Bugs try to understand humans’ odd relationship with insects

Editor’s note: This is the sixth of eight chapters in The Daily’s original serial story “The Bug Campaign: Just a little respect!” Look for it every Tuesday in the Living section.

Chapter 6

The story so far: An insect that has lived inside a house, Owlet Moth, is trying to help a group of other insects understand people. Nezara, L.W. and others nearly caused an insect riot as they complained about humans’ lack of respect for insects. Owlet Moth has just told her listeners that humans sometimes keep dead insects!

Moth flutters her wings as she waits for her insect friends to take in what she has just said.

“They display insects like us?” the beetles say in unison.

“Yes, but actually, it’s a compliment, I think. Some people are specialists and know all about one particular species. There is one scientist who grew up in Decatur and became a great authority on ants. His name is E.O. Wilson,” Moth says.

“Ants? Everyone thinks they are so social, but I personally stay away from those mounds they live in. They can sting you in a second,” L.W. says with a shudder. “And some ants take away the aphids that lacewing larvae need to eat.”

“It’s not just ants that people study,” Moth adds. “There are people who know all about your kinds and mine, too.”

“Why?” Camel Cricket asks.

“I think part of it is because we’re just interesting. I mean, look at L.W.’s wings and mine. Look at your interesting shape, Nezara, and at your unique body, Cricket. And look at you, Pleasing Fungus Beetles, with your red markings.”

All of Owlet Moth’s listeners peek at each other proudly.

Moth adds, “And maybe, I hope, they want to know more so that we can, um, live together more in peace.”

“You mean, so maybe they can get rid of us,” Nezara says. “I know they try to battle us and control us.”

“Well, we all know that’s true. It’s competition. There are so many more of us than them, and we like to eat their crops. Some of my moth friends even think their wool clothes are tasty.”

“You can have the fiber. Give me a nice bean,” Nezara says.

“For me, I’ve got to have those delicious aphids,” L.W. adds.

The others turn to L.W. “I thought you said —” Camel Cricket starts to say.

L.W. looks embarrassed. “Well... I wasn’t exactly truthful about dining on aphids only when we are larvae... Hey, I like pollen and nectar, too.”

“I mean, aphids?” Nezara says.

The others make a face at L.W.

Moth speaks up, “I think people like lacewings like L.W. because they do eat aphids. Aphids eat plants people need.”

L.W. smiles as Moth continues.

“People don’t like sharing their food with insects. I saw people in the house throw away food after a fly landed on it. And you should have heard the fit they had when they saw little weevils in the cereal they poured for breakfast,” Owl Moth says.

“I don’t understand people. I mean, I personally know insects that would love to have the food they call garbage,” says a Pleasing Fungus Beetle.

“And I have friends who would be happy to eat weevils for breakfast,” the other beetle adds.

“Me, too,” Moth said. “But the people used works like ‘disease’ and ‘germs’ and ‘destruction.’ They have learned so much about us, they know which of us eats which crops. And they know that our bites and stings can do more than hurt them temporarily. Sometimes people can get sick from them!”

“Really?” the insects ask.

“Yes, and they can even die!”

Nezara, L.W. and the rest stare at Owlet Moth.

Bug Chapter 6: Learning activity

Parents — (Note: If your child is able to read the story independently, modify these activities to reinforce your child’s reading skills.) After you have read today’s chapter, play Bingo with your child. Use a marker to write the letters B-I-N-G-O across the top of one page of The Daily for each person playing. Mark the pages into five sections across and five down. Write the numbers from 1 to 25 randomly on the squares, making sure that numbers are in mostly different places on each page. Write the letters B-I-N-G-O on scraps of paper. Write the numbers 1 to 25 on additional scraps of paper. For each turn, draw one letter and one number. Call out the letter and number drawn, such as O 12. If someone’s Bingo page has the number 12 under O, he or she gets to mark the square with an X, and so on. Keep playing until someone has a row of X’s across, down or diagonally. Then go back and have players find any of the letters of the word “Bingo” in the print of their X squares. Draw smiley faces on the squares if they do. (Alabama Course of Study: Identifies upper and lower case letters.)

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