MORNING SENTINEL • July 13, 2022
This summer’s bug report so far is summed up in two words: not many. An absence of insect pests may seem like a blessing. But an insect-free future will be a curse. When insects disappear on a large scale, things go dangerously haywire. If the wrong insects disappear — and many entomologists fear the documented crashes indicate some are headed for extinction — serious problems will result for humans. “More than a third of food crops grown around the world need a steady stream of insect visitors to maintain them.” Researchers suggest the causes: misuse and overuse of insecticides, habitat disruption, and climate change. ~ Dana Wilde