Biodiversity Begins at Home
Why I Said No to Blanket Pest Spraying
July 11, 2025. — Susan Greene
Recently, a door-to-door pest control salesman tried to convince me to consolidate my mosquito and tick service with my indoor pest service. His company would handle everything—even outdoor ants. “They become indoor ants,” he reasoned. But I stopped him and asked, “Why kill them outside at all?” That one question prompted a much deeper dive into biodiversity, mass extinction, and the role of even the smallest organisms in the ecosystems that sustain us.
Biodiversity is not just a luxury or aesthetic value—it’s the infrastructure of life. Defined by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, biodiversity is all the different kinds of life on Earth—plants, animals, fungi, and tiny organisms—plus the places they live and the ways they interact. It stabilizes food systems, purifies water, maintains soil health, and buffers us against climate shocks. Yet today, biodiversity is collapsing at an alarming rate. According to the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres “Biodiversity is the bedrock of life and a cornerstone of sustainable development, yet humanity is destroying biodiversity at lightening pace, the result of pollution, climate crisis, ecosystem destruction and – ultimately – short-term interests fueling the unsustainable use of our natural world.” This crisis is not just about losing iconic species; it’s about unraveling the very systems that support human survival.
“…humanity is destroying biodiversity at lightening pace, the result of pollution, climate crisis, ecosystem destruction and – ultimately – short-term interests fueling the unsustainable use of our natural world.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, 2025
Ants, often overlooked and frequently targeted by pest control companies, are a powerful example of the biodiversity we risk losing. Ants are ecosystem engineers. They aerate soil, decompose organic matter, disperse seeds, and even regulate other insect populations. A recent study in Basic and Applied Ecology confirmed that ants improve soil structure and nutrient cycling, and their absence can lead to poorer plant growth and resilience in ecosystems. Another study published in Scientific Reports found that ant-mediated seed dispersal significantly enhances seedling success in fragmented landscapes—highlighting their role in habitat restoration.
Spraying outdoor ants simply because they are present overlooks their essential role in the ecosystem. When ants are eliminated, we lose their services. Soil becomes more compacted, pests they would normally control may surge, and plants lose vital partners in reproduction. These shifts ripple outward. As small systems degrade, so do larger ones.
This is the backdrop for what scientists are calling “biological annihilation.” A 2022 study by the World Wildlife Fund found that vertebrate populations have plummeted by more than 68% since 1970, and entire genera of animals are disappearing—a rate of extinction 35 times faster than the historical norm. These losses aren’t abstract. They translate to food insecurity, economic disruption, and increased vulnerability to climate disasters.
Ants: Tiny but Mighty Champions of Biodiversity
Killing outdoor ants is often counterproductive—it damages ecosystem services that protect your home.
Soil health & aeration
Ant tunnels introduce air, water, and nutrients to the soil.
Seed dispersal & plant relationships
Ants carry seeds, fertilize plants, and even protect them from pests.
Pest Control & Ecosystem Checks
Ants prey on harmful insects; removing them opens the door to bigger infestations.
Ecosystem Stability
Insects — including ants — form the foundation of countless food webs. Their removal triggers a cascade of declines in birds, reptiles and larger animals.
As we face accelerating biodiversity loss, climate instability, and ecosystem collapse, it is more urgent than ever to recognize that every species—including ants—contributes to the resilience of our planet. Yet our actions often suggest otherwise, favoring quick fixes and destruction over long-term sustainability.
In September 2024, world leaders gathered at the United Nations and adopted the Pact for the Future, making 56 commitments aimed at safeguarding both current and future generations in the face of escalating climate crises and global conflict. This historic agreement reflects a growing recognition of the need for bold, coordinated action. Still, as Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of Malawi, warned, the world continues to fall short of the Sustainable Development Goals because “we seem more interested in moving with speed in destroying the future than we are in replenishing.”
“we seem more interested in moving with speed in destroying the future than we are in replenishing.”
-Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of Malawi, 2024
To truly change course, we must shift our perspective—from eradicating what we don’t understand to nurturing what sustains us—and embrace the interconnectedness of all life on Earth.