Insect Ecology @ Au Sable - spring 2024

Whether you know a lot or very little about insects, you probably do know that insects play a vital role in the world around us. If it were not for insects, many species of plants would die and become extinct. Some animal populations would sky rocket in numbers, and others would plummet.While some insects may just seem like major pests, if it were not for them, our ecosystem would crumble.  As children, we learn in elementary school that insects are very important, for they pollinate plants. Examples of orders that pollinate are Hymenoptera (Honeybees, Wasps, Ants), Diptera (Flies, Mosquitoes) and Lepidoptera (Moths, Butterflies). Since many of these insects feed on nectar from certain plants, they must land on a plant to feed. When a pollinating insect lands on a plant to feed, pollen sticks to their underbelly, then when they go to feed on another plant, the pollen is transferred to the next plant, fertilizing that plant. Therefore, if insects were not around, many plants tha...

Are we friends or foes with the insects that surround us?     Have you ever thought of how insects impact your life? When surrounded with creepy, crawly spiders, are you thinking of how good they are? Or are you trying to bury them all? As crazy as it might seem, every insect on this planet plays an essential role in the ecosystem and some of them even play an essential role within our lives. While there are some very good things about insects, there are also some very bad. Not all bugs are here to help us, yet we still must live in friendship with them… This blog will be discussing both the "good" and the "bad" ways that humans and insects interact on a daily, or possibly even hourly, basis. The GOOD     When thinking of how bugs are “good” for us, what comes to mind? The truth is, many people don’t necessarily know all the different ways that they are beneficial and that is perfectly normal, but that is what we are here for! Insec...