The balance of nature

I am fascinated by insects.  Insects serve a purpose.  I will never intentionally kill a spider. I feel so guilty if I accidental step on a spider, or hurt a spider, when cleaning. My father had a love for all creatures big and small.  Bugs are no exception.  My mother was in a wheelchair and so my father would bring all different bugs for all to see. Not only bugs but others things as well. Nature is truly amazing and everything on this planet has a reason.

Insects are everywhere.  More than 1.5 million species of insects have been.  There are many insects in nature that still have to be named.

We find insects in some many habitats. Their size, shape, colour, biology and life history are so diverse that the study of insects is very fascinating.

Insects have a purpose.  Insects are a food source to other animals like frogs, moles, birds, lizards.  Even the spider which is an insect will eat other insects.  They eat insects in order to stay alive. They are a rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals.  They are prized as delicacies in many third-world countries.  Popular insects to eat are cicadas, locust, mantises, grubs, caterpillars, crickets, ants and wasps.

Insects feed on many different types of food.  Most insects are omnivorous meaning that they can eat a variety of different food, including plants, fungi, dead animals, decaying organic matter, nearly anything that is in the enviroment. Some rely on a specific plant or specific part of the plant to survive.

Many insects are predatory or parasitic,                   

either on plant or on other insects or animals,

including people.  These insects are important

in nature to help keep pest populations

 (insects or weeds) at a tolerable level.  

This is called the balance of nature.

Insects such as beetles and their larvae, worm-like larvae, help in recycling materials through composting which reintroduces nutrients to the soil.  Our world be covered in waste if we did not have these insects.

Insects pollinate crops.  The honey bee pollinates almonds, apples, avocados, blueberries, cherries, sunflowers, pears, watermelons and many other crops.  There would be a collapse in the food chain without insects and many plants would disappear.  With outs insect pollinators, the entire ecosystems would collapse in the absence of insects in the food chain.

A world without insects would be no world at all; we wouldn’t exist. However, even if our planet could exist, it would lack the wonder and beautiful that nature shows us every day. People should think about the next they say, “I hate bugs,” for its because of bugs that we are alive. Our world would be very dull indeed if there was not butterflies or lightning beetles.  People benefit in so many ways by sharing their world with insects.

In spite of all these, there are some insects that can cause problems.  Most people are not aware that there are many insects which are beneficial.  Uniformed people think that all insects are bad and need to be killed.

They must remember the good done by the many beneficial insects that outweighs any bad caused by a few pest species.

Think twice before you kill a spider for instance, the spider has every right to be.  If you don't like it in your house, put it in a jar and let it go free in your garden.