Insect Excrement Is Highly Beneficial In Many Aspects
Insect Excrement Is Highly Beneficial In Many Aspects
Ever since elementary school we have learned about the benefits that some insects bring to the natural environment. It is important for people to know that insects are not our enemies, and that we humans could not survive on this planet without insects of all sorts. This information is certainly nothing new, but you may not have realized that insect excrement is also important for the health of the natural environment. And insect excrement is a good thing for more than just the state of the natural environment. Many insects would not be able to survive on their own without the use of their excrement.
Many bugs use their own feces as material for home-building. For example, the larvae of tortoise beetles use their feces to construct hard and protective coats that are capable of withstanding enemy attacks. Termites use their feces as a form of sustenance and as a method of passing bacteria that fights diseases. Termites also use their feces to fill in gaps located throughout their nests.
Pine weevils will use their own feces as a way to prevent enemies from feeding on their eggs. Pine weevils simply place their feces next to their eggs so that they can function as “antifeedants”. The smell of insect feces can also be useful for reproductive purposes. Virgin boring beetles will attract members of the opposite sex by exposing the smell of their excrement. Also, the life of a cockroach literally depends on the use of its own fecal waste. This may not surprise you since cockroaches are already known for being filthy. Roaches will use their olfactory organs in order to smell the feces that they leave behind at their nesting sites. If a beetle travels far, it can always find its way home as long as it secreted its own waste within its nest. Detecting roach droppings can help people determine whether or not roaches are dwelling somewhere within their home.
Do you think that all insects use their own feces for some purpose?
