Return the darkness to insects
SINCE 2017, the Fireflyers International Network, an international group comprising firefly scientists and enthusiasts, has been sponsoring the celebration of World Firefly Day, which is normally held during the first weekend in July. This year, it is being celebrated on July 4 and 5 with the theme “Hope Rising”.
Events such as festivals and talks are held in many countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, China, Belgium, Mexico and the United States, to celebrate the magic and science of fireflies on this day.
The Malaysian Nature Society is celebrating on July 7 to 8 with a number of activities (see https://bit. ly/38mMRK4 for more details.) This year’s theme is particularly poignant as it relates to giving hope to both humanity and fireflies during the Covid-19 crisis.
More than mere insects, these luminous beings help to keep us connected to Earth’s natural magic with their twinkling lights in the darkness of the night.
In Malaysia, we are lucky to have many sites hosting fireflies, and most of these are on the banks of rivers where foliage and trees abound and human habitation is far away.
But there are some firefly habitats that have been found away from rivers or mangrove swamps, and two of these are in well-known parks in Kuala Lumpur.
These urban habitats might not be there for long, however. Fireflies find their mates by their flashing lights. Unfortunately, in these two parks, the street lights are always on. This affects the mating habits of fireflies, and without new additions to their colonies, they would eventually disappear from these sites.
Along with loss of habitat, chemical pollution, invasive species and climate change, pollution from artificial light has been found to be a great destroyer of insects, including fireflies. Most insects are nocturnal, which means they are active at night to feed and mate, and sleep during the day.
Lamps are a fatal attraction to these insects. They will fly non-stop around the light, forgetting their instinct to find food or reproduce, and eventually die.
Artificial light spots are also feeding stations for frogs, toads, lizards and geckos. The lights attract the insects and the abundance of insects attracts their predators.
Butterflies flutter during the day, bringing colour and joy to our gardens. In their earlier life as caterpillars, they munch on as many leaves as possible during the night to prepare for their metamorphosis into butterflies. Studies have shown that artificial light prolongs the day length cycle for caterpillars, and this has a profound effect on their pupal stage, leading to reduction in the population of butterflies and moths.
Insects provide a huge mass of proteins to the animal world since they are near the bottom of the food chain. Humans, too, are turning to insects for proteins as a more sustainable food source.
Insects also pollinate most of the plants humans consume or use for animal feed.
Despite the many benefits they bring, we are killing them by the millions every day just by flicking on a light switch.
Stopping pollution from artificial lights to reduce the killing of insects is easy. Just switch the lights off. In parks and trails, give insects back the darkness they need to function and thrive.
Remove the lights in your compound and install sensors for security if you need to. You will also be able to reduce your electricity consumption in the process.
Renowned American biologist, researcher, theorist and author E. O. Wilson once said “if insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.”