It’s A Bug’s World

First published in Sanctuary Cub, Vol. 45 No. 1, January 2025

“I am dying by inches, from not having anybody to talk to about insects,” wrote Charles Darwin in 1828 when, he was 17. His words highlight how insects have few admirers. It’s time we give them the attention they deserve. By Rithwik Sundar.

The giant bug in absurdist Czech novelist Franz Kafka’s novella The Metamorphosis is perhaps literature’s most iconic insect yet. Kafka’s protagonist, Gregor, transforms into a giant bug, symbolising disgust and his perceived lower status in society. But that is fiction and prose. In reality, insects are superheroes. They are the foundation of this vast web of life that sustains us all. They pollinate our crops and keep soils healthy.

In history, you may know of a lucrative trade route that emerged in the second century BC, stretching from eastern China to the Mediterranean – the Silk Route. The trade route’s origins link to the unfortunate practice of boiling or steaming an insect alive: the silkworm. From their delicate cocoons humankind produced silk, a fabric so prized, it ignited a trade that it would reshape realms and change the world forever. In many ways, insect life also mirrors striking parallels to human life. From complex social behaviours to persistence, these small wonders of the Animal Kingdom have much to teach us. Here are a few!

Mayflies have the shortest known adult lifespan in the insect world, living only for one day. Photo: Yashodhan Bhatia/Sanctuary Photolibrary.

The House Believes That...

When a bee colony grows large and new queens emerge, the old queen and a portion of the workers set off in a temporary swarm, searching for a new home. Scout bees venture out to explore potential nesting sites, each returning with a discovery. But the decision isn’t made by one bee alone – it’s a democratic effort. The scouts communicate their finds through a dance, each movement revealing the location, quality, and suitability of the site. The stronger the dance, the more votes it garners. In this remarkable democratic process, the best site wins, guiding the swarm to its new home.

A three-spot grass yellow butterfly undergoing pupation. Photo: Shashidharswamy Hiremath/Sanctuary Photolibrary.

Mutual Gains

Aphids, tiny sap-sucking insects, provide ants with a sweet reward – honeydew, a sugar-rich waste excreted after feasting on plant sap. In a remarkable mutualistic relationship, ants ‘milk’ the aphids by gently stroking them, coaxing out the sugary substance. Some aphids even rely entirely on ants, unable to excrete waste without their help. In return for the honeydew, ants protect their aphid herd from predators, move them to fresh food sources, and even safeguard aphid eggs during winter. This partnership is a perfect transaction: aphids supply food, while ants offer protection and care, ensuring both thrive in harmony.

Ants protect aphids and aphids feed ants – a mutually beneficial relationship. Photo: Prathamesh Ghadekar/Sanctuary Photolibrary.

Carpe Diem

Mayflies have the shortest known adult lifespan in the insect world, living only for a single day. After emerging from their aquatic larval stage, they rise to the surface in vast swarms. In this brief moment, their sole purpose is to mate and reproduce before their short lives come to an end. Their time above water is a frantic celebration of life – mating, laying eggs, and ensuring the survival of the next generation. This one-day existence, though fleeting, is nature’s design to maximise reproduction, with the collective emergence overwhelming predators and allowing enough mayflies to fulfil their mission.

Silkworms were the reason behind the formation of the Silk Route. Photo: Gorkaazk/CC-BY-3.0.

Trust The Process

Few creatures undergo such dramatic transformations as butterflies and dragonflies. The butterfly begins as a tiny egg, and hatches into a voracious caterpillar, devouring everything in sight, before entering a quiet, suspended cocoon. Then, it emerges gracefully to take flight. For humans, the butterfly’s final form is awe-inspiring, but every stage, even the wriggly caterpillar, is vital. Similarly, dragonflies start their lives in water, hatching as tiny larvae. They shed their skin multiple times, develop wing pads, and, when fully grown, climb out of the water to undergo their final moult. While dragonflies skip the pupal stage, their ability to thrive in both water and air makes their transformation no less remarkable. Both insects demonstrate the power of change, trust, and perseverance.

A freshly emerged dragonfly, whose colour will form gradually. Photo: Ahlenmoor/CC-BY-SA-3.0.

Won't Stop Buggin
~ In ancient Egypt, Khepri, a sun deity and the god of rebirth, was a human with a scarab head.
~ In 1947, a malfunctioning computer revealed a real insect, coining the term ‘bug’ for software defects.
~ In spy work, bugs are covert listening devices that capture and transmit audio and video remotely.

Around the world, summers fall silent, with no bees to hum or butterflies to flutter. Garden blooms fade, as nature’s pollinators vanish, victims of a warming world. In just 150 years, five to ten per cent of all insect species have disappeared, wiped out by climate change, habitat loss, and human impact. Though small, insects are the pulse of the planet, and their decline will severely impact ecosystems and people – it’s time we let these little crawlers into our hearts.

Rithwik Sundar is an Assistant Editor at Sanctuary Asia. He enjoys walking in nature, watching birds, and looking for fish in streams. Most days, he is planning his next adventure into the wild. Lately, he’s also gotten into watching anime.


 

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