WHAT ARE BUGS WORTH? - Insects perform countless functions that improve our environment and our lives in ways that researchers are only beginning to understand

摘要

Picture this: You're sitting around, having a tailgate party before the big game, when yellow jackets swarm around the apple cider. Or: You're up on a ladder, washing the storm windows, and you find a big wasps' nest under the eaves. How do you feel?Bugged? Most of us react to insects with annoyance or fear—and the instinct to swat—but according to a couple of enterprising entomologists, deep appreciation would be a more appropriate response. Cornell University's John Losey and Mace Vaughan of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation recently sat down at their computers, drew up a really big spreadsheet and toted up the cash value of some ecological services that native insects provide right here in the United States.