Help keep One Green Planet free and independent! Together we can ensure our platform remains a hub for empowering ideas committed to fighting for a sustainable, healthy, and compassionate world. Please support us in keeping our mission strong.
Shockingly, trillions of insects are killed per year, for food and for animal feed. But, perhaps what is even more surprising is the fact that, according to recent studies, insects can apparently feel pain, contrary to what many people had thought. And, with the increase in demand for insect-based alternatives to traditional animal agriculture, insect farming is at an all-time high. Science X examined 300+ studies and discovered that there is evidence that some — if not all — insects feel pain in some form.
On an average day, there can be anywhere from 79 billion to 94 billion insects on farms worldwide. (Note that this research does not include insects that are farmed for their by-products, such as bees, as well as wild insects that are collected). The countries where insect farming is most prominent include Canada, China, France, South Africa, and the United States. Insects have long been killed for silk, shellac, and for numerous other products. Most notably, farmers tend to spray odious amounts of chemicals on their fields, thereby killing even more insects via pesticides. And, what is more, these animals end up dying from asphyxiation, paralysis, or the dissolution of internal organs, which can take days and therefore includes a fair amount of suffering.
So, how can insect welfare be improved? Experts suggest finding more humane methods of slaughter, although the phrase “humane slaughter” is essentially an oxymoron. Many who advocate for animal welfare leave insects out of the equation, with the belief that they do not count as so-called “sentient beings.” But, thanks to some innovative technology that enables us to understand the inner workings of insects, we should be able to identify insects as truly sentient beings who feel pain. Backyard Brains, a neuroscience education company, created the RoboRoach, which consists of “Bluetooth signal-processing microelectronics” that are attached to a living cockroach‘s back. This allows the user to remote-control a cockroach, which can be a great educational tool, but is such an invasive tool much better than killing these bugs?
In a recent study involving bumblebees, scientists set out to find out if these bees’ “attraction to high sucrose solution concentrations” can lower their “avoidance of noxious heat.” They were given the choice of either going to noxiously heated or unheated feeders — marked with different colors — with various sucrose concentrations. Overall, they seemed to avoid the noxious feeders when unheated feeders had higher concentrations of sucrose, and returned to the noxious feeders when the concentrations were lower. This proves, scientists say, that the bees “used learned color cues for their decisions” and it was determined that they could use “contextual information to modulate nociceptive behavior.” In other words, yes, insects do feel pain.

Not Your By Tiny Rescue: Animal Collection
Related Content:
- More Than 300 Smuggled Insects found at El Dorado International Airport
- Australia is Exterminating Tens of Millions of Bees After Being Hit by Varroa Mite Plague
- Are Cockroaches the New Cows?
- Petition: A COMPLETE BAN ON THE USE OF NEONICOTINOIDS NEEDED TO PROTECT BEES AND OTHER WILDLIFE
- How to Humanely Keep Insects Out of Your Home
Easy Ways to Help the Planet:
- Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
- Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that are raising awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
- Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
- Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
- Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
- Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your own food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!
Comments