Insects are more than creepy, crawly critters or invertebrates without a cause. You might want to think again before deciding to kill every bug in sight. Why? Well, they actually may be beneficial to your home and environment.
Insects consume a huge portion of the garbage New Yorkers produce daily. In fact, it is said that insects consume around 60,000 hot dogs yearly all in just New York City. There is garbage on nearly every city sidewalk, and a lot of the time, bugs are there to clean up the messes. Now, scientists have found just how many tiny critters go around and eat the discarded food we generate.
Bugs consume 2,100 pounds of left over food on the Broadway/West Side of New York City. Studies have also shown that many insects function best in urban environments: all of the accumulated waste in city settings actually help bugs to stay alive. Of course, in a city like New York where garbage piles seem endless, this undoubtedly helps to explain all the bugs we see on a daily basis.
So, for people who feel strongly disturbed by bugs, generating less waste and cleaning up is actually what will keep those bugs away to prevent them from scavenging through the garbage. But since this is unlikely to happen on such a large scale, bugs will to help clean our city. As ironic as it may be, without bugs, New York would not be as clean as it is now.
So the next time you see a bug on the street, think twice about squishing it. It’s only trying to help.