About one-third of insects here under threat of extinction due to pollution, intensive farming, and habitat loss

Ladybirds (bóín Dé in Irish) belong to the insect family of Coccinellidae, 38 species of which occur in Ireland. For many, ladybirds symbolise good luck, protection and happiness

The ninth hottest July on record, with temperatures hitting 31°C, might account in some way for the emergence of insects in large numbers. Mind you, we shouldn’t be too surprised given that we have more than 11,000 insect species in Ireland.

In late July, I heard people complain about large numbers of ants getting into their homes, while humid weather had midges hyper active… and biting.

Yet, as experts have confirmed, insects generally continue to vanish in common with other wildlife. People are recalling how, years ago, they regularly had to wash away countless dead flies from their car windscreens. Hardly any need for that now.

Insects play an essential role in the planet. David Attenborough once said the world’s ecosystems would collapse if all the bees, wasps, ants, flies and others were to disappear.

They engage in vital decomposition jobs, nutrient recycling, seed spreading, and pollination. They are also, of course, a food source: bats prey on midges, for instance.

A wealth of folklore surrounds bees which, aside from valued honey production, are highly regarded and seen as mystical beings capable of travelling between this world and the next, and conveying messages between the two. Never harm bees is the message.

Delightfully-spotted ladybirds symbolise good luck, protection and happiness.

Insects of Ireland: An illustrated introduction to common insect groups. By Stephen McCormack and Eugenie Regan with illustrations by Chris Shields 

In their informative and well-illustrated book, Insects Of Ireland, experts Stephen McCormack and Eugenie Regan reveal that we have a remarkable 11,400 known species, with many more yet to be discovered.

About one-third of our species are said to be under threat of extinction due to pollution, intensive farming, and habitat loss.

“This is a worrying trend: not only a cause for concern for wildlife loss in general, but also in terms of the essential ecosystem services these small, inconspicuous creatures provide for us, including breakdown of waste products thus releasing nutrients back into the soil," McCormack and Regan write.

By recycling dung, fallen tree trunks and dead leaves, and carcasses of dead animals, insects stimulate the breakdown of organic materials, make the soil more fertile and porous, and reduce the chances of spreading disease.

People can help insects in their gardens — by creating a pond to attract dragonflies, for example; by looking after old trees, and by having a small wildflower meadow in a discreet corner, perhaps only a few metres square. No harm either to leave dead and rotting wood on the ground where possible.

A common Darter Dragonfly at Fenor Bog in County Waterford. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Native plants like ivy, holly and hawthorn also draw a wide variety of insects, while flowers growing throughout spring, summer and autumn provide nectar for bees, butterflies and others.

Finally, it’s best to avoid using insecticides and pesticides which kill even more insects than the ones listed on the bottle or can.