In this July 28, 2008 file photo, a female Lymantria dispar moth lays her eggs on the trunk of a tree in the Salmon River State Forest in Hebron, Conn. In July 2021, the Entomological Society of America announced it is dropping the common name of this destructive insect that is also an ethnic slur against a group of people: the gypsy moth.
Bug experts are dropping the common name of a destructive insect because it's considered an ethnic slur: the gypsy moth.
The Entomological Society of America, which oversees the common names of bugs, is getting rid of the common name of that critter and the lesser-known gypsy ant. The group this week announced that for the first time it changed a common name of an insect because it was offensive. In the past they've only reassigned names that weren't scientifically accurate.
"It's an ethnic slur to begin with that's been rejected by the Romani people a long time ago," said society president Michelle S. Smith. "Second, nobody wants to be associated with a harmful invasive pest."
The society is taking a hard look at some of the more than 2,000 common insect names to remove derogatory and geographically inaccurate names. About 20 years ago, a committee of fish experts renamed the jewfish into the goliath grouper.
People are also reading…
The moths are invasive and destructive critters in the caterpillar stage. They have a voracious appetite that can denude entire forests of leaves, said University of Illinois entomologist May Berenbaum, a past society president.
The moths likely got their name because as larvae they have hair with small air pockets that act like balloons allowing them to float for miles, wandering like the group of people they were named after, Berenbaum said. Another theory is that male adult moths have a tan color that could be similar to Romani people.
In this July 19, 2007, file photo, a Lymantria dispar moth caterpillar crawls along partially eaten leaves of a tree in Trenton, N.J. In July 2021, the Entomological Society of America announced it is dropping the common name of this destructive insect that is also an ethnic slur against a group of people: the gypsy moth.
The Entomological Society is now on the hunt for a new common name, a process that will take months, Smith said. Until then, even though it's a mouthful, Smith said the moths should be called by their scientific name, Lymantria dispar or L. dispar.
Berenbaum — who has written about weirdly named plants, animals and gene mutations — said given the moths' destructiveness, she and other would have some ideas for a descriptive new name.
"You're not allowed to use obscenities," she said, "so that's out."
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Fruit flies taking over your kitchen? Try these TikTok hacks to get rid of them
1. Use household ingredients to beat the bugs.
TikTok user @sarahadamhafez uses three common things you probably have in your home already—apple cider vinegar, dish soap, and good old fashioned hot water—to get rid of fruit flies. Simply mix all three and leave it out in a cup by the fruit overnight. Fruit flies are attracted to the scent, but get stuck in the dish soap.
@sarahadamhafez Watch till the end! You won’t believe the results! ##lifehack ##fruitflies ##homehack ##PlantLover ##WhatIdWear
♬ original sound - sarahadamhafez
2. Give you sink a deep clean.
TikTok creator @domesticblisters came home to a plague of fruit flies when one of her children left out a half-eaten yogurt cup while they went on vacation. She also uses the dish soap and apple cider vinegar trick, but she adds non-toxic sticky traps and pours boiling water down the drain to kill any eggs.
@domesticblisters Reply to @idabaaaa I’m literally on day three and finally down to the last of them. 😩 ##strugglecare ##fruitflies
♬ Quirky - Oleg Kirilkov
3. Try this catch and release trap.
Want to catch and release your fruit flies back into the wild? TikTok user @lifetipsfrommallory shows you how with some fruit, a jar, and plastic wrap.
@lifetipsfrommallory Fruit flies taking over your kitchen?Catch them quickly with this easy trick. ##fruitflies ##throwbacksongs ##gottacatchemall ##fall ##scienceathome
♬ original sound - aMaR.
