Bug experts are dropping the common name of a destructive insect because it's considered an ethnic slur. The Entomological Society of America, which oversees the common names of bugs, is getting rid of the common name of the gypsy moth 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. The society is taking a hard look at some of the more than 2,000 common insect names to remove derogatory and geographically inaccurate ones. They have a voracious appetite that can denude entire forests of leaves, said University of Illinois entomologist May Berenbaum, a past society president.

Source: CBC News July 09, 2021 15:22 UTC