Drivers will be asked to send the bug-filled sticky paper to the Royal
Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) which is carrying out the survey.
"Many insects are a principal food for many sorts of birds and having a
handle on that figure will be incredibly important," said RSPB spokesman
Grahame Madge.
The society hopes 100,000-200,000 people will take part in next summer's
survey.
"There has been a lot of evidence to suggest that the insect population has
fallen over the last 50 to 100 years or so," Madge said. Possible causes of
the decline are pollution, habitat loss and climate change.
"There really is huge value in these mass-participation surveys," he added.
"If you can get 100,000 people taking part, that's probably equivalent to
several entomologists' life work and obviously gives you the data very
quickly."