Size matters!

 

"Size matter with insects. We are blessed to have them. The vast, vast, vast majority of them are helpful, not harmful. But anyone who does not believe in divine creation, need only look at an insect under an electron microscope."

There is a monster on the loose! And it is coming to eat you! Or a small part of you. Okay - maybe just drink a bit of your blood. And this monster comes from a family of trillions. Maybe quadrillions. Or more! What is it? The great Minnesota blood sucker. The mosquito. The picture above is one of many different species of this most bothersome pest. But to look at it under an electron microscope, to show this to a child, could cause nightmares. Why? Scary looking sucker (literally). But guess what? Size matters.

My grandson is going through a stage where he does not care for bugs. Okay - he is scared of them. I have told him that insects are very important to our world. Sure, some can hurt us, sting us, maybe even make us sick. But the vast majority are harmless, and act as a very important first step in the food chain. How so? They keep the food we eat, alive.

The picture above is a common housefly. By the way, did you know the common housefly is being studied by scientists today to better understand their eyes? Their eyes, which have thousands of lenses in them, can not only detect polarization of light, but also see colors which we cannot. There are certain properties to their eyes that scientists are now trying to incorporate into solar panels to make them more efficient. All from a housefly! The divine creation in an insect so tiny is mind boggling!

Of course, with all the harmless insects flying around, we must have a bad apple or two. Pictured above is the notorious Bald-Faced Hornet. This guy looks scary under an electron microscope and is scary in real life. I also put a picture of what a Bald-Face stinger looks like. It looks like something out of a horror movie. I had a close encounter with one last month, and barley won the battle. They are tough and mean and will come after you for just about any reason. Being innocent will not help you, and from what I understand, their sting will cause great pain and agony. 

Size matter with insects. We are blessed to have them. The vast, vast, vast majority of them are helpful, not harmful. But anyone who does not believe in divine creation, need only look at an insect under an electron microscope. If you think they are amazing, take a look at the DNA contained in each cell of a human body. But that is a subject for another day.