As a writer of an entomology blog, I don’t normally get hate mail—at most a critical comment about the way my specimens are curated or labeled, or perhaps an opposing thought regarding application of the subspecies concept. But recently, I got a doozy! I was going to respond privately but didn’t want to reveal to them my private e-mail address. Then I was going to respond in a public post (and there is much to respond to), but I decided their position is so hardened that any response is pointless. Ultimately, I decided just to share the hate (sender’s name redacted to protect their privacy) as an example of how not to engage me in a discussion. We can (and should) debate the ethics of insect research, but equating entomologists who do collections-based research to depraved mass murderers doesn’t do much to promote rational and constructive dialogue.

Intentionally killing beetles is killing a sentient, conscious, and extremely refined competent life. That others before you have done it is no excuse nor a valid precedent for mimicking them. Todays imaging techniques can photograph molecules. There are techniques of photographing with layered depth of field images combined into one image that has clarity of all insect parts at their scale. Moreover there are 3D microscopes at that scale as well including capture of motion. Killing insects to collect is a macabre, harmful, antiquated and unnecessary. Today it is a pathological fetish to kill and display bodies of once sentient and conscious beings. When the world was large with only wooden boats scientists did that to record far away places. This is no longer necessary. Your collection is an example of how proficient your are at killing sentient beings within the synergistic wholes we call natural habitats. Nothing more. This is not research, kind nor has any inkling of respect for the insect. An excuse to kill based on populations is complete pathological rubbish and part of you knows this is true.

©️ Ted C. MacRae 2023