The role of insects in the welfare of nature

Md. Mekail Ahmed

Insects

Insects are the smallest creatures in the world. The thousands of species of insects of many colors and styles reveal the incomparable skill of the great Creator. Although small, they also have traditional love, affection, separation, and procreation rituals.

Their contribution to the benefit of the people is immense. These insects are serving people day and night. Each has an outstanding contribution, tiny ants, mosquitoes, flies, bees, or other insects. Allah Almighty has described huge sea and mountains in the Holy Qur’an and tiny ants or mosquitoes.

The Holy Qur’an says, “Verily, Allah is not ashamed to set forth a parable even of a mosquito or so much more when it is bigger (or less when it is smaller) than it.” (Surah al-Baqara: 26)

Let us know about the benefits of some of the insects we are familiar with:

Ants

Ant is the name of an insect of the genus Pharmacies. This small animal is hardworking. The six-legged animal usually weighs two to five milligrams. In terms of weight, an ant is about a quarter of a million times smaller than an adult human is.

In addition, for this reason, there is no chance to think that ants are insignificant animals. There is a mystery behind every creation of Allah, big or small. This tiny creature can carry twenty times its body weight, which is truly amazing.

Although small, ants are the oldest in the world in terms of age. One of the largest insects in the world in terms of numbers. Ant researchers say that the number of ants on earth is one million times greater than that of humans. Is that all?

As many ants are in the world, their biomass equals seven hundred million people living on the earth. Surprisingly, this is true; this tiny creature also lives in a group like humans.

The human idea is that ants only harm. But they don’t know it; this hardworking insect is also a helpful man’s friend. According to Chinese scientists, ants increase soil efficiency by improving air and water flow and organic matter.

At the same time, the mounds the insects make in the vicinity during their nesting in the soil also play a vital role in retaining the soil water (ScienceDaily).

Ants have been created for the benefit of human beings. We will not be able to understand it if we do not observe it deeply.

Tiny ants can be one of the sources of knowledge. We can learn from the ants how to be diligent by avoiding laziness.

There is no hesitation in learning discipline from ants. So let us never do injustice to this wonderful creation. We should not destroy it unnecessarily.

Role of Insects in the Ecosystem

Organic communities are essential for providing environmental functions and ecosystem services. Insects as animal organisms and an effective life form on earth represent their natural ecosystems and a wide range of environmental activities, including herbivores, carnivores, and detritus. Insects are abundant in all terrestrial ecosystems and show a wide variety of species from almost any aspect of their biology. [2]

Insects in Agriculture

As long as people have practiced grain farming, pests have appeared in their crops, and pests have been primarily considered competitors in the competition for survival. The insect-plant relationship is the dominant biological interaction. [2]

Insects are vital to human survival, as crops cannot be produced without the ecosystem functions provided by insects. About 72% of the world’s crops depend on insects for pollination. [3]

Bees

This small animal named the bee is a close relative of ants. Bees produce honey and wax. It is a beneficial insect. About twenty thousand bees have survived on earth for millions of years.

Bees play an important role in the pollination of plants. With 170 olfactory senses, bees can smell specific flowers from far away. They are hardworking animals. On average, all bees travel about ninety thousand miles to collect nectar. They collect honey for humans.

Insects are essential because of their diversity, ecological role, and impact on agriculture, human health, and natural resources. Insects form the biological basis of all terrestrial ecosystems.

They drive nutrient cycles, pollinate plants, disperse seeds, maintain soil structure and fertility, regulate the population of other organisms, and serve as a major food source for other organisms.

Most significant pests in agriculture are non-native species introduced into a new ecosystem. Insects have developed unique features in the animal kingdom that are surprising to biomechanics and bioengineering experts because many are recent human inventions. [1]

Karl von Frisch won the Nobel Prize in 1973 for his research on bee behavior and communication. When a new flower garden is found, the bees return to the hive. He then tells the other companions the direction and map of the Garden by his dance behavior.

This behavior is intended to provide information to other worker bees and is now scientifically discovered. This has been proven by other methods, including taking pictures with the help of a camera.

Medicinal Effect of Honey

Honey has long been known as natural medicine. Ongoing medical research has found many benefits of honey.

Honey has been used as a beneficial medicine for millennia. Honey contains less Glycemic than sugar which is why it does not increase glucose levels like sugar. It tastes sweeter than sugar and can be eaten with less sweetness.

In a study, experts found that using honey instead of adulterated sugar effectively keeps glucose levels stable. An Iran report shows how honey affects renal cell carcinoma, a type of malignant kidney growth. Scientists have tracked that nectar called honey is effective in protecting malignancy cells from the manifold, and they speculated that it is more effective as a cancer therapy.

Honey is extremely beneficial in Cardiovascular diseases. The Antioxidants in honey are associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease.

