by Mimiges Brownroad, www.mmnn.ca Contributor

Greetings my friends. Happy Summer to you. One day I was wondering which topic I wanted to share with you this moon and it hit me. Clarification: they hit me. About ten black flies on my neck and arms. A very helpful passerby offered some of their chemical insect repellent. And I declined. This is the topic I was inspired to write about.

In our cultural prayers we acknowledge the small creatures who: build tunnels and put air in our soils, decompose our waste into soil again, pollinate our fruit trees, and most importantly are a part of the delicate web of life. We remember that any whole ecosystem would collapse if we were to remove the small creatures. If we know this, then why do I hear so many of us overkilling the small ones? How many do we really need to rid ourselves of? And how? Which are the least worst methods?

What we should only be concerned about are the insects who are landing on us to bite. We should not be trying to mass-kill the insects outdoors flying around and doing their ecological jobs, or even the ones flying close by. This means that we should not be placing contraptions or harmful chemicals that are outdoors. These are killing too many of our small creatures. We have to allow for nature to work and find its own balance. Another way to think of this, is that inside our homes is our human territory. Outside we share the territory with all other creatures. We do not have any more right to be there than the rest. We need them. Remember th ...

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