Insects bugging you? Take another view

By Vicki K., Extension Master Gardener Volunteer, Pitt County Arboretum

When was the last time you heard a friend or a neighbor say, “Gosh, the cardinals and blue birds are just awful this year. The wrens and sparrows, too. They’re everywhere. I wish we could do something about it.” Never? By contrast, you probably hear this all the time: “The bugs are just awful! We need to do something about them.”

Ironically, insects are the primary food source for birds, and the primary source for pollinating all plants, including the crops that feed us. In fact, without a healthy population of insects, all life on our planet – the ecosystem – would collapse. In the words of the famous  Harvard University entomologist E.O. Wilson, insects are “the little things that run the world.”

Top, from left to right: Ladybug, Monarch Butterfly, Marbled Orbweaver. Bottom row, from left to right: Ant, Dragonfly, Ground Beetle

Yes, insects are particularly active from August through early fall. During these months, they store up energy for breeding and laying eggs that will hatch next spring. That’s why you’re seeing more of them. But instead of viewing them as a nuisance, focus on all the good that they do:

• Pollinate flowers to produce fruits, seeds, vegetables
• Improve soil by burrowing holes and fertilizing soil when they die
• Break down plant matter
• Prey on harmful insects
• Eat weeds and their seeds.

They are valuable as scavengers and are a food source for birds, reptiles, and mammals.
Some provide useful products such as honey, wax, silk, and dyes.
Many are beautiful and make your garden attractive.
It’s estimated that for America, the work insects do is worth at least $70 billion annually.
To re-set your view and learn more about insects, you can become a “citizen scientist” by participating in the Great Southeast Pollinator Census on either August 22nd or 23rd. Go to the website gsepc.org and learn how you can spend just 15 minutes observing and recording data about the insects you see in your garden or someone else’s. The website has instructions and easily downloaded data record sheets. It’s a great fun project for adults and kids to participate in together.