By Saiful Bahri Kamaruddin
Pix Shahiddan Saidi

BANGI, 4 June 2016 – The scientific community in Malaysia, especially entomologists, should pressure the mainstream press and the private sector to avoid using misleading descriptions about insects, says Faculty of Science and Technology Deputy Dean (Research and Innovation) Prof Dr Rusli Daik.

He said egged on by  some pest control companies, the media propagated the belief that insects in general are pests.

“We have to correct this misconception that is everywhere – in the media, advertisements and even formal discussions referring insects as carriers of disease. We have to look at insects in a more positive light,” he said when launching an exhibition and programme about vector insects titled ‘Small Bites, Big Threat,’ here today.

While acknowledging that some insects are vectors of disease-causing bacteria, he said it is not fair to make sweeping statements about all the as species being pests.

Prof Rusli, whose research background is actually in Chemistry and polymers, pointed out that insects are vital to the life carbon and nitrogen cycles on  earth such as decomposition of organic matter and the enrichment of the soil.

“The majority of insects have an important role to play in the bio-diversity and environmental equilibrium of the natural world. If we kill insects indiscriminately, our ecosystem would be out of balance and eventually jeopardize the survival of other animals and plants,” he emphasized.

As an example, he cited some insects of the forests and even palm oil plantations which help maintain the dynamic equilibrium of the ecosystems.

He explained that while there is no shortage of information about insects and vector-borne carriers, reports about the importance of the invertebrates are not as easily accessible.

He expressed hope that the entomologists from UKM and other universities taking part in the programme would dispel any misgivings about insects.

The one day programme was organised by the Centre for Insect Systematics (CIS) of the Faculty of Science and Technology at UKM.

The programme director Dr Izfa Riza said some 18 post-graduate students from CIS were taking part in the exhibition, with some of them opening booths on insect displays.

Among the points of discussion in the programme were understanding the life cycles of insects and the precautions to take when living in an urban environment.

She said there were also two pest control companies offering their wares and services at competitive prices.

She noted that according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) more than half the world’s population is at risk from diseases such as malaria, dengue, leishmaniasis, Lyme disease, schistosomiasis, and yellow fever, carried by mosquitoes, flies, ticks, water snails and other vectors.

Every year, more than one billion people are infected and more than one million die from vector-borne diseases.