Why are spiders important? Let’s talk about the environment for a minute, particularly the benefits of bats, bees and spiders to our ecosystem. We know these guys can be a bit scary and in some cases they can be deemed a nuisance if they decide to move into your home, but let’s be real, these critters are crucial to our ecosystem and 2 out of the 3 are dying off at an alarming rate. If Bees become extinct, us humans will follow, and as Albert Einstein has been attributed for saying “if the bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, man would only have four years left to live.” Now add bats to that equation and well you get the drift.
Do We Need to Protect Spiders, Bats and Bees?
Wildlife conservation has become more and more of a pressing issue, more so now than what I remember 20 years ago, and it’s been less than 50 years since the first action was taken by the United States to protect wildlife and to conserve their habitats. We are still years away from fully understanding the science and reasons behind population decrease, extinction and climate change, so it is crucial now more than ever to be educated and learn how we can provide a hand up for these critters so they can help maintain our world as we know it today.
Of course bats, bees and spiders can be overwhelmingly scary to some people and annoying to others, but they play a key role in maintaining a healthy and stable ecosystem; an ecosystem that most of us nowadays take for granted. You may be asking: What do spiders, bats and bees actually do for our planet? Without them, we could face drought, famine, and an overabundance of disease-carrying insects which would be devastating for the human race.
Spiders help curtail the spread of disease-carrying insects which are commonly found in and around our home such as cockroaches, fleas, flies and mosquitoes. They also help with keeping the population of agricultural insects down to prevent them from wreaking havoc on our farmlands. Although spiders are not disappearing like the bats and bees, they still play a huge role in our ecosystem and so it is important to make sure that we help maintain a healthy balance of spider-to-insect ratio, even if they are scary eight-legged monsters.
Bats, like spiders, help maintain the population of insects; just one brown bat can eat up to 70% of their weight in insects in one night, which provides an all-natural way to control mosquitoes and other nocturnal bug populations. They also help with pollinating fruit trees and our forests, so it becomes extremely concerning when large colonies of Bats all over the world start dying. In the USA alone millions of bats have been killed by White Nose Syndrome a fungus which is extremely contagious and can spread from colony to colony fairly quickly.
How Can We Humanely Get Rid of “Pests”?
Another very concerning thing for us humans is when bats start to roost in our homes, it can often feel like something out of a horror movie, but being able to safely and humanely remove the bats from your home is going to be the best solution.
Ultrasonic sound and bright flashing lights are a great way to safely repel the bats from your home. Once the bats are gone, sealing the structure while providing an alternate habitat like a bat house will be a more permanent solution, and will help prevent them from finding a new way into your home.
If you are able to provide a bat house, you will want to make sure it is no lower than 12 feet in the air with a good amount of direct sunlight to keep them warm and close to a water source. By supplying a new habitat for the bats not only are you helping to maintain the ecosystem, but you also get free insect control and a bat-free home!
The Future of Bees
Last but certainly not least, the decline and disappearance of bees is one of the most commonly talked about and perplexing issues that we are still trying to understand; hopefully one day we will know enough about it to be able to prevent any further devastation.
Colony Collapse Disorder is one of the causes of bee disappearance. The worker bees disappear leaving the queen, food reserves and the young bees to fend for themselves. They leave no trace and no one is 100% certain why this is happening but there is a thesis as to what could be causing it. For example; the stress from moving colonies across the country for pollination services, parasite invasion into the hive, changes to the habitat, inadequate foraging, poor nutrition, and pesticide poisoning are among the many factors that could be attributed to colony collapse.
What You Need to Know About Pesticides
Pesticides are another contributing factor to colony decline. Spraying pesticides without reading the instructions can affect multiple bee colonies miles apart, which could contain thousands if not millions of bees. Pesticide poisoning is devastating to bee colonies and also the beekeepers who rely on the production of honey from the bees to make a living. It is absolutely crucial to follow the guidelines when spraying pesticides and to know if there are any active bee colonies nearby.
Staying educated and being aware of the changes to the climate and our ecosystem is crucial now more than ever. There are people far and wide from different backgrounds using their social platforms to shed light on the problems we are facing if we keep living in a fossil-fueled world. It is up to us to continue to fight for our planet and use our resources and knowledge to save our planet and ALL that inhabit it!
Visit the Good Life Inc. blog today for more insights on how to humanely protect your home from pests.
