While in our previous blog we discussed the downside of insects, we thought it only fair to bring you some of the actual benefits of insects (and yes there are quite a few). Despite the tremendous economic losses they may cause, it is not entirely fair to cast the members of Class Insecta as villains who rob us of our food and livelihoods. They are also cherished allies on whom we depend to keep the natural environment clean and productive. They have shaped human cultures and civilizations in countless ways, they supply unique natural products, they regulate the population densities of many potential pest species, they dispose of our wastes, decompose the dead, and recycle organic nutrients. Indeed, we seldom stop to consider what life would be like without insects and how much we depend on them for our very survival.
As consumers, scavengers, and decomposers, insects play a vital role in the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients. Insects help aerate the soil, improve its retention of rainwater, and enhance its tilth. They turn more soil than earthworms and redistribute nutrients within the root zone as they burrow and nest in the ground. Flies and dung beetles prevent the build-up of manure from large animals and speed up its decomposition by fungi and bacteria. Without such scavengers, the gradual accumulation of waste products from large herds of cattle and other ungulates (mammals with hooves) would soon render much of the landscape unsuitable for agricultural purposes.
As parasites and predators of other organisms, insects are part of a natural system of checks and balances that strengthen community stability and prevent explosive population growth from overrunning natural resources.
But above all else, insects play an essential role as pollinators of flowering plants. These plants are dominant producers in many terrestrial ecosystems, but they cannot reproduce without insect intermediaries to carry pollen (the male gametophyte) from flower to flower. Many of our agricultural crops like almonds, apples, cherries, blueberries, cucumbers, squash, melons, etc., would be non-productive without insect pollinators.
It’s important to note that DA Exterminating, while providing pest control services, does not target beneficial insect species. We focus on just those insects that pose a threat to your living environment. Call us if you’re being “bugged.”
800-650-PEST.