Most children have a bug period. — E.O. Wilson, distinguished insect scientist from Harvard University
The 2012 International Congress of Entomology was held in Daegu, South Korea. Affectionately nicknamed by some of us attendees as the “Big Bug Swarm,” this meeting brought together insect experts from around the world to discuss important scientific issues pertaining to the billions of arthropods that inhabit planet Earth. Thousands of entomologists convened in one place, almost simulating the antics of an ant colony.
Termite experts from China met with fire ant specialists from Florida, and figured out ways to control pests. Fly experts (also called Dipterists) were excited to collaborate on a family tree that traces the evolution of the 150,000 known species of Diptera ranging from mosquitos to sheep blowflies to the pesky house fly. Conservation biologists came together seeking solutions for the disappearance of important insect pollinators, in decline due to habitat loss throughout the world.
Many American entomologists had admittedly never heard of Daegu, but this city of 2.5 million is South Korea’s third-largest metropolis. Renowned for its ancient traditions of herbal remedies, South Korea is a fast-paced, green, high-technology country. With modern bullet trains, cityscapes dominated by high-rise condos, and headquarters of Samsung and Hyundai, this country is also verdant green, having conserved 70 percent of her original forested landscape. In autumn, when the maple and oak leaves change color, it rivals the hillsides of Vermont.
Traditional Korean houses, called hanoks, are disappearing in favor of high-rise condos; but Daegu still boasts an extensive traditional medicine market, where shamans provide the famous Ginseng root for healing. Korea’s upscale urban landscapes contrast vividly with thousand-year-old Buddhas and religious temples nestled throughout the green countryside.
Despite the amazing landscapes of South Korea, most scientists remained confined within the walls of the Daegu Conference Center, talking passionately into the wee hours of the morning about global insect issues.
Titles of some of the talks lend a flavor to the technical nature of a scientific conference: 1. Phylogenomic distribution and functions of DNA methylation in insect genomes; 2. Epigenetic control of locust phase polymorphism; 3. Microbial endophytes as source of genes related to biological control; 4. A preliminary study on the behavior mechanism of phototactic response of rice planthoppers; and 5. Genomics of the fig wasp.
Although these scientific presentations may sound like Greek to most of the public, such technical conversations lead to global solutions of many expensive and critical problems — pest outbreaks, disease vectors, invasive species, and the relatively simple challenge of removing bedbugs.
Florida spends millions of dollars annually on insect pests, and is highly invested in seeking solutions to outbreaks of unwanted critters.
Florida tourism benefits from cockroach and bedbug control, and our agriculture struggles to keep one step ahead of the next insect pest that inevitably occurs because Americans tend to plant large acres of one crop (a veritable all-you-can-eat-salad-bar to whatever insect pests love to eat that species). Fire ants represent an expensive threat to landscapes, golf courses and sports fields, as well as Florida yards. And now our beloved state is facing new incidents of tropical diseases dispersed by insect vectors moving north from equatorial regions. Entomology conferences represent an important means of solving these issues that “bug Florida.”
So the next time you hear about a scientific conference convening halfway around the world, rest assured that bringing international experts together to share data will ultimately jump-start solutions that enhance our quality of life on Earth.
Meg Lowman, a longtime Sarasota-based scientist and educator, is chief of science and sustainability at the California Academy of Sciences.
Originally posted in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
