What's Happening with the Bugs?

Insects play critical roles in pollinating plants we eat, breaking down waste in forest soil and forming the base of a food chain that other, larger animals — including humans — rely upon. So what happens when insect populations are on the decline? Sadly, we are about to find out. According to Biological Conservation, around 40% of insect populations worldwide are on the decline.

Paul Eggleton, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Few people are aware of this, but arthropods make up the vast majority of animal biomass—mass composed of animals, including us humans—on earth, at 42%. Compare that to humans, who make up a mere 2.5%. It's hard to find a place without insects. So insects are a crucial link in most ecosystems. Farms are not exempt from this. Declining bee populations in China have led to one ridiculous, short-term "solution": farmers walking around their fields, pollinating their own plants with paintbrushes and feathers on sticks. And when an insect species dies off, the species that rely on that insect for food or pollination die off, too. It's no surprise that ecologists often turn to insects as "biondicators" to assess the health of an ecosystem. Like canaries in a coal mine, insects are often the first species to notice new pollutants. Insect diversity is also important to the field of pharmaceutical research. Last, insects play a huge role in decomposition, which is essential to the health of any ecosystem since it converts dead matter back into material that can sustain more life.

What's causing the decline? Pesticide use, habitat loss, and climate change. As with most ecocide, a handful of powerful people and underregulated industries hold much of the blame. But everyone can do something to help our small insect friends: 1) use insect friendly herbicides and bee-friendly pesticides 2) mow your lawn less often 3) plant flowers 4) limit your use of outdoor lighting, which disturbs insects' circadian rhythms 5) plant native plants 6) convert your lawn into a diverse natural habitat.

Last, work to de-stigmatize bugs. When you encounter bugs this summer, remember everything they do for us and start to talk about it.