Interesting question, huh? Do insects feel pain? Do they feel cold and heat? Do they feel joy? Do they feel fun? We humans do for sure! Some of us enjoy a good afternoon nap, a warm cup of hot chocolate, a nice walk in the woods, an exciting football game with friends, a good online game like when using our Everygame casino login. But I’m getting carried away, let’s get back to the subject at hand….do insects feel pain?
Trillions of insects are killed regularly for food and for animal feed each year. The way they are killed likely involves extreme heat and/or extreme cold and most frequently starvation. If you compare the number of mammals and birds (livestock) killed, around 79 billion, this is truly a huge number.
Experts readily recognized that many animals experience pain but that this was not extended to insects. However, there have been studies carried out that show evidence that there are indeed some insects that do feel pain. But in order to really know whether all insects feel pain, much more research needs to be done on a whole range of insects.
For example, a study carried out into bumblebees’ response to possibly damaging stimuli showed them responding to the stimuli in similar ways that a human or mammal would be expected to react to feeling pain.
We do know that millions of wild insects die every year from pesticides. These can be horrible deaths from paralysis, asphyxiation or some other slow death. Many people hold the view that because insects are simple, therefore they do not suffer. However, if insects do feel pain, it would mean that insect farming and ways of controlling pests are causing suffering on a massive scale.
The long-held view that insects are too simple and live only short lives means they are basically ignored when it comes to animal welfare and laws that are put in place. But things may be changing as evidence is surfacing showing that insects do feel pain.
Pain is subjective and a private experience making the question of whether insects feel pain a very difficult one. If the subject in question has no language, then how can you know?
The historical position
Up until about only twenty-five years ago it was thought by quite a lot of surgeons that babies didn’t feel pain and therefore the use of anesthetics during surgery was not necessary. The fact that babies would cry was thought to be due to natural reflexes. Today, even though we have no proof, the understanding is that for sure babies do feel pain. The fact that babies can’t communicate doesn’t mean they are not suffering. There are the same behavioral indicators of pain that should be looked for and this is for insects as well as all other creatures.
A pain in the brain
The majority of animals will show reflex-like responses to harmful stimuli. Known to scientists as nociception. However, experts say that just because an animal is subject to possible harmful stimuli it does not automatically mean that they are experiencing pain that we see in humans that is created in the brain. Apparently, pain and nociception can occur independently.
A study recently carried out on bumblebees found that their response to heat was subject to other motivations. In the study four feeders were given to the bumblebees: two heated and two unheated. All the feeders distributed sugar water, something bumblebees like. All the feeders had the same amount of sugar water but it was found that the bees shunned the two heated feeders. However, when extra sweetened water was added to the heated feeders, the bumblebees chose these instead. Their desire for the sugar superseded their dislike of heat. This, it would seem, means that bumblebees do feel pain, like humans, because we see their responses are more than simple reflexes.
The bees showed that they had a memory of the heated and unheated feeders and they made a decision as to which feeder to feed from. This choice or compromise was made in the brain.
We can see this occurring in the brain of insects in other ways. Hungry flies are more likely to ‘deal with’ extreme heat than less hungry ones.
Other indicators of pain
Recently the UK government recognized pain in two invertebrate groups: “decapod crustaceans (including crabs, lobsters, and prawns) and cephalopods (including octopuses and squid). These were included in the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act of 2022.
The framework has eight criteria – the extent to which the animal in question’s nervous system can support pain and if its behavior denotes pain.
Many insects satisfy many of the criteria, showing “evidence” for pain. No real evidence was found that suggested any insects failed all the criteria. Many show a lot of “evidence” for pain.
These findings showing evidence for pain in insects is similar to evidence for pain in other animals. Other animals are already protected under UK law.
Octopuses were found to show very strong (seven criteria) evidence for pain. Now octopuses and crabs are included in this Welfare Act of 2022 which acknowledges their capacity for pain.
A precedent has now been set by the Animal Welfare Act of 2022 – when there is convincing evidence of pain, legal protection is required. We have seen that some insects do warrant this protection.
In order to regulate farming and scientific research existing laws need to be extended. For instance, the Animal Welfare Act of 2006 says it is an offense to cause “unnecessary suffering” to animals. Insect farms may need to change their slaughter methods in order to minimize animal suffering.
The 1986 Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act sets out rules concerning the use of protected animals in experiments that might cause pain and/or distress or cause lasting harm. Other insects should be included under this Act, as octopuses now are, and this would regulate research and reduce the number of insects tested and experimented on.
A final word on the use of pesticides. More humane pesticides should be developed that would minimize the suffering to wild insects.
