BUGS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, & THE UGLY.

Bugs. They're everywhere, creeping, crawling, flying, buzzing all around.

For some people, the sight of a bug is enough to strike terror. For others, bugs are a nuisance, and there are a few folks who actually enjoy insects.

Experts say bugs are here to stay, so perhaps what is needed is a little more understanding about bugs, said Norman Braasch, professor of zoology at Southeast Missouri State University.

"Everyday we are influenced by bugs," he said. "They have a tremendous economic influence upon us."

Braasch, who holds a doctorate in entomology, said, "I think generally people tend to be quite negative about bugs. People will tolerate bugs as long as they are seemingly in their own environment."

But don't let those bugs come too close.

"Many people have a phobia toward bugs, no question, and some of them rightfully so," said Charles Knote, who is retired from the pest control business.

Granted, insects can cause problems. "A lot of insects are disease transmitters," Braasch said. Mosquitoes can spread malaria. Ticks (which are not bugs, but rather mites) also carry diseases, including Lyme Disease.

Some spiders, brown recluses in particular, can be dangerous. (Spiders are not bugs; they are arachnids.) Mosquitoes and fleas can carry diseases. But Knote and Braasch said most fear is based on misinformation about bugs.

"In general, I would say people are a lot more afraid of insects now than they were 40 years ago," said Knote. "Folks 40 years ago were used to living with them."

Today, Knote said, people don't live with bugs if they don't have to.

"I think if you look at the amount of stuff for household use in various stores, there is quite a lot of it (insecticides) sold and there are a number of structural pest control companies in town," Knote said. Bugs are big business.

Braasch said: "Part of the fear is that people are insufficiently aware of bugs. We do not fear what we understand. Many people feel if it's a bug, somehow it's going to adversely affect them."

Braasch said insects can be very beneficial. In fact, some insects are essential.

"As flowers are beginning to emerge, you get a number of insects working the flowers. Honey bees and bumble bees are two groups of insects of tremendous importance. Without bees, many flowers would not be able to exist. They are major pollinators."

And honey bees produce a crop of their own honey. "Honey represents collected nectar," Braasch said. "There is no synthetic honey. Chemists have not been able to duplicate honey."

Some insects are predatory. They eat other insects and are often seen as beneficial to gardeners.

Ladybug beetles, for example, feed on aphids. Praying mantis, dragon flies, spiders and some wasps are also predators and feed on other insects.

Braasch said, "People ordinarily don't even think about another group of bugs, which are scavengers. Carrion flies and carrion beetles, for example, help recycle dead animals."

Knote said residents may see an increase in the number of house flies this summer.

"I think we are going to be looking at collection of garbage more than once a week," Knote said. "Otherwise, we are going to breed house fly and blowflies like nobody's business.

"With the amount of water we have received this week, we are going to have mosquitoes when the weather warms up," Knote said. "Especially if you have shrubs that are high, six to eight feet high, and you plan to sit outside, you better have some mosquito repellent."

"We have a few tomato horn worms and a few flea beetles in the garden," Knote said.

"I do not know what the flea season will be like," Knote said. "Ordinarily fleas develop when we have a little bit of moisture.

"Grasshoppers could be one of the things we have a problem with later on if we have real dry times."

While bugs may be mostly an inconvenience in town, on the farm crop pests like grasshoppers can become an economic nightmare.

Braasch said: "In the urban situation, people probably are less familiar with insects. In the rural context, people are very concerned about certain insects. Grasshoppers and boll weevils and cutworms can do substantial damage to crops.

"The cost of our produce is considerably higher (in price) because of bugs," Braasch said. "We spend tremendous sums of money, more than we need to or should, to have blemish-free produce.

"Those blemishes are nothing that can harm an individual," Braasch said. "If people would accept a few blemishes, we would be able to use less insecticides and have more produce available. Tons of produce are thrown away."

Despite efforts to exterminate the pests, Knote said insects have efficient reproductive systems. Bugs, good and bad, are here to stay.

"About 36 years ago, I gave a speech and said pests are optional," Knote. "That's still true. We're not going to get rid of them, but we don't have to live with them."

Even Braasch said he couldn't make much of a case for the benefits of cockroaches, ants, fleas and termites. But he said that's no reason to hate them.

"Sometimes people ask `What good are they?'" Braasch said. "I really hate to hear that question. People are so human-centered that they generally do not look at the value of other creatures. Cockroaches have been around for a long time. They function very well. You can't look at animals as to whether they are good or bad. They are there."

In fact, bugs are almost every where, Braasch said. If you don't see them, you're not looking.

"Look closely at the underside of plants or the underside of rocks. They are there."

The little pill bugs, or roly-poly bugs (which are not bugs at all, rather crustaceans) children find under rocks, lightening bugs, ants, spiders, cockroaches and all the rest will keep creeping, crawling and flying along.