Since we started self-quarantining back in March, we have rarely had staff or visitors in our house, which means that the spider webs are growing. I sit on our porch which is screened in and look up at all the cobwebs forming and think, “I should clean those. Nah. Those spiders will kill mosquitoes.”
It is the rainy season here in Nicaragua, and mosquitoes are flourishing. I hate mosquitoes. I’ve had dengue…twice. Mike has had dengue and malaria…twice. Becca has had all mosquito-borne viruses except malaria and West Nile…ergo, I hate mosquitoes.
Except for mosquitoes, insects are disappearing at an alarming
rate. Some are becoming extinct and that
is not good and very rare. When we moved
here just 26 years ago, we could go out our gate and see dung beetles rolling little balls of horse or cow dung down our dirt road. One
of the highlights of our dear friend, Becky’s trips here was watching them roll
and move the dung. When she comes now,
she always comments on missing those beetles.
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| Dung beetle at work - photo shutterstock licensed |
26 years ago, we were constantly trying to protect baby trees from leaf cutter ants by making circles around the trees with urine. In 2000 we had thousands of little trees to take to Nueva Vida and I asked all the male staff to go pee in a large circle to save them. They were shocked but they saved the trees from the ants. Now all our plants are safe…but is that good?
About 15 years ago, on one of her visits here our friend,
Emma, who was an entomologist, took the boys out hunting for bugs…they called
her the Bug Lady…and found a florescent bee!
In our yard! Now we have only African
bees, sometimes wasps, and little sweat bees.
The first year we were here when the June beetles came, with no screens. For the next few days in
the morning we would sweep up into a circle, about two feet wide and six inches high, dead June beetles. Now we see them
rarely. I miss them flying into my hair
and getting stuck in the strands of my hair.
We used to hear crickets and see fire flies at night. No more.
The nights are quieter and void of the twinkling lights.
The problem is that globally the world is losing about 2.5% of
insects each year…at that rate in 100 years they will be gone. Gone! This will collapse the eco-system. Why are the insects going extinct when they have
survived other extinctions?
Cities are encroaching…like with us. 26 years ago, we were in the middle of
nowhere; now we find ourselves surrounded, in the city.
Pesticides are killing all the insects that are not pests. On our two pieces of land, we use no
pesticides except to spray for mosquitoes, which only kill the mosquitoes…or
should. Did I mentioned I hate mosquitoes?
Plants and insects are the basis of life. If the insects die…well, if the bees die off, then pollination will end. Insects like the dung beetle are decomposers. If ants and termites die off, then we lose soil engineering. If aphids and the like die off, then we lose natural pest control. And many reptiles, birds and animals eat insects, as well as many humans. We have to stop using non-organic pesticides and save our insects.
We do not need grassy yards but we do need crickets, lady
bugs, bees, and ants.
We can control pests with aphids, ant eaters, traps and
organic means like neem oil.
WE. NEED. INSECTS.
(Except maybe mosquitoes?
😊)
-Kathleen
