“In the world, some 900 thousand different kinds of living insects are known. This representation approximates 80 percent of the world’s species. Conservative estimates suggest that this figure is 2 million, but estimates extend to 30 million. At any time, it is estimated that there are some 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive. In the United States, the number of described species is approximately 91,000,” reports the Smithsonian.
With 900 thousand living insects, there are actually some benefits that they provide to humans.
Benefits of Insects to Human
Here are just a few of the benefits of insects to humans:
Foods
Honey is high on the list of products made by insects that can be consumed by humans. According to the insectsarefood.com website, there are more than 1,400 edible species of insects, most popular are crickets and mealworms. An avid entomophagist, Dave Gracer, describes how some insects taste:
- Dry-toasted cricket tastes like sunflower seeds.
- Katydid like toasted avocado.
- Palm grub like bacon soup with a chewy, sweet finish.
- Weaver ant pupae have practically no flavor.
- Giant water bug is, astonishingly, like a salty, fruity, flowery Jolly Rancher.
Medicine
Entomotheraphy is the traditional and alternative uses of insects in medicine. Insects are used in medicine effectively. Here are some examples:
- Maggot therapy in soft tissue wounds to clean out necrotic tissue
- Apitherapy – use of honeybee products such as bee venom to treat inflammation and kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
- Blister beetle for warts and skin problems.
- Blood-feeding insects to prevent clot formation
Pollination
The value of pollination of plants by insects is priceless and cannot be calculated. Honeybees are clearly among the most important of pollinators, and their efforts result in an estimated 80 percent of all pollination in the United States.
Silk
Silk has been a valuable product all the way back to 2640 B.C. in China. China now annually produces some 30,000 tons of raw silk, which accounts for 80 percent of the world’s supply. Most silk is produced from Silkworm cocoons.
Biological and natural control
The balance of nature is represented by the large amount of insect species and depends on the activities of parasites and predators. Researchers use this concept in biological control, and have been dramatically successful in many programs per the Smithsonian.
Aesthetics
In the areas of arts and aesthetics in nature, insects play a big role. One of the most appealing insects is the butterfly with colors and patterns that are enjoyed by humans.
Genetics
Due to their short lifespan of 10 days, fruit flies have long been used in genetic studies.
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