Have you ever wondered why my name is ‘Bug Boy’? No, it’s not because I ‘bug people’, though some family members I live with might disagree. It’s because I love insects. Yep, creepy crawlies of all kinds, shapes and sizes make me happy.
Most people hate insects. But not me. I find them fascinating. They might be smaller than humans, but boy, are they smarter than us. How they pack all that braininess into such tiny heads amazes me. Look at my brother, he has a brain a bajillion times bigger than the average bug but he can barely get an intelligent sentence out of his mouth.
Squeal less
hate people who squeal and scream when they see bugs. How is it possible to be afraid of something that’s like two million times smaller than you? Agreed, some insects, like the Arizona Bark Spider can be dangerous, but unless you live in Arizona it’s not like you really have anything to worry about. (Also, just to want point out that technically speaking, spiders are arachnids and not insects.) Chances are, the creature you’re screaming your head off at is a harmless beetle or house spider.
If people who scream at insects are at the bottom of the heap, then one level below them are people who stomp on and kill them. Imagine walking down the street minding your own business when SLAM out of nowhere you’re pounded by a giant foot, rolled up newspaper or broom? Not cool right? But people do it to insects all the time.
The planet is already facing a honey bee crisis thanks to things like pesticides and deforestation. And the National Geographic says that hundreds of thousands more insect species could be lost over the next 50 years. We need insects for things like pollination and even though they’re small they’re an important part of a lot of food chains.
So, the next time you come face-to-face with a six legged or winged friend, here are things to do instead of screaming or reaching for your Thor Hammer:
1. Put a cup over the bug, slide some paper underneath and carry them to your balcony or garden where you set them free. If you’re too scared to, ask your parents to help.
2. Use ‘green’ bug repellents like citronella or neem oil.
3. Confronted by a bee in your room? Turn off the fans and lights, open a window, close the door (with you on the other side) and wait...patiently.
4. Don’t do anything. The insect might leave your room on its own. Like my grandmother says, my room is so messy, no intelligent life form would want to spend more than five minutes inside.
5. Of course, if you’ve been bitten by and insect, scream loudly and run to the nearest grown up!
It doesn’t have to be us or them you know. We can co-exist. And to be fair, they were here first (some insect fossils date back 400 million years ago). Chances are, they’ll probably outlast us too!
