Eat as much as possible before eating yourself. It is life-threatening for most tiny animals, who often eat each other. Through evolution, small animals have invented various tricks to access their food. Take the oil beetles, for example. Their larvae jump up on bees and take a free ride to their nests straight into the nursery, where they eat the bees’ larvae. Also, look at the wart biters (bush crickets) in Australia. They have learned to mimic the mating sound of cicada females and only need to shout out this sound and the food, and the cicada males will come running towards them [1].
We talked about small animals that pollinate crops, fight pests, and help recycle natural nutrients for a few weeks. But of course, there are a lot of small animals that do not perform any of these apparent benefits. Most of them instead fulfil a function simply by being food for other animals.
And quite a lot of food is needed.
Birds alone consume such a vast quantity of insects annually that it equates to the global population’s combined weight! [2]. And that’s not even accounting for fish, frogs, lizards, and other creatures that rely on insects as their food source.
EAT OR BE EATEN – EVERYONE IS NEEDED!
Most insects never have time to grow up but are eaten as eggs, larvae, or pupae. Larvae of butterflies, stingrays, and beetles are protein-rich foods and perfect for birds, especially for their young ones. The seemingly helpless larvae can quickly become prey to predators without the ability to withdraw from an enemy. Many larvae, such as the handsome macaw butterfly caterpillar, have developed camouflage or transparent warning colours to signal that they are poisonous or unpalatable.
As a youngster, the larva camouflages as bird droppings to avoid attention, while the older, colourful caterpillar has nasty skin that does not go home with birds.
One insect that likes butterfly caterpillars is the ant. The ant captures and carries the caterpillars back to its stacks to feed its larvae.
Like all other small animals, ants must be constantly on guard against being eaten themselves.
Eating ants – does it really tickle the tastebuds? Yes, for many in the animal kingdom, it does! The ants’ enemies come in many sizes, from bears to tiny insects. The brown bears’ food consists of 20% of ants. But mainly, it is other insects they have to watch out for. Beetle species have even developed a kind of sham manoeuvre to access the ants’ eggs and larvae more easily. They produce a liquid that the ants love, and while the ants are licking the juice, the beetles can feast on the ants’ eggs and larvae in peace.
What are wasps good for? Many have probably wondered during a barbecue evening in the garden. Well, in addition to the fact that they devour many pests, they are also important prey for, for example, badgers and bee-eaters, which would be difficult to do without the wasps. A wasp nest can contain thousands of larvae, which makes these nests important food intake for predators. Both badgers and buzzards can dig up entire wasp nests from the ground. The bee-eater then uses its beak to pick out the individual larvae and pupae from the wasp nest’s cells. The badger’s paws can not handle this small pill, so they swallow the honeycombs whole.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE FOOD RUNS OUT?
Insectivorous birds must ingest huge amounts of insects to survive. For example, a family of barn swallows can eat a million insects together in one summer! [3]. In 2017, a German research report showed that 75% of Europe’s flying insects had disappeared in 30 years (4). How are the birds affected by this? Around the same time, another study was published by the German Society for Nature Conservation, which showed that about 15% of the birds in Germany have disappeared in 12 years. Both studies suggest a close link between the decline of insects and birds – almost all affected bird species feed their young with insects [5].
You may have heard that insects are the food of the future. Insects multiply, occupy little space, and are rich in iron, protein, and healthy fats. In many parts of the world, specifically in 80% of the world’s nations, it’s tradition for humans to eat insects [6]. It is most common in Asia, South America, and tropical Africa. To most Europeans, the idea of eating insects feels strange, but now it may be starting to change. An example is Denmark, where they have recently started selling grasshoppers as a delicacy, which has been a success!
One species suitable for cultivation in Sweden is the now domestic house cricket. The house cricket thrives in slightly warmer environments, such as compost heaps. We can even listen to their sounds in St. Mary’s Cathedral in Visby and from a pulp mill in Byarum in Sweden [7]. House cricket is a nutritious food, even for humans, and contains more iron than beef. If you compare it with meat, the breeding of insects is also much better for the environment, at which point the UN believes that we should eat more insects in the future [8].
WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR THE TINY ANIMALS?
- Insects are declining in agricultural environments – but there are more insects in environments that produce organic food. Ecologically produced products are often more expensive than conventionally produced. Choose some products that you think are important!
- Support and become a member of environmental organizations working for sustainable agriculture and rich biodiversity
Sources
- National Geographic – Without Bugs, we might all be dead
- Dagens Nyheter – Therefore, humanity is threatened when the insects die
- Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet – The garden and its guests
- Journal Plos One – More than 75 percent decline over 27 years in total flying insect biomass
- DW.com – Dramatic decline in German insects and birds
- The World Bank – Insects, the Food of the Future
- Sveriges Radio – Keep your ears open for the house cricket
- SVT Nyheter – FN: Ät mer insekter
