{"id":16218,"date":"2019-04-30T17:03:54","date_gmt":"2019-04-30T17:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=16218"},"modified":"2019-05-02T17:43:31","modified_gmt":"2019-05-02T17:43:31","slug":"is-an-insect-apocalypse-happening-how-would-we-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/is-an-insect-apocalypse-happening-how-would-we-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Is an ‘insect apocalypse’ happening? How would we know?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brian Lovett<\/a>, University of Maryland<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Insects scuttle, chew and fly through the world around us. Humans rely on them to pollinate plants, prey on insects that we don\u2019t get along with, and to be movers and shakers for Earth\u2019s ecosystems. It\u2019s hard to imagine a world without insects. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s why news reports in recent months warning of an \u201cinsect apocalypse<\/a>\u201d sparked widespread alarm. These articles<\/a>, which were based on long-term insect collections and a review of past studies, suggested that people alive today will witness the indiscriminate extinction of insect-kind.<\/p>\n

I study fungi that can be used to control harmful insects<\/a>, such as pests that damage crops and mosquitoes that transmit malaria. In my world, reports of mass insect die-offs are big news. But while there clearly is reason to be concerned about certain insects, such as the endangered rusty patched bumble bee<\/a> or the American burying beetle<\/a>, in my view it isn\u2019t yet possible to predict a looming insect apocalypse. <\/p>\n

More than 1 million insects have been discovered and named, but many millions have yet to be described. It\u2019s undeniable that Earth is becoming increasingly inhospitable to some insects \u2013 but nightmarish conditions for one may be heaven to another<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Put another way, there is no perfect environment for all insects. And human impacts on the environment, like climate change and land development, very well may hurt beneficial insects and help harmful ones. <\/p>\n

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