Which Overlooked Organisms Benefit Humans Most? Readers Answer

A reader recently plagued by clothes moths discovered the parasitic wasp Trichogramma evanescens, which destroys moth eggs when ordered online in sachets of 2,000, prompting a question about other unrecognized beneficial organisms.

Reader John Forward of Brixton asked: “It made me wonder: is there anything else in our daily lives that is so beneficial to us, but which few of us have heard of – or realise is there?”

Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com.

Reader jtappin cited gut bacteria, stating: “Without them, there would be no helping us, as we’d not be alive to be helped.”

SpoilheapSurfer praised bacteria broadly: “They do everything from helping you digest your dinner to seeing off alien invasions.”

Reader d33pf1x noted: “I recently read about the microbes that inhabit our bodies. It’s believed that we have more microbes than human cells in and on our bodies. This leads me to think that they are a significant kind of organism that we’re reliant on without realising.”

EddieChorepost quoted Bill Bryson: “‘You are for them the ultimate food court, with the convenience of warmth and constant mobility thrown in. By way of thanks, they give you BO.'”

Mike345 highlighted phytoplankton: “They absorb carbon from the water then, when they die, sink to the bottom of the ocean, making them a carbon sink in every sense of the word.”

Sagarmatha1953 warned: “Without honey bees, our ecosystem would face a global, catastrophic crisis, resulting in severe food shortages, dire economic impact and the potential collapse of many plant species, leading to reduced biodiversity.”

Reader nina1414 countered: “Bees are not the only pollinators around. The problem is that all of them are decreasing in numbers.”

RPOrlando noted: “Mushrooms, or fungi, have many uses, including helping trees to survive, a fact that few people who are concerned about climate change and vanishing forests are entirely cognisant of.”

Abinash Das elaborated on Trichogramma: “Trichogramma are useful to humans not only in household work, but also in agriculture. As we all know, agriculture is the basic need of human beings. Trichogramma chilonis and Trichogramma japonicum are used as biocontrol agents, as they feed on the larvae of some serious pests that hurt farmers’ incomes as well as ecological and public health. Similarly, green lacewing (Chrysoperla spp) grubs are used to control sucking pests, reducing chemical dependence and fostering a safer environment. These grubs are mass grown in labs and released in fields at 10,000 a hectare to control pest population.”

JSME stated: “Without earthworms, we wouldn’t have enough food. They aerate the soil, which roots need, and their waste (from eating soil) makes nutrients bioavailable to plants.”

Anomander64 praised yeast: “As someone who loves bread and alcohol. It is miraculous stuff.”

Ted Coombs described the robber fly: “The robber fly doesn’t bother humans, but kills the things we see as pests; I watched one killing ants in my yard. I’ve learned they can kill mice – important at a time people have become more aware of hantavirus.”

MrJustin noted diatoms: “Diatoms are responsible for 50-60% of the free oxygen in our atmosphere. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.”

EddieChorepost offered a humorous quip: “I remember hearing about an old lady who bought some parasitic wasps. She bought the wasps to swallow the moths that swallowed her cloth(e)s …”

Reader 1AngryMan concluded: “I don’t know, because I don’t realise how beneficial they are.”