Bees by the numbers

Posted by Lisa Abdellah on 19 May 2023

Today is World Bee Day, but while the plight of honeybees has garnered much-needed attention, the entire insect kingdom is under threat. For many people, the thought of an insect crawling on their skin, well, makes their skin crawl. But these six-legged fiends are more our friends than our foe. Insects play an integral role in a healthy ecosystem, and their disappearance would have disastrous consequences. The shrinking population of these unsung heroes is going unnoticed, but this animal kingdom is likely the most important.

Bee gathers the flower. Under rays of sun. Photograph: Getty images

Insects make up roughly ¾ of all described living things. 

Walter Rothschild, a member of the outrageously wealthy Rothschild banking clan, owned a collection of fleas dressed in tiny costumes.

Scientists estimate that only about 1 in 5 of all insect species have been named.

A study at Washington University’s Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology found that bees dream (which suggests unexpected similarities between how invertebrates and humans sleep).

Scientists are trying to tap into a cockroaches ability to ward off harmful microbes, which could help develop drugs to overcome antibiotic resistance. Cockroach brain tissue contains an antibiotic that kills 90% of pathogenic E. Coli without harming human cells.

Photograph: Getty Images

Entomophagy is the technical term for eating insects, which are known to be high in protein. Some 2 000 insect species are consumed by humans in at least 113 countries.

The rate of extinction among insect species is 8 x faster than that of birds or animals.

The venom of the Brazilian Polybia paulista wasp has been found to kill cancer cells without harming any of the other cells.

Studies predict a 10% loss in the gross population of insects could result in 14% of all animal and plant species facing extinction.

Sources: The Insect Crisis by Oliver Milman, The Conversation, saha.org, history.org, Britannica.com

This article originally appeared in the August 2022 print issue of Getaway

Words: David Henning

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