Spiders? Not insects. Ticks? Not insects. These are some of the misconceptions brought up as Valparaiso University Professor Kristi Bugajski introduced herself to the audience of over 80 people who had gathered for her public lecture on insects in lakes.
Bugajski, who joked that her husband’s last name was destined to be hers, said that bugs have always been her passion, and she teaches biology, entomology, and forensic science classes at VU.
She was asked by the Valparaiso Chain of Lakes Watershed Group to speak about why we need insects and why they need us. The free presentation was held at the Porter County Administration Building followed by casual pizza night with questions and answers with Bugajski at Greek’s Pizzeria.
– Original Credit: Post-Tribune
“For every human being, there are 200 million insects,” said Walt Breitinger, president of Valparaiso Chain of Lake Watershed Group and a local environmental activist. “So if you do the math, there’s a lot of bugs out there and although some are obviously pests and create problems, we are going to take a look tonight at some insects, especially aquatic insects.”
“There are a lot of reasons why aquatic insects can be really useful,” said Bugajski. “There are lots of little insects living in the water that are really important to the ecosystem, both to break down some of that organic matter that is in the water, or to be food for fish or larger organisms.”
Stone flies are an example of one of the smaller insects, as they are important food for some of the big game fish.
“If you want to go out and fish for bass or trout, you can thank a stone fly for feeding it,” said Bugajski. “Nobody usually brags on the internet about the tiny fish they caught, you want the big fish so it looks really big and impressive on your profile picture. You can thank stone flies for giving you that big fish.”
“One nice thing about sampling insects from water is that it is pretty cheap and easy,” said Bugasjski. “And when we are monitoring, a lot of what is happening is done by volunteer groups who don’t have massive budgets for sampling.”
“If we did not have insects, we would not be able to survive,” said Bugajski. “They could very easily survive and thrive without us, but the reverse is not true. We need them.”
“You do not hear campaigns to save insects, but you should, because the short answer is that we need insects because we will die without them,” said Bugajski. “You can also argue that they have a right to existence at a very basic level and have a right to survival.”
The Valparaiso Chain of Lakes is a system of lakes located on the north side of the city of Valparaiso and includes many larger named lakes as well as a system of wetlands and smaller ponds and streams.
The lecture is part of an ongoing series presented by the Valparaiso Chain of Lakes Watershed Group. To learn more, visit www.valpolakes.org or the organization’s Facebook page.
Deena Lawley-Dixon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
