Most people are familiar with the plight of the monarch and efforts to save the bees. Unfortunately, the value of native terrestrial insects in Pennsylvania is often overlooked or misunderstood.
While pollinators like bees, moths, butterflies, beetles, flies, and wasps are indeed beneficial to agriculture, they are also critical to pollinating native plants. Even the timber industry benefits from insects pollinating some hardwood trees.
Some insects such as beetles, syrphid flies, and parasitoid wasps also serve as natural pest control for gardens and forests.
Sustainable agriculture and natural ecosystems depend on insects that assist with nutrient cycling and soil development.
Many insects are also used as food by popular wildlife and fish. In the summer when many aquatic insects are not present in streams, terrestrial insects that fall into the water are readily eaten by trout.
Even ants are important. Some ants help disperse seeds of native plants, including some rare plants.
While unpleasant, insects also help rid us of dead animals and dung, a very underappreciated role!
It is estimated that there are over 8,000 species of terrestrial insects in Pennsylvania, contributing greatly to our biodiversity.
Regardless of how you look at this, insects are natural resources that provide many environmental services that are often taken for granted.
Despite their importance however, Pennsylvania has no formal means of protecting native terrestrial insects since no state agency has jurisdiction over them.
This means there is no way to designate an insect as state threatened or endangered.
This also means nobody is obligated to be in the discussion regarding risks to insect biodiversity.
Some common threats to insect biodiversity include habitat loss, pesticide use, light pollution, invasive species, and climate change.
Fortunately, we have a great state constitutional Environmental Rights Amendment that provides a solid foundation for future legislation assigning terrestrial insects to an agency by stating “Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.”
Having a state agency responsible for native terrestrial insects would assist conservation by putting a focus on insects rather than looking at insects as an afterthought.
A responsible agency could enable systematic monitoring and reporting of insect statuses in Pennsylvania needed to determine trends in decline that may be occurring in some species.
Without this data, we could be losing insects and not even know about it.
The ability to designate a species as threatened or endangered is vital for individual species persistence.
An agency with authority would also then serve as the agency coordinating with the federal government regarding federally endangered insects.
Having an agency with responsibility would open the door to more efficient communication between agencies regarding practices that can reduce risks to insects and even benefit native insects.
This would provide an opportunity for a state agency to discuss insect conservation regarding pesticide application, outdoor lighting, and habitat management with other agencies and the public.
If you have ever been to a sporting event at night and had a swarm of insects around the lights and covering your car, you might be able to appreciate the value of having an agency that can give advice on what types of lighting to use that would reduce the number of insects attracted to the lights.
Nate Reagle is an independent insect biodiversity and conservation advocate as well as a Certified Pollinator Steward issued by the Pollinator Partnership.
Related Article:
-- Pollinator Gardens: Help Encourage Ecological Diversity In Your Own Backyard [PaEN]
[Posted: August 28, 2023] PA Environment Digest
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