Stink bug on leaf.

Stink bug on leaf.

You wouldn’t think that you have much in common with an insect, especially one like the stink bug, but you might be surprised at how many similarities there actually are, and in ways you might not even consider. Here’s how we are similar to stink bugs. That’s harsh but it’s true.

These characteristics that humans share with this particular insect might just change your mind about the unfortunately named, and possibly misunderstood, stink bug.

We All Stink Sometimes

If you work out, or are under stress, your body sweats, and sweat stinks. Just going for a walk on a hot day can produce the human body odor that only a shower, and a healthy dose of soap, can remove. The stink beetle also can be odorous, but like you, only some of the time. They can produce an unseemly odor when they are threatened, to deter any possible predator. They can even spray this stinky chemical several inches, and though you do not have this ability, your smell may travel as well, carried by a passing breeze.

We Get What We Want, and Then Leave

You’ve probably been to a restaurant, where you order an abundance of food, eat what you want, and then pay your bill on your way out. You leave the remains of your meal, and the mess it created, for someone else to deal with. The stink bug mimics this attitude towards food as well.When feeding on a piece of fruit, the stink bug pierces the skin with its proboscis, sucks out what it wants, and then moves on. The toxic saliva that is injected into the fruit damages the skin, leaving a scar, which makes that particular piece unfit for the gardener or farmer to sell, much like your discarded leftovers.

We All Wear an S on Our Chest

Maybe not literally, but human beings in general all have an irrational belief that they are invincible.  This is not exclusive to those daredevils out there who skydive, bungee jump, and climb mountains, either. Every time you drive your car, you could get in an accident. You could trip on your stairs, and break your neck on the fall down. One wrong punch in a fight could result in your death. The S is not really there, but you feel as though it is, and believe you are safe from harm because you are you. The stink bug has that same non-protective shield, though instead of an assumed one, it is actually its body shape. Their bodies are oval-shaped, and look like the shields our ancestors carried into battle, but the insects shield is similar in shape alone. They offer no more protection than your invisible one.

Our Attitude Repels Others

Human beings can be jerks. You have probably been in contact with at least one person in your life who was rude to you, offensive in their speech, or even just annoying. These are the people you avoid whenever possible. Like those unfavorable people, you will want to keep your distance from the stink bug as well. They are large, sometimes as big as 2 cm in size, and not particularly attractive. Also, not only do they smell when they are threatened, but also stink when they die. If you decide to try to avoid the mess of killing one, and suck it up with a vacuum instead, the smell remains in it long after the offensive insect is discarded. So, like humans, even when they are no longer in sight, their repellent features can linger with you.

We All Just Want to Feed

From the day you are born, you need to eat. From breast milk to baby food to cheeseburgers, every person on the planet needs food. It is a matter of survival. The stink bug must survive, too. Despite the possibility that they will destroy crops, and possibly even spread plant-based diseases, you cannot fault these insects for doing what comes naturally. Without food, they die, just like you.

Though the stink bug is unsightly, and smelly, they are a part of nature, just like you. They eat, they wear their shield without fear of its inevitable failure, and though you may not enjoy the comparison, they are more like you than any human will ever happily admit.

 

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