The Creepy Crawly Man

The 'Creepy Crawly Man' spent much of his childhood collecting insects and bugs and dedicates his life to studying these fascinating, but often misjudged, creatures.

During a fascinating day at the Junior School, he talked enthusiastically of his love of nature and gave us some wonderful insights into the world of snails, cockroaches and snakes. Children were encouraged to handle and respect all manner of seemingly unattractive beasts. We learned that, in fact, cockroaches are very clean and snail trails are a form of antiseptic!

It was great fun for everyone but there was also a very serious point to his visit. Recent statistics show that, as a nation, we need more entomologists; people who study and understand the behaviour of insects. Because bugs are often associated with disease however, too few children grow up doing what the Creepy Crawly Man did and fail to become interested in this aspect of nature. There is growing concern that we lack the expertise to deal with problems caused by these creatures that are becoming increasingly common as the planet warms up.

Posted by: CFD White
Date: Tuesday 22/06/2010