7 min read

SAVE THE INSECTS

WHY SHOULD WE SAVE ANNOYING BUZZING, BITING, STINGING INSECTS WHO KEEP US UP AT NIGHT AND FLY IN OUR EYES WHILE ON THE GOLF COURSE..... NOT TO MENTION SWARMING MOSQUITOS WHILST TRYING TO FLY FISH AND KILLER BEES WHO CAN KNOCK YOU OFF YOUR BICYCLE IN MEXICO? INSECTS ARE NOW ON THE MENU AND ARE BEING CONSUMED AT ALARMING RATE.  MAYBE WE SHOULD SAVE INSECTS BECAUSE THEY ARE SO FURRY AND CUTE AND TOO SMALL TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.

10 ways you can help to save insects from extinction © Getty Images

WE need your help to save insects from extinction. Insects are in decline, and this could be disastrous for our planet.

From the food we eat and the clothes we wear, to clean water and healthy seas, the invertebrates really matter. They are vital for crop plant pollination, soil structures, as predators of key crop pests, and turning waste products into valuable nutrients. And they also enrich our lives as keystone species helping the wildlife we love to thrive and also through art and culture.

They are simply extraordinary. And without them we are unlikely to survive let alone thrive. Yes, some can be a big nuisance, but in many ways we have gone so far researching and working out how to kill a few that we’ve forgotten to protect the rest. In fact we are often harming them.

Studies looking at local and regional abundance and diversity are suggesting some dramatic declines. Some suggest that we are seeing a major loss of numbers and diversity globally as well as local losses. More research is needed especially in areas where not enough is known about what we’ve got, let alone what’s being harmed by massive land use change and climatic shifts.

Chemicals can not only hurt the helpful bees and bugs above ground but they can slow down the vital springtails and worms in the soil which allow it to work well. Everything from deforestation in the tropics to hedgerow removal in the UK all means fewer places for the invertebrates to live, hide, mate, eat and lay eggs.

Insects populations are dying out. Here’s why that doesn’t have to be the case © Alamy

Insect populations are dying out. Here’s why that doesn’t have to be the case

It is usually the messiness of nature that matters. Our Earth has become too tidy and uniform, with ever larger farms producing uniform crops. Climate change is also creating problems for many species of invertebrate, too, as weather extremes can wipe out a whole population.

DONT USE COMMERCIAL SPRAYS

DONT USE COMMERCIAL SPRAYS TO KILL INSECTS

But it is not too late. The more people know about the importance of invertebrates the better. And everyone can do something to help – some things take little or even no time at all. Here are nine (mostly) easy things you can do to help.

Buy organic food and clothes

The EU's organic logo, the outline of a leaf made up of stars on a green background
Look out for the EU's organic logo, which is sometimes found on organic food in the UK.

Buying products like food and clothes that have been produced without pesticides and with nature in mind will really help those farmers and growers doing things differently. Look out for the organic logo. Buy fresh if you can. The more processed food is, the worse it is for you, the farmer and the planet.

Don't buy clothes you don't need

A person lifting a shirt off a rack
The most sustainable item of clothing is the one you already own 

Your most sustainable piece of clothing or furniture is probably the one you are using now. Growing cotton and extracting other materials like timber can really hurt the places invertebrates need to live globally.

Deforestation and the expansion of highly intensive farming are two of the biggest problems for invertebrates globally. Repair, reuse and recycle as much as possible to reduce pressure on the land and the bugs.

Let your garden go wild

A garden shed and gardening equipment in a slightly overgrown garden
Let your garden run a little bit wild 

Leaving some of your lawn uncut and letting it go wild is so much more interesting than a boring grass monoculture. And you may be surprised what plants arrive as well as the bugs – from moths to beetles to hoverflies – that will appreciate the food and shelter you provide.

I have found so many invertebrate species in my tiny 5m2 urban garden – though I still have a lawn to lie on and borders. They are wilder and much more fun. And the buzz is loud in spring and summer. Digging less is also good as digging disturbs the worms and other bugs going about their vital activities of recycling plant matter, distributing nutrients, creating spaces for air and water, and transferring vital microbes and fungal spores around the soil.

Buy plants from local suppliers

Plant pots, some of which have plants in
Try growing plants from local cuttings 

Avoiding imported seeds and plants which can bring unhelpful species, like worms that eat our worms, into your garden and try to avoid using pesticides and herbicides.

The trick will be to use local suppliers you trust or, even better, save your seeds or propagate your plants from cuttings and you can swap seeds with mates to broaden the potential. It's extraordinarily exciting to see your seedlings grow from your own seed or root from a cutting.

Get children interested in bugs

A young child with a grasshopper on her hand
You might hate insects - try to suppress your fear & encourage children's natural interest 

Helping the next generation of ‘rebuggers’ is vital. If you have children and youth or look after them, do make sure they can stay fascinated – don’t spread a fear of bugs. The joy and curiosity young children show to these magnificent creatures can be easily stamped out by a harsh word when you see a wasp or spider.

Suppress your fear and build a new gang of protectors. Take the kids on a minibeast treasure hunt, looking for signs like leaf mines or empty ladybird pupae cases, and learn how to build bug palaces to give them a nest.

Join a wildlife group

A group of people planting a tree
Could you help to plant trees and shrubs in your local park? 

Joining a local park group to help put in flower-rich areas and trees and shrubs for the pollinators can be great fun. It can even include putting in small ponds, which provide fantastic source of water as well as breeding and living space for many bugs like beautiful damselflies and dragonflies.

The B-lines campaign of Buglife is a great one you can join to help make green corridors for bugs and there will be local wildlife groups to join.

Take part in insect surveys

A closeup of a butterfly on a plant
Taking part in insect surveys is a vital part of conservation 

Taking part in bug watches can take little time but means you are helping scientists to assess the health of different species populations. There are wasp and bee and butterfly surveys which scientists have designed so what you spot in a given time contributes to their work.

Such ‘citizen science’ projects like the Big Butterfly Count take just 15 minutes plus recording and reporting time. A small but significant contribution to our knowledge of invertebrate health.

Promote wildflower verges

A verge covered in wildflowers by a busy road
Wildflower verges are great for insects – and they're pretty, too.

Let your council know you want to keep wildlflower verges and green spaces uncut and unfertilised and not sprayed with herbicides so wildflowers can thrive and provide food and space for pollinators.

Join the movement

A person taking a photo of an insect with a smartphone
Seen an interesting bug? Snap a photo and show your friends 

Take photos, share them and talk about them with friends, family, colleagues. Talk about why bugs matter.

Scientists have been clear that they need public support for doing more to help invertebrates and to stop the decline in numbers and diversity. They need you to tell the stories.

ARE THESE ALIEN LOOKING INSECTS WORTH SAVING..... U B THE JUDGE

THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: It has long been recognized and documented that insects are the most diverse group of organisms, meaning that the numbers of species of insects are more than any other group. In the world, some 900 thousand different kinds of living insects are known.

THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: INSECTS...Have you skipped over this informative Zentraveler newsletter...just to be sucked in with clickbait from the media news and youtube?

ZENTRAVELER SAYS: Its not rocket science...save insects and save humanity. You can train your mind so insects wont bug you?

DISCLAIMER:  The above content was 100% generated by a human contributor.

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