Insects and the Environment
When most people see a yellow jacket, wasp, or cockroach, their instinct is to swat it or flee the area. Entomologists, however, are keenly aware that most insects have useful purposes. Cornell University's John Losey and Mace Vaughan are entomologists with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, an international nonprofit that works to protect biological diversity through invertebrate conservation. Losey and Vaughan created a spreadsheet that lists the economic benefits of native insects in the United States. They discovered that native insects offer services that otherwise could cost up to $57 billion a year.
Predator insects eat prey insects that host on crops, saving farmers billions of dollars in crop losses. The dung beetle, which feasts upon cow patties, keeps flies and parasites away from cow waste. They work to fertilize the pasture by decomposing bovine waste. Losey and Vaughan calculated a savings of $380 million to American ranchers and farmers.
Insects also serve wildlife. Without insects, birds wouldn't exist. Most birds feed upon a variety of bugs. Without birds, bird watching and other outdoor recreation would end. Outdoor recreation, which includes fishing and watching other wildlife in addition to birds, is a $50 billion industry.
Approximately 8,000 men and women work as entomologists in the United States. They work in a wide variety of jobs including teaching, farming, raising bees, enforcing quarantines, doing insect survey work, providing pest management, and conducting scientific studies to end disease. The majority of entomologists do research and work to control harmful insects.
In Lincoln, Nebraska, insects were destroying prairie grasses alongside the highways. Earle Raun, an entomological veterinarian who was educated at Buena Vista College, University of Iowa, and Iowa State University, has been working on how to identify the insects and how to save prairie grass, which is a hardy plant. In order to save the prairie grass, he looked at different insecticides and other insects that would eat the pests without destroying the grass. “Being an entomologist is kind of like being a detective,” he says. “I'm always looking for insects, many that you can't see unless you have a microscope.”
Raun was all set to become a medical doctor just like his grandfather. “He was a horse-and-buggy doctor — traveling the countryside in a horse and buggy helping people,” he says. “I thought I would become an MD. I passed my medical exams and started medical training. My roommate was a junior medic. Listening to his stories about being in hospital wards and experiencing some myself, I decided to go back to college and study zoology and entomology.”
Entomologists work closely with customs officers on all international flights. In 2006, at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, customs officers found eight insect species that had not been previously seen in the United States. Often, these pests are brought in on a single piece of fruit carried by a hungry passenger. When bugs are detected, the confiscated items are placed in quarantine until entomologists can determine whether they pose a threat.
Growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska, he was surrounded by farms, and knew that by working as a veterinary entomologist, he could help his friends and neighbors. Farmers would call on him when their animals got sick. The first place he would look is in the food supply. “Some feed is brought in from overseas, and others produced right here in the states can contain parasites,” he says. “I look at the product and trace the steps backward to see where the problem is coming from.”
In one case a farmer called him in because his hogs were dying. “I found dead grasshoppers in the feed,” he says. “The feed had parasites in it that were making the hogs sick.
“I also look at the coats of horses and cows,” he continues. “If an animal has mange, I know it is caused by mites.” Controlling the spread of disease by managing insect populations is just one branch of entomology.
Raun says that if you are interested in becoming a veterinary entomologist, vet school is mandatory, followed by study specializing in entomology. “Before you do that, it is a good idea to take an ‘introduction to insects’ course in school, just to be sure you are comfortable around bugs,” he suggests.
The mosquito causes more deaths than any other animal. Some are carriers of encephalitis, West Nile virus, malaria, and dengue fever. Fleas were carriers of the bubonic plague, which wiped out one-third of the population in Europe in the fourteenth century.
Veterinary entomologists are paid well because their type of service is so specialized. Salaries depend on experience and geographic location. Experienced veterinary entomologists can expect to earn between $60,000 and $85,000 a year.
