Insect apocalypse: German watchers sound alarm on bugs

KREFELD, Germany - For almost 30 years they passed as quirky eccentrics, diligently setting up their insect traps in the Rhine countryside to collect tens of millions of bugs and creepy crawlers.

Now the group of German entomology enthusiasts can boast a world-class scientific treasure: Evidence of what is described as one of Earth's worst extinction phases since the dinosaurs vanished.

Insects, which comprise two-thirds of all terrestrial species, have been dying off at alarming rates, with disastrous impacts on food chains and habitats, researchers say.