There's No Such Thing as an Ugly Bug

You appreciate insects more than you know. Sure, it’s easy to like bees. Even though they sting, they pollinate flowers and make honey. 

And most people also like butterflies, ladybugs, fireflies, and dragonflies. Why not? They’re pretty.

Crickets and katydids make cheerful noises that we like to hear. Walking sticks, the praying mantis, centipedes, and grasshoppers look cool.

But what about showing some love for what people call ugly bugs? Without beetles and flies to recycle our waste, dead bodies and poop would pile up everywhere.

Some people also don’t like cicadas because they make a lot of noise. But they’re only noisy once every 17 years. And when they come out to make their racket, they serve as an excellent food source for hungry birds and animals.

Spiders can creep people out. But many eat the insects you don’t like. Spiders help keep the insect population in check. And you’ve got to admire their ability to weave intricate webs that make Halloween spooky!

Mosquitoes are the most dangerous animal on the planet. That’s because when an infected female mosquito bites a human, it can cause malaria.

Still, we need mosquitoes. Like butterflies, male mosquitoes pollinate plants. Mosquitoes also serve as a food source for many animals and birds. And fish love to eat mosquito eggs and larvae.

If all the world's people disappeared, bugs would still exist. But if bugs disappeared, humans would cease to exist. We might think some bugs are ugly, filthy, noisy, or destructive; but we can’t live without them!

Take a closer look at bugs. Really zoom in on their intricate details. Can you find the deeper beauty in what you think is the ugliest bug in the world?