Most people are not fans of insects. In fact, insects are often considered as nuisance animals whose existence is not wanted. However, while there are many insects to be afraid of, there are also insects that are very beneficial to the environment.
Yes, some insects have an important role in the environment because they eat pests, improve soil, or pollinate plants that are important to the environment. Below has been summarized from the page Good Housekeeping and Sciencing some insects that are beneficial to the environment.
1. Ground beetles
Ground beetles are nocturnal insects that are also ferocious predators of snails, snails, caterpillars, and cabbage maggots. These are all pests that live in garden soil. One beetle larvae can eat more than 50 caterpillars.
So, ground beetles can be great predators for controlling pests that harm the garden. Plant perennials among garden plants for a stable habitat, or white clover as a ground cover in the garden.
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2. Ladybugs
ladybug illustration (pexels.com/Pixabay)–
One of the insects known to be useful to the environment is the ladybug or ladybird. Although it has a cute appearance, ladybugs are actually very afraid of other insects.
Never drive ladybugs out of your garden because in addition to their cute appearance, ladybugs are also good for the garden because they eat aphids, white flies, and other insects that damage plants. In fact, ladybugs can eat up to 5,000 aphids during their lifetime.
Also Read: Historical Facts: 7 Roles of Insects in Shaping World Civilization
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3. Lacewing
lacewing illustration (pixabay.com/Henrix_photos)–
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Insect wings nets or lacewing maybe not a popular type of insect. However, these insects are also great hunters of pests, such as aphids, mealybugs, small caterpillars, mites, and whiteflies. Lacewing can eat good pests when lacewing still in the form of larvae or after adults.
Parent lacewing will lay eggs among white fly larvae and flea colonies, and larvae lacewing start eating this pest from birth. They are aggressive predators, but if you want to help them, it is important to keep the ants away from the garden because the ants eat the eggs lacewing.
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4. Bees
bee illustration (pexels.com/Casia Charlie)–
It is said that bees contribute more than 20 billion dollars or around Rp. 28.8 trillion (exchange rate of Rp. 14,422.8) to the value of crop production in the United States alone, not to mention other crops around the world. Bees aid crop production by pollinating crops, such as apples, cranberries, blueberries, cherries, melons, almonds, and broccoli.
While searching for nectar, bees move from plant to plant while spreading pollen that collects on their hairy legs and bodies. Besides being useful for providing plant food for humans, bees also produce honey which has many health benefits.
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5. Dragonfly
dragonfly illustration (pexels.com/Pixabay)–
Just like ladybugs, dragonflies are also widely admired for their beauty. Another reason to admire dragonflies is that they prey on harmful flying insects, such as mosquitoes, flies, moths, whiteflies, and fruit flies. They also eat the larvae of these pests, so they can stop them before they cause any damage.
Dragonflies are also not at all threatening. From the nymph phase to adulthood, dragonflies provide benefits to the environment. Dragonflies lay their eggs in or near water, and once they hatch, dragonfly nymphs feed on harmful aquatic organisms, such as mosquito larvae. Likewise, as adults, they will continue to contribute to the environment.
Even though they seem small and sometimes considered annoying, it turns out that some insects have great benefits for the environment. For that, we should take care not to let these insects become extinct.
Also Read: 5 Unique Insect Abilities Not Found in Other Animals
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