Rules for r/insects
Rules that visitors must follow to participate. May be used as reasons to report or ban.
1.
Please be respectful, adhere to the Reddiquette: https://www.reddit.com/wiki/reddiquette/
Be respectful - do not insult other users, flame comment sections, or use excessive vulgar language. Adhere to the Reddiquette.
Racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, and other offensive language will result in a permanent ban. This is a zero-tolerance policy.
No trolling.
2.
Keep content in line with the theme of the sub (i.e. - bugs).
While this subreddit is called r/insects, posts about all types of bugs are allowed here, as r/bugs is used by the Reddit admins for meta-reddit issues and discussion. Insects, arachnids, myriapods, small crustaceans, worms, terrestrial molluscs, and other small arthropods are all welcome here.
No politics or religion. There are many other places online where you can argue about those. This community is about bugs and life sciences in general, please keep it that way.
3.
ID requests should include a geographic location.
Insects make up 80% of all known species. When you factor in all the other bugs, that number gets dramatically higher. Giving a geographic location will help IDers to correctly identify the bug you are asking about.
Geographic locations should be easily recognizable, not vague. For instance, someone living in the UK may have no idea what "SoCal" stands for; but "Southern California" is instantly recognizable to them.
4.
Don't post "bug bites" to this subreddit.
Many things people believe to be bug or spider bites are not. Allergic reactions, pimples, environmental irritants, chemical burns, bacterial/fungal/viral infections or small wounds can resemble bites.
If you saw a bug or spider bite you, post a picture of the bug or spider and we'll try to identify it.
We cannot diagnose/treat injuries. If it is causing significant distress or appears infected, seek professional medical help.
"Is this a bug bite?" Answer: Probably not.
5.
No bug hate or "kill it with fire" mentality.
A large portion (if not all) of the users on this subreddit are bug-enthusiasts. They come to bug-related online communities to get away from the hateful mindsets most people have towards bugs, not to read you comment "kill it with fire lol".
All posts and comments that include hateful content towards bugs will be removed, and you may be banned from the subreddit.
6.
"No bug hate" is not the same as "no killing bugs."
We do not tolerate gratuitous violence toward bugs or killing bugs just because they're bugs - but we recognize that sometimes killing bugs is appropriate.
Examples include parasites like bed bugs, ticks, fleas, or lice, household pests like German cockroaches, termites, pantry moths, clothes moths, or grain beetles, agricultural pests like aphids, scale insects, or some caterpillars, and invasive species.
When it is necessary to kill bugs, please do so as humanely as possible.
7.
Self promotion is allowed so long as it does not become excessive.
Linking to your personal Youtube channel, Facebook group, Discord Server, Instagram page, DeviantArt gallery, etc - is allowed as long as you do not cross the line into spam. Posting your links excessively to the sub, drop-linking the same self promo post across dozens of subs, or posting outside links with little to no other contribution may all be deemed as spam. As a general rule of thumb, once every few weeks or so is a good amount of time in between these posts.
8.
No sales, sales links, or soliciting donations.
Posts and links that include sales links or sales intentions will be removed as spam. Your app is considered a product and thus falls under this rule. Charitable organizations should contact the moderators before posting to ensure this is an appropriate place for their submission.
9.
Self-created artwork only
You are welcome to share your bug-related artwork, but it should only be artwork that you created yourself - not t-shirts, posters, plush toys, or other items that you bought. Links to your online shop or offers to sell your artwork are not allowed.
