Is this a new Silent Spring? Decline of insects is a catastrophic loss we can ill afford. Credit: CC-0 Entomologists have united to take stock of growing warnings about an “insect apocalypse” in a special feature published in the journal PNAS. These teeny little critters, some of which have been around for about 475 million years, provide vital ecosystem services yet have received relatively little attention compared to other animals as the Earth faces a sixth mass extinction. And while awareness is rising, the emerging picture is far more nuanced than initial reports suggested, according to David Wagner from the University of Connecticut, US, and his co-authors in the feature’s introductory overview.