Dispatches From The Field

1 September, 2003 -- Shaun Dunn

Bugs: To Kill or Not To Kill

As I sit at camp reading, typing a dispatch, or even while walking through the forest I try to take notice of everything my greedy little eyes can spot. One thing I don’t have to try hard to see is the abundance of annoying insects buzzing around my head and landing on me while I’m trying to do my work (sorry Ted). Most of the time I just give them a gentle puff of air with my mouth to get rid of them; but then I encountered annoying little flies that like to land on you in large quantities and don’t leave with the puff of air. And after those flies come the mosquitoes, who are in turn joined by what looks like the biological equivalent of horse flies (that bite), plus many other insects that I would group into the ‘annoying’ category. All of these insects create quite a distracting atmosphere to work in, but as I raise my hand to swat them down I always pause just before my fury strikes and I suddenly think, “Am I about to squash an endangered species? Or even worse, is this individual the last of its species?”

Stop and think with me for just a minute: The world of conservation and endangered species spends a lot of time and effort on mega-fauna (larger animals like the elephants, birds, cheetahs, whales, lemurs, fossas!), but what about the insects? Yes, there are notable efforts to save the insects of the world, but what about Madagascar and its insects? What if that fly that is biting me is the last of its kind? I would be guilty of contributing to the extinction of an entire species. While I could write on this topic for hours and hours, giving supporting evidence as to the vast numbers of insects, their diversity, and the unlikelihood that I would be extinguishing a species, I would rather leave you with just a few thoughts to ponder: What would we do without insects, (yes, even the annoying ones that bite)? And finally: Should I swat that fly?