Humans and insects - Issue #21

Hello ,

Did you ever think that there are some species that are reliant on humans for their continued survival? Many insect species will have a hard time continuing their existence without us.

A very good example of this is headlouse. Yes, without their only viable host they will die off very quickly. (I've often wondered how such a species isn't declared as critically endangered, because every human on earth strives to eradicate them when they come into contact with them. Now that I have opened a can of worms, let's move on.)

Other species like the American cockroach (which for interest's sake doesn't come from America, even if the common and scientific name suggest so) is a cosmopolitan and peri-domestic species. That is more simple than it first seems. Cosmopolitan means that a species has a range that extends over most of the regions on the globe, if not all of them. Peri-domestic means that a species lives close to or within human habitation.

Thus, the fact that the American cockroach lives close to people helped it to spread across the world on ships hidden in cargo. American cockroaches are often found around dustbins and even inside buildings, however, you will rarely find an American cockroach in a natural area.

I believe that over time the American cockroach has adapted to the high levels of food availability in and around human settlements, and thus there isn't enough food in the natural areas to sustain them.

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The mind of man plans his way,

But the Lord directs his steps. - Proverbs 16:9