Friends found in unlikely places, insect conservation
This is the opinion of Lauren Sitzman, CSB first-year.
I am a beekeeper and am known to some as the “bug girl.” Insects are my favorite conversation topic, and I consider insects to be my friends. Insects are usually only brought into discussion when they are inside our homes, but insects are worthy of a greater discussion.
Insects are invertebrates that have six legs and include bees and butterflies. “Save the bees” is a common rhetoric used by environmentalists to express the importance that pollinators have to our agricultural system and wild ecosystems. The mascot of this movement is the honeybee, an agricultural animal managed by people. In Minnesota, there are over 400 species of native bees, many of whom are listed as threatened, endangered or a species of concern.
I love bees and butterflies for their beauty and environmental benefits. However, most insect species are overlooked in the public eye. Attention-grabbing news titles about insects are often alarmist or sensationalized with articles generalizing a global decline in insects. There are studies that bring awareness and public concern to the decline of insect populations due to pesticides, pathogens and habitat loss of butterflies and bees.
Even though there is no consensus of a global decline in all insect populations, it is important to monitor and reduce risks for our insect neighbors. While it is important to protect areas of global importance where thousands of species of insects live, we can focus on our community to preserve insect habitat.
At CSB+SJU, we live at the intersection of multiple biomes such as the prairie grassland, deciduous forest and coniferous forest. Our community lives at the transition point for native species of insects, like the regal frittilary butterfly and dung beetle. To support our insects, we must plant plants native to Minnesota, reduce the use of pesticides in residential and commercial settings and take the time to include insects when thinking of conservation.
It is our responsibility to maintain the quality of the landscape to provide habitat for insect communities. All insects are deserving of our love because we can learn from their resilience and admire our friends who provide for us, even when they surprise us inside our homes.