Is there really a need for insects to exist?

[Orlong]

So far the only good argument Ive seen mentioned here is pollination which is done primarily by bees and butterflies. So those we could keep. Dead stuff would rot on its own without bugs eating them, and things that eat insects could get just as much nourishment from grubs or worms instead. The Earth survived just fine and didnt turn into a wasteland when dinosaurs were eradicated, and dodo birds, and mammoths and all the other millions of animals that went extinct over the years/ I think we would be fine without flies and mosquitos

[Aeluron Lightsong]

There is a lot of Self hating humans here.

[reckoner04]

That's like saying why can't humans just evolve to not need legs and fly.

Yes... and why? Hm? HMMM???

[YuneKirby]

The OP brings up an interesting point, though. Yes, insects are totally needed for the ecosystem to exist as we know it today. But if we were to one day build a colony on the moon or some other planet, would we intentionally bring insects with us? Or has our technology progressed to the point that we could effectively replace them?

[Deleted]

Bees are vital to the Earth's ecosystem. Without bees, humanity will starve as crops will fail worldwide.

If I was an alien invader I wouldn't take on the Earth's defenses. I'd just release a poison into the atmosphere that kills bees. Then come back 10 years later and mop up the survivors.

[Stir]

The OP brings up an interesting point, though. Yes, insects are totally needed for the ecosystem to exist as we know it today. But if we were to one day build a colony on the moon or some other planet, would we intentionally bring insects with us? Or has our technology progressed to the point that we could effectively replace them?

~
Yes and no.

[TirielWoW]

If you want to have food, yes.

[Furkel]

So far the only good argument Ive seen mentioned here is pollination which is done primarily by bees and butterflies. So those we could keep. Dead stuff would rot on its own without bugs eating them, and things that eat insects could get just as much nourishment from grubs or worms instead. The Earth survived just fine and didnt turn into a wasteland when dinosaurs were eradicated, and dodo birds, and mammoths and all the other millions of animals that went extinct over the years/ I think we would be fine without flies and mosquitos

You literally CAN NOT be serious with this, but here goes:

1. No, dead stuff would not "rot on its own". That's not how decomposition works, it doesn't just magically turn into nothing.

2. Things that eat insects are quite often specifically evolved to hunt and eat ONE type of insect - you couldn't just remove that one and expect them to go "oh well guess I'll eat something else then, dum de dum!"

3. The earth pretty much DID turn into a wasteland when the dinosaurs went! For millions of years, even!

4. Dodo birds were ONE species, confined to ONE island. Bugs are everywhere on the planet and outnumber every other animal by a ridiculous amount.

[reef]

i laughed out loud when i read your post op. i hope you are a troll...

[slime]

Insects, spiders are incredibly important to all of Earth's ecosystem (- arctic ones). Plus, if you believe Starship Troopers lore, it's our best chance to study the enemy!

[Deleted]

Insects, spiders are incredibly important to all of Earth's ecosystem (- arctic ones). Plus, if you believe Starship Troopers lore, it's our best chance to study the enemy!

Even in the polar regions, these animals still have a significant presence and impact.

[slime]

The OP brings up an interesting point, though. Yes, insects are totally needed for the ecosystem to exist as we know it today. But if we were to one day build a colony on the moon or some other planet, would we intentionally bring insects with us? Or has our technology progressed to the point that we could effectively replace them?

That would be an artifical ecosystem and everything would be planned out before hand. And indeed, we might find that we need some insects on the moon in our artifical farms and such or that we could replace what the insect did on Earth's natural ecosystem with some type of tech. We will know the answer to that one when those damned aliens get there secret bases off our moon and we can move in.

[ghrolt]

If it weren't for bees, we'd be dead.

Bees alone play a huge role in the pollination of plants we need to survive.

[Deleted]

So, OP proposes to destroy something, just because it annoys him?

I think, the OP should be destroyed. He annoys me. Why is there a need for him to exist anyway? =))

[Phookah]

Yes, they need to exist.
They do more then just act as food.

[mvaliz]

Everybody said it above perfectly... we are all connected.

[Deleted]

without insects leaf litter wouldnt decay it would pile up and rot at a much slower level they are the cleaners of the planet and prevent build up of anything nasty they are vital to the survival of every vertebrate

[Deleted]

So far the only good argument Ive seen mentioned here is pollination which is done primarily by bees and butterflies. So those we could keep. Dead stuff would rot on its own without bugs eating them, and things that eat insects could get just as much nourishment from grubs or worms instead. The Earth survived just fine and didnt turn into a wasteland when dinosaurs were eradicated, and dodo birds, and mammoths and all the other millions of animals that went extinct over the years/ I think we would be fine without flies and mosquitos

It would not rot on its own. Bacteria and fungi do not do enough. Insects are the reason there aren't piles of corpses everywhere. Grubs are the larvae of insects, and worms are too hard to be hunted exclusively unless said creature is a mole. Earth was completely devastated after the dinosaur extinction event; the largest survivors on land were small crocodiles. Guess who came out of that almost unscathed? The insects. Dodos were limited to one island, and were just one species. Insects are everywhere, and there are millions of varieties. Mammoths were more widespread but they are still insignificant compared to insects. We might be alright without mosquitoes, perhaps, but flies are a major food source for many creatures, are pollinators and also greatly aid in decay by laying their young onto carcasses.

[Deleted]

Insects actually rule the world. It's just all the bigger animals getting all the attention. Or something ;D.

[vep]

This is a stupid post. I don't understand how anyone has taken this seriously. Let alone 3 pages seriously...