Insects: Taking the good with the bad.

The total mass of ants alone on the plant surpasses the mass of humans.  There are about 400,000 species of beetle representing about a quarter of all known animal species on Earth.  Many species of insects are important pollinators and are responsible for the pollination of over one-third of all cultivated crops.  Insects clean up dead plant and animal matter, returning important nutrients to the environment.  The sheer number and mass of insects are profoundly important to the ecology of the planet, they are one of the most important links between plants and secondary consumers.

We tend to be short-sighted in our quest to control nature.  We see an immediate goal and do not look into how actions will create consequences later on.  It is similar to playing a game of chess where a player thinks only one move ahead and does not consider how that move will impact later events.  A good example of that is the use of DDT back in the 1940's where, as a general insecticide, it reduced mosquito populations that were responsible for spreading diseases such as malaria, typhus, and yellow fever.  Crops were protected from harmful insects and the compound even found its use at home to reduce pests on flowering plants.  

Over time, it was discovered that DDT biomagnified up the food chain and affected birds, fish, and mammals, including humans.  One-step solutions rarely have the long-term desired results that would be welcome.  The plight of the honeybee with today's neonicotinoid insecticides has a familiar omen associated with it.

Neonicotinoids are a form of insecticide first used in 1990.  A derivation of nicotine, the drug binds to receptors in an insect's nervous system eventually causing paralysis and death.  The chemical dissolves easily in water and is taken up by plants.  Insects that feed on plants inevitably consume the product and, over time, build up a level of toxicity that is fatal.  On top of that, other control compounds such as certain fungicides increase the impact of these neonicotinoids.

Honeybees may not die immediately from exposure to the insecticide, but studies have shown that the insects do not overwinter well.  The term "colony collapse" has been used to describe the effect of neonicotinoids on honeybee populations.  The compound also impacts other bees such as bumblebees and many solitary bee species, some of which are 30x more effective pollinators than the average honeybee.  

Our hunt for the holy grail of pest control inevitably casts a shadow on the ecosystem.  Although I applaud those who are involved in agriculture and the eternal hunt to improve crop yields and reduce costs, I have to wonder at the somewhat wreckless acts of those promoting the means.  Apparently, DDT was not enough of a lesson for us.  Perhaps we should be more comfortable with a certain amount of loss from pests and disease with the understanding that nature benefits in the long run.  The holy grail might just be what the Bealtles (beetles) suggested a long time ago, "Let it be (bee)."

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