Wisconsin is home to roughly 20,000 insect species.
While some of people may find that unsettling, this month’s Science on Tap Minocqua speaker says it’s a good thing.
“There is just this amazing diversity of creatures around us. Whether we realize it or not, they really impact our everyday lives,” said PJ Liesch, the Extension Entomologist Director for the UW Insect Diagnostic Lab.
Liesch understands many people don’t look at them favorably, but when he’s sees how much they do for us, he can’t help but have an “overwhelmingly positive” view of insects.
“They play some really important roles out in nature, such as pollinating plants, serving as food for other creatures, serving as beneficial predators or parasites that perhaps help control some of the insect pests around us, and they do a lot of other beneficial things for us as well,” said Liesch.
It’s one of the reasons why news of insect declines is concerning to Liesch.
Ones like bees and monarchs tend to make headlines, but overall insect populations have declined by about 45% in just the last 40 years.
Liesch says there’s not one single cause. It’s more like death by 1,000 cuts.
“It's things like land use changes. The land around us simply does not look the same today that it looked 100 or 200 or 300 years ago. We also have changes with agricultural practices and general use of pesticides in the landscape around us,” said Liesch.
He says things like light pollution are also making a significant impact.
Liesch will be talking more about the importance of insects and recent trends at October’s Science on Tap Minocqua.
It’s Thursday, October 3rd at 6:30 p.m. at Rocky Reef Brewing Company in Woodruff.
Liesch hopes people walk away with a better understanding of the role insects play in the world around them and sparks the curiosity for bugs they might have had when they were kids.
“We all grow up learning a little bit about them, hearing about them in children's books or nursery rhymes and things like that. But I'd like to kind of rekindle that fascination with these amazing creatures,” said Liesch.
