Most people do not give a second thought to a mosquito flying around their ears or an ant crawling into a plant; these insects are just annoying little creatures whose lives do not matter. However, insects are an integral part of the world. They provide food to other animals, in addition to helping plants pollinate. In this essay, I will explain how important different insects are to humans and plants, and how they are essential to life on earth.
To begin, the main reason why insects matter so much is their ability to pollinate flowers, fruits, and vegetables. This, in turn, allows humans to have fruits and vegetables, a very important part of one’s diet. Although different insects do this, one of the most important and prominent ones is the bee!
A bee is also known for stinging people and causing them harm; however, I believe that people can handle a little sting if a bee is vital to all life. According to bee experts at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, “a third of the world’s food production depends on bees.” To pollinate, bees must find a wide variety of flowers, then they use their legs and antennae to collect pollen. This pollen is, thus, stuck to them as they fly to other flowers and places. However, this is not just a fun thing that bees and other insects do to pass time. Pollination is “an essential ecological survival function. Without pollinators, the human race and all of earth’s terrestrial ecosystems would not survive.” Bees are one of the only insects that pollinate at such a high level, and without them, there would not be easily available and diverse food for humans to eat. Even though getting stung by a bee can hurt, just be reminded that they are making the world work effortlessly.
A bee is not the only important insect, ladybugs and dragonflies are an integral part of growing a garden and maintaining it. Although these two creatures are quite pretty, many humans still do not regard them with respect. A ladybug will end up squashed on the ground, or a dragonfly will be dead in a pool. These insects do the very important job of eating the “bad” bugs and bacteria which can interfere with the plant growing process.
Ladybugs are known for eating aphids, which seek to destroy plants. They do this by “laying hundreds of eggs in the colonies of aphids and other plant-eating pests. When they hatch, the ladybug larvae immediately begin to feed.” This allows plants to flourish, which in turn helps humans. These plants can be special vegetables that humans like to eat or a flower that brings someone joy. No matter how small, ladybugs are protecting those plants, and thus should be protected by humans.
Dragonflies are other creatures that eats all kinds of “bad” bugs. These insects begin their lives in the water, and as they grow, they make their way to land. Dragonflies are adept at eating mosquitoes, which can provide a human with comfort because they are not getting stung by mosquitoes anymore! These bugs fly around gardens and protect the plants from other bugs. So next time you want to plant some pretty flowers, make sure to find some dragonflies to protect them! Dragonflies also are prey to birds and fish. Without dragonflies, birds and fish would have one less food source, which in turn can make them die out. If species of birds and fish die out, then the whole ecosystem will become tilted.
Continuing on, the food pyramid is one of the most vital things in the world; it is also a very tedious system. The smallest animals (like aphids) will always be a snack for slightly bigger animals (like the ladybug). In turn, bigger and bigger animals will eat the smaller animals until it eventually comes to humans or decomposes themselves. If a small insect, like a fly, were to suddenly go extinct, all the slightly bigger insect-eats, like frogs and lizards, would struggle to find food. Thus, the frogs and lizards will start to go extinct, and the birds and fish will suffer from this. So on and so on, until humans are struggling to find food to eat.
All in all, these tiny creatures should be valued by humans. Watch your step next time you see an ant, they are food for other animals. Make sure you do not kill a bee, but rather help it. These creatures provide invisible help to the ecosystem and in return get very little. The least humans can do is look out for insects and help the ones in need. If insects were to ever go extinct, the entire food pyramid would come crashing down, which would drastically affect humans. insects are small but mighty, and without them, the world would change drastically.
Edited by: Whitney
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