Positive Pests

Today we learned about the symbiotic relationship between insects and humans. Last night we each took home a different article on the topic of how insects help or harm us. Some of us read about how humans affect insect populations, namely how scientists think climate change might influence bugs. We shared our articles today in groups, and each group developed a presentation to teach the rest of the class about our topic. Mrs. Furgison was so very impressed with our cooperative skills and our teamwork. We created posters and skits to share our information! Some of the things we learned:

1. Termites hurt us by destroying our homes, but they also help the environment by acting as decomposers in the forest to break down organic matter like old logs and leaves.
2. Insects have been used in medicine to study genetics, close wounds, and eat away infected parts of limbs. But they also play a major role in spreading disease and cause allergic reactions in some people. And don't forget annoying little LICE!
3. Insects are a major food source in some parts of the world! We also utilize them to make other products like silk, honey and beeswax.
4. Farmers find insects both nuisance and and an essential tool in farming. Some insects destroy farmers plants by eating the (like aphids), while other insects (like ladybugs) eat those harmful insects. Insects are also essential in pollination of crops!
5. Lastly, we discovered that global warming might affect insects (and as a result, us) in several ways. Tropical diseases (West Nile Virus, Malaria) usually confined to warmer climates are starting to spread North as temperatures rise. This is because the insects who carry such diseases are now able to live in climates that have been traditionally too cold for them. Scientists also expect insects populations in certain temperate regions to boom as a result of global warming. Insects like wasps, who usually die off during the cold season, will be able to survive and reproduce because of warmer winters. In addition, insect populations will need to eat more and more plants to meet their needs because plants will become less nutritious as CO2 builds up. This is bad news for farmers and us, because we need those plants to sustain us, too!

Overall, it was a great day! Here are some pictures of us working on our presentations:

The termite group!

The global warming group.

The insects as food and products group.

Insects in medicine group.

Termite group's poster. The bottom left picture shows a house before termites, while the pic above it is the same house after being decimated by termites. Sad.

Remember to bring in your 3-D insect materials by Monday (Tuesday at the latest!)