- May
- 9
Be Kind to Our Small Friends
Posted by Guest Blogger at 5:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
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Insects are the smallest animals, so some people tend to overlook them, giving little or no thought to their lives—even going so far as to think of insects as an inconvenience or a nuisance. All beings in nature are important and deserve our care and respect, even the tiniest. I once read something very interesting by a famous entomologist. He wrote that if all the ants on Earth vanished, then all life would die—but if all the humans on Earth vanished, all life would flourish.
There are a number of things that you can do around your house or yard to give nature a helping hand. The following are just a few examples of things that I do in my yard to make sure that even the smallest animals are safe.
If you see a bee, a fly, a spider, or another insect trapped in a bowl, a pot, or any container filled with water, help the insect out of the water and place the animal in a safe spot to dry. Bees, for example, go to the edge of our birdbaths to drink. They can lose their grip, slide in, and get stranded in the water. I just pick up a twig or large leaf, let the insect climb on board, and move the animal—preferably to a bush that has large leaves so that the insect can sit for a bit and dry out his or her wings.
If you see earthworms trying to cross a sidewalk or stone path, pick the animals up carefully and place them on damp soil in the shade. You can even place a leaf over earthworms to help them cool down. Worms can't be exposed to the sun for long because they overheat quickly. They must stay damp and cool or they will die, and a hot sidewalk is a deathtrap for them.
If you have a woodpile, carefully check all sides of each piece of wood to make sure that no one is hiding in the crevices before you bring the wood into the house to burn. Spiders, lizards, and wood bees seem to congregate in my woodpile. I have found many tiny beings as I was gathering firewood, and had I not carefully checked the logs, the little critters would have burned to death in my fireplace. I just can't let that happen.
To help keep insects such as sow bugs, earwigs, snails, and slugs out of my garden, I place thin lightweight pieces of wood on the ground around my vegetable garden. The little guys tend to go under the wood where it is cool and safe from predators such as birds and lizards. Once a week, I check underneath the wood, carefully pick up anyone I find, and take them to a part of my yard where they won't be a problem for me and where they can live peacefully.
In your house, you might find the occasional spider, cricket, beetle, or fly, and by using PETA's Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher, you can gently take the animals back outside and release them among some plants, where they can find a new home that is much more suited to them than your living room.
All these little animals fill necessary functions that make life possible whether we understand it or not, and every small act of kindness on our part helps to make this world a more humane and peaceful place. It doesn't take much to help our insect friends along their way—just a moment of your time—and you will feel all the better for doing it.
I would love to hear some of your tips for helping the small friends among us—insects.
David Frisk is a longtime vegan, animal rights activist, and PETA supporter. He believes in extending kindness to all living beings, big and small alike.
Posted to Home & Garden | Posted to Tags: earthworms, Guest Blogger, Insects
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glennlee says...
May 9th, 2010, 11:18 am
i bought one of your humane bug catchers when i read about them on one of your blogs. i liked it so much I bought a dozen to use as gifts. I am amazed how fascinated little children are with bugs. they seem to understand the fascination with other creatures much better than adults.
Tiffani says...
May 13th, 2010, 7:22 pm
Over the winter I had tons of ladybugs and stinkbugs in my house. I didn't want to put them outside so I put them in my garage. If I would have left them in the house my cats would have killed them. Now that it is warm, I put them outside. I also pick up worms from my driveway and patio so they don't dry up. I guess I'm not crazy, I'm just doing my part to help the planet!
Dave Bemel says...
May 13th, 2010, 8:26 pm
I am happy that others think about insects and care for their well-being.
I found that driving is where I cause most insects to parish.
It is very difficult for me because, as a full time vegan activist, I must drive to a lot of events to do vegan outreach.
I have noticed that dust is when insects are the thickest, so if I can avoid driving at dusk I do. When I don’t drive at dusk there are very few dead bugs on the windshield.
Also, buying organic will probably save more insects than anything else we can do.
And of course, never use an exterminator, or cruel traps like fly paper.
Judy says...
May 14th, 2010, 1:41 pm
I live in Florida and I use a large fish aquarium net to catch dragonflies, bees, etc. It works very easily as they can be captured and freed without harm.
Paula says...
May 18th, 2010, 7:08 am
I have moths that are active at night in my condo,I make sure that they are safe and cover dishes that have water so the moths dont drown.I made a bird feeder from a urn this week at Mary's grotto and change the water every week and have a backseat filled with bread from the discount bread place ,so I feed all the birds and racoons at the park. My exotic pet is a opossum ,she is my buddy ,I pick up road kill and found a mother with babies ,and then I fell in love with the opossum .She sleeps in my bed, loves grapes ,and is very smart!
Sue says...
July 26th, 2010, 3:51 pm
I, too, save each and every insect in my house as well as worms in the driveway after a rainstorm. So I was disturbed to see jewelry being sold at the Paper Store that contains an iridescent piece of a butterfly wing contained inside an oval silver pendant. Are butterflies actually caught and killed just to make this jewelry?
Tina Max says...
July 31st, 2010, 5:04 pm
I never gave much thought to saving insects until I noticed a bug caught inside my house. It appeared to be in a state of panic as it wanted to be outside the house. I then opened my screen door and it flew out. It appeared to be much appeased at being released into the outside. I believe we undermine the intelligence and state of mind of these small creatures.