In 2018 the environmental company NABU, the Ministry of Environment of its state Lower Saxony and discount supermarket chain Penny made an impressive move to raise consumer awareness by removing all products from one store’s shelves that wouldn’t exist without the insects – out of 2,500 products available, only around 1,000 remained.

The monetary valuation of pollination

Insects that pollinate plants include not only bees, but also wasps, flies, beetles and even mosquitoes. These insects are the “carriers” of the male pollen, which must reach the so-called stigma of another plant in order for it to flower – and thus produce its fruit, such as an apple.

Some plants can even be wind-pollinated, while others, such as grains, can self-fertilize. However, for about a third of the world’s food production, pollination is crucial.

In other words, in the language of money, pollinators annually produce crops worth up to 500 billion euros – an amount approaching the GDP of… Belgium. If pollinators were to disappear from tomorrow, it is estimated that the global harvest would be reduced by as much as 90%.

All insects are essential

An important role in pollination is played by bees – and in fact all types of bees. In addition, the more specifically wild bees that participate in pollinating the plants, the higher the yield of the harvest will be.

At the same time, however, relevant scientific research shows that 25-50% of pollination is not done by bees, but by other insects – for example flies, beetles or butterflies.

The beneficial help of wasps

Pollination by a type of insect that most people detest is also beneficial: wasps.

Wasps feed mainly on sugary juices from plants and flowers – hence… they get excited when they see an ice cream. At the same time, other plant species are pollinated by bees. Today, however, wasps also need animal protein, so they often eat smaller insects, such as caterpillars.

If the wasps did not eat these smaller insects, crop pests would proliferate, many of which are disease carriers. That is why their contribution to ecosystems is estimated to reach 417 billion US dollars annually in economic terms.

Also, wasp venom has medicinal utility, as it effectively neutralizes various bacteria and fungi. There is even a specific species of wasp whose venom may be effective in treating liver cancer.

And what are mosquitoes useful for?

Mosquitoes are a misunderstood insect – after all, of all the mosquito species, only one of them bites us.

Mosquitoes feed mainly on nectar and plant juices and these also contribute to pollination. Only female mosquitoes need blood because they need protein for their eggs. Yes, mosquitoes that bite us can carry dangerous diseases. But they are also important food for other animals, such as birds and fish. Finally, the very small flowers of cocoa beans are primarily pollinated by small mosquitoes. Therefore, if there were no mosquitoes, we would have no chocolate at all!

Edited by: Giorgos Passas