Studies have shown that eucalyptus honey, citrus honey, and labiate honey can be reliable cough suppressants for some people’s upper respiratory infections and acute coughs. [4]

Honey is considered a balanced diet and is equally popular with men and women of all ages. Honey does not need to be refrigerated, [5] it never spoils and can be stored in a dry place without opening at room temperature. [6]

Bees build their hives in mountains, trees, and human habitats;

Drinks of different colors come from inside their bodies which cure diseases for humanity. Indeed that is a sign. Although several research papers have been published about honey, most have focused on biochemical analysis, food, and inedible commercial use.

Honey has been used for various ailments, including eye diseases, asthma, throat infections, tuberculosis, thirst, hepatitis, fatigue, dizziness, hepatitis, constipation, worm infestation, piles, eczema, ulcer healing, and traditional medicine wounds. [7] [8]

There is strong evidence that honey is beneficial in treating diabetes mellitus. It also lowers blood lipid, homocysteine, and C-reactive proteins in general and hyperlipidemia patients.

However, several questions remain, especially since it relates to the possibility of controlling diabetes mellitus through applications that target both oxidative stress and hyperglycemia.

Furthermore, the therapeutic effect of honey on diabetes control is not limited to glycemic control but may extend to alleviate associated metabolic complications. [8]

Honey to prevent cancer

Current research shows that honey can exert anti-cancer effects through various processes. Studies have indicated that honey has multiple anti-cancer properties, including Apoptosis, Antimutagenic, Antiproliferative, and Anti-inflammatory. Honey boosts immunity. [9]

Fly

When a fly sits on a portion of food, a wing of the fly that has the disease germ in it fills that wing with food. The other wing of the fly has preventive drugs.

If the fly drowns, the prevention destroys the deadly germs and mixes with the food. Then that food is favorable for health and well-being. Otherwise, this food can cause human destruction by becoming germicidal.

A fly is the name of an insect. One pair of wings is the main secret of this fastest insect in the animal world.

One of its wings has an antidote for the human body. When science advances, the advancement of knowledge about bacteria and viruses is explained by the fact that flies are the enemy of man, it carries and transmits pathogens. There is no doubt that flies have germs on their wings.

The eighth medical conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, sent two research reports from Canada stating that flies contained substances that could kill germs.

Sheikh Mostafa and Sheikh Khalil Mollah have published a book on this subject through a series of collections of research from Germany and Britain, the main topic of which was:

 ‘Surely there is a disease in one wing of the fly, and in the other, there is medicine to kill the disease.’ [Sahih Bukhari]

Bo Su, a professor of biomedical studies at the University of Bristol who authored the study, said: “The wings of some insects, such as the cicada and the dragonfly, have nano-pillar structures that kill bacteria during contact. However, the exact mechanisms of bacterial death are still unknown.” [10]

Juan Alvarez Bravo, a professor at the University of Tokyo, mentions that we can think of a fly to a hospital in the end! But soon, we will witness the rapid treatment of many diseases consisting of extract from flies. [11]

Reference

• [1] The Importance of Insects by Geoffrey G. E. Scudder, 2017
• [2] Samways, M.J. (1993) Insects in Biodiversity Conservation: Some Perspectives and Directives. Biodiversity & Conservation, 2, 258-282. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00056672
• [3] Dicke, M. (2017) Ecosystem Services of Insects. In: Van Huis, A. and Tomberlin, J.K., Eds., Insects as Food and Feed: From Production to Consumption, Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 61-76.
• [4] Ghosh, Tanmay. Potential Natural Antioxidant and Other Health Benefits of Honey and its Possible Limitations International Journal of Research and Analysis in Science and Engineering, Volume 1, Issue 4; July 2021.
• [5] Hassapidou M, Fotiadou E, Maglara E, Papadopoulou SK. Energy intake, diet composition, energy expenditure, and body fatness of adolescents in Northern Greece. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2006;14:855–62. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• [6] Babacan S, Rand AG. Characterization of honey amylase. J Food Sci. 2007;72:C050–5. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• [7] Irving TB, Ahmad K, Ahsan MM. The Qur’an-Basic Teachings. Ch. 5. Bath: Pitman Press; 1987. The story of creation. [Google Scholar]
• [8] Yapucu Günes U, Eser I. Effectiveness of a honey dressing for healing pressure ulcers. J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs. 2007;34:184–90. [PubMed] [Google Scholar][9] Eddy JJ, Gideonsen MD, Mack GP. Practical considerations of using topical honey for neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers: A review. WMJ. 2008;107:187–90. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
• [10] University of  Bristol. “Insect wings hold antimicrobial clues for improved medical implants.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 April 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200406103852.htm>.
• [11] Juan Alvarez Bravo, 1994. The ointment in the fly: antibiotics. New antibiotic derived from a common fly.The Economist (US)