YOUNGSTERS got up close and personal with creepy crawlies from all over the world at Ipswich museum.From scorpions to snails, visitors to the special creepy crawly day got a look at insects that you might see lurking in your garden this summer as well as more exotic foreign insects like the ones pictured here.

YOUNGSTERS got up close and personal with creepy crawlies from all over the world at Ipswich museum.

From scorpions to snails, visitors to the special creepy crawly day got a look at insects that you might see lurking in your garden this summer as well as more exotic foreign insects like the ones pictured here.

And the message from the experts is they are not all out to get you.

The day was part of the Royal Entomological Society's National Insect Week which aims to show people exactly how important these insects are to the environment - even though they might be less appealing than your average family pet.

David Lampard, keeper of natural sciences at the museum, said: "Lots of people assume they don't like insects because they are not cute and furry.

"It's important we start an interest in them as they are vital to the environment."

Martin Rapley, exotic insect expert, took hissing scorpions, African land snails and giant millipedes to the museum.

He said: "You can look at these species in books but up close they're a hundred times better."

There are more than 1million known species of insects worldwide and some experts predict there are really as many as 10million

The UK is home to about 24,000 species of insects

Dragonflies fly at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour

The colour of an adult head louse depends on the colour of the person's hair it is living in

A cockroach can survive for more than a week without its head

Ants make up 10% of the animal biomass of the world

About one-third of food production across the globe relies on pollinating insects