It was National Insect Week from Monday, June 23 to Sunday 29, a week where the Royal Entomological Society try and raise awareness on the plight of insects. So honestly; how much do you like insects? Are they annoying pests to swat away, are you scared of them, or are you fascinated by them? Insects are as under appreciated as soil, but both are the basis of all life on our planet, and therefore the ecosystems, water cycle and atmosphere on which we depend. This is not just a conservation issue. Protecting them means protecting ourselves.

Some of the ways we can help insects are more obvious than others. We’ve previously written articles about growing wildflowers and native trees in your garden, not tidying away leaves and seedheads in the autumn, avoiding pesticides in your garden along with eating organic food, having outside lights on a timer and closing your curtains at night, but in this article I’m going to highlight some other ways we can help.

Climate change and the extreme weather it brings is really affecting insects. Insects are struggling to survive in droughts. For insects, staying hydrated is a unique physiological challenge: rather than lungs, their bodies are riddled with holes, called spiracles, that carry oxygen directly into the tissue. They’re all surface area, meaning insects can’t hold water. Even a brief drought lasting just a few days can wipe out millions of humidity-dependent insects.

Providing sources of water in your garden or on your balcony with a basin, puddle, pond or bowl can help. Keep in mind that bees and many other flying insects can’t swim, so deeper water sources will need either a clear rim to drink from, or “islands” which can be made with stones. Research has also shown that bees get important nutrients from “dirty” water, where leaves or algae are breaking down, so you don’t need to keep your bee pools pristine. You can make a simple one from an upturned plant pot with its dish on top, see the picture; you just need to make sure with a shallow dish that you keep topping it up as the water evaporates.

The more research I do about insects the more fascinated I become. They are such complex little beings, with such variety in their shape, size and what they do - all part of an interlinked ecosystem which is so fragile and we are sadly affecting so much. I’d encourage everyone who has read this article to step up for these little creatures and do a bit more to help them. If you are someone that doesn’t like insects very much, then I’d suggest to find a flowerbed and just sit and watch to see their fascinating variety. Insect numbers seem to have increased this year and Fox’s Field’s Forest Garden is a great place to look.

Once we have an appreciation for them, (and to realise that very few will bite or sting), then we naturally want to see more of them.

By Transition Town Wellington