THEY creep, they crawl, they fly by day and bite by night - love them or loathe them, you can't ignore insects. For most people in Hongkong, insects are the cockroaches which scuttle across the kitchen floor, or the irritating mosquitoes whining around the room.
But children will be able to see insects in a new light with the launch of the first ''Great Bug Hunt'' to be held in Hongkong. The hunt, being organised by RTHK and co-sponsored by the Sunday Morning Post, will take place on June 17 in Sai Kung country park.
Teams of schoolchildren are being invited to take part in the mission to observe, study and classify the multitude of insects who share Hongkong with us. Their hunt will take them over a variety of habitats including water, woodland and grassland.
The winning school will be given a cash prize of $5,000. An award donated by the Sunday Morning Post for best individual bug hunter will also be given.
Coverage of the competition will be aired on a Radio 3 programme hosted by Anna Chilvers - a zoologist herself - with reports from bug-catcher Chris Hilton.
An expert panel comprising Dr David Dudgeon of Hongkong University, Dr Mike Bascombe, Hongkong's leading moth and butterfly expert, and Clive Lau from the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, will be taking to the field to help examine and identify the subjects.
Insects may seem tiny and insignificant, or strike us as pests, but they are vital to life. Without insects, there would not be life as we know it today.