Insects and Humans!!

By Anonymous -

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!
  1. Insects make food for us, whether it is making honey for us to put in our tea or even just crunching on some grasshoppers as entomophagous people do.
  2. They also create silk, which has always been seen as a valuable and pristine product for anything from clothing, to bed sheets, to blankets, basically anything! The number one producer of silk, literally 80% of it, is an insect--the silkworm (Bombyx mori). Who would’ve thought?
  3. For those who enjoy to look at nature and the springing of flowers, eat fruits, vegetables, and some nuts, you definitely need to thank insects! Honeybees alone pollinate 80% of all pollination throughout the United States and save our country nearly 25 BILLION dollars by  not having to personally or mechanically pollinate crops/flowers/trees/etc.
http://www.avianaquamiser.com/20130215silkwormcloseup.jpg
Pictured: Bombyx mori, or silkworm.
  1. Insects also have a large role in biological control. That means that when a parasite or predator are on a rampage, scientists will research and search for an insect that could potentially eliminate the problem before it truly takes over. This is not a simple process, yet this has been extremely successful in the past and we owe all the thanks to both researchers and the bugs themselves.
  2. The study of genetics has advanced greatly thanks to the recognition of Drosophilia fruit flies because they are easy to maintain in a lab and they have a short lifespan of around 10 days.
  3. A little more of the creepy side, yet still beneficial to us, is the introduction of Dermestid beetles to clean skeletons. This is particularly beneficial for museum technicians who are looking to preserve and put on display the bones of artifacts!

The BAD

    Although insects and humans can live with one another and have a healthy mutualistic relationship, there are some insects that actually have negative effects towards humans and their ecosystems. These effects can range from agricultural effects to viruses using insects as vectors for their viruses. Insects can destroy wooden products and the structures of homes and buildings, insects can also harm humans with their stingers in various circumstances. Also, lets be honest insects can be quite annoying at times.
    
    As we all know not only America but the rest of the world has a lot of dependency on agriculture and its benefits. Insects tend to live off plants and their resources. Yet insects can destroy an entire population of plants of plants if given the opportunity. Humans have found ways to counteract this action by making things such as pesticides. Scientists are now figuring out that insects are becoming adapt and evolving to counteract the human pesticides. So basically we are now in an evolutionary arms race with some of these insects. Lets take a look at some these insects….
As common knowledge we all know the dreaded termite can destroy homes when there is enough of them. (Google Imasges)www.orkin.com
These tiny little pest eat away at wood in homes and buildings by using microbes in their stomach to digest the wood. (Stollar 2007)
Other ways insects can affect humans is the viruses they carry. One infamous insect that does this is the mosquito.  Mosquitoes in certain areas of the world carry what's known as the West Nile virus. Mosquitoes carry viruses by tiny bacteria finding their way  into the mosquito, the mosquito then transmits the virus through various organisms, by using its piercing proboscis to enter the  bloodstream therefore infecting that organism as well. (npic.orst.edu. Dec,2014)  Mosquitoes cause thousands of deaths per year especially in third world countries with little medical supplies and assistance. (npic.orst.edu. Dec,2014) This is just one reason insects like these can be detrimental to humans.


References:
"Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Benefits of Insects to Humans." Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Benefits of Insects to Humans. Smithsonian. Web. 4 Mar. 2015. <http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/benefits.htm>.
Written by npic.orst.edu Dec, 2014 http://npic.orst.edu/pest/mosquito/diseases.html Last updated December 18, 2014

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