I’ve always liked insects. Not all insects, but ants, termites and beetles in particular. I’ve spent many happy afternoons following ant trails through the woods in Kenya, or picking apart the dirt-covered termite highways running along the tree trunks. In Madagascar I used to swim around the pool with a plank, rescuing the scarabs and stag beetles that had fallen in.
Our insect life is generally smaller and more benign in Britain, but no less interesting. I’m currently trying to woo ladybirds and lacewings onto my apple tree to help deal with aphids. Until they do, I enjoy watching the ants farming them, working their way through their herd, safely ensconced in a rolled up leaf.
It so happens that this week is National Insect Week, which is an opportunity for all of us to learn something new about insects and what they do for us. As the video below suggests, we often know more about the pests than the beneficial insects, or get creeped out about insects and never get very far in understanding them. So check out the events and things this week, and see if you can deepen your appreciation.
If you’re interested in such things, allow me to invite you to follow the Twitter or Facebook streams from my new project, Earthbound Ventures, where we’ll be covering more insect related posts throughout the week.
The Earthbound Report 