Insects and their uses in a cold country: Finland

Abstract

AbstractNorthern European countries, despite their geographic location and climatic conditions, have a considerable number of insect species. To date 20 532 species of insects are known from Finland. Honeybees were introduced to Finland in the 18th century. The total number of hives in the country today is 50 000, with each producing an annual 30–40 kg of honey. A considerable amount of research is carried out on bees in Finland by beekeepers and scientists and the Finnish Beekeeper Association publishes its own journal by the name of Mehiläinen for approximately 3300 subscribers. Insects also play important roles in the education and school curricula of Finnish children with insect boxes containing preserved specimens, identification keys and information on general biology available for classes. Some butterflies get framed and hung on walls, serving as room decorations. Insects also feature as motifs on Finnish t‐shirts. Forensic entomology was pioneered in Finland and numerous university departments (zoology, entomology, ecology, physiology, biophysics, pharmacology and genetics) as well as museums are engaged in research on insects. Monitoring climate change, insects in Finland (especially Lepidoptera) are highly suitable because of the many years of recorded distributions and abundances of species. Finally, the large amount of idioms in the Finnish language, making reference to insects, testifies to the intimate connection between the Finnish people and the insects of their country.