Don't swat it! 22 insects land on Ontario's endangered list

You don't often hear about endangered bugs, but Ontario has 22 of them on an endangered list, says entomologist Jennifer Babin-Fenske.

And as annoying as they can be, you may want to be careful when you pick up that fly swatter this summer.

"It's the whole food web, where if you take one part of the chain away, other things can unravel."

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry lists the species at risk on their website, along with endangered fish and mammals. The insects include dragonflies, moths and beetles.

Two bumblebees also make the list, Babin-Fensketold CBC's Up North.

"One of the bumblebees is threatened possibly because of habitat loss," she said. "The other bumblebee is a parasite of that bumblebee, and so it's threatened."

• Listen to the interview with entomologistJenniferBabin-Fenske

Babin-Fenske also notes that some of the dragonflies on the endangered list are found in southern Ontario.

"Development is a bit of an issue," she said. "A lot of them relied on wetlands and [those]are being lost due to development."

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Who picks the bugs on the list?

According to the Ministry's web site, any species classified as endangered orthreatenedautomatically receive legal protection. When a species is classified endangered or threatened, its habitat is also protected.

The 12-member Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario is the independent group that determines whether an insect makes the list or not.

The committee assesses any Ontario species that may be experiencing declines, based on research by ministry staff or reports from other sources. It can also reassess any species already listed as at risk.