Mass(ive) Insect Attack: bug map with 14 thousand respondents

There is a Hungarian saying: work is not stinking for us. However, there are situations when it is stinking indeed, and even more, there is a whole lot of it – still we are fond of our job. This is exactly what the mapping of stink bugs, well-known for their pungent odour, meant to us. We might have not imagined that anything like that could ever take place, still, at 7.45 in the morning we were standing at the Kőbánya biolab of Bábolna Bio to report on the stink bug map for the early riser TV staff and enable the high-quality shooting of our new media stars, namely the invasive shield bugs (Pentatomidae).

There were no less than 14 thousand people responding to the detailed questionnaire on the “Sokk a rovar” (“Massive Insect Attack”) Facebook page managed by us (based on our agreement with Bábolna Bio). Building upon the answers provided we managed to compile a huge database and a Hungarian stink bug map so detailed that even pollsters could envy them. What’s more, 8,000+ respondents have also subscribed to the newsletter about household pests.

Similarly to the huge interest in invasive stink bugs on Facebook, the press was also passionate about the bug map. It would be easier to list the ones who have not written or shot on the topic. We stopped counting the reports well beyond 200, which meant a lot not only in the matter of pure figures. It has become necessary to significantly reschedule the life of Bábolna Bio’s management team so that they have enough time slots for radio and TV interviews.

Following the online press conference, it was fantastic to see over and over again the maps displaying huge amount of data in a transparent and spectacular manner, thanks for our creative colleagues. And those longing for even more information than involved in static maps could use the interactive map also shared at megfoglak.hu, where they could learn where and how many stink bugs had been reported by the respondents.

Press and social media communication also provided the opportunity to acquaint people with the biology of this insect species new to Hungary, as well as the control to be applied against them.

The bug map had been so successful that we are unstoppable: new surveys are on the make about further pests. Because it is not only stink bugs that attack us. There’s a lot to do, so go on with the maps!