International Student Elly from Rwanda. By Zhao Wei
卢旺达留学生艾力。赵伟摄
When people think of insects, they normally do not connect it with good thoughts or words, and their knowledge and understanding of the world of insects also remain rather shallow. However, in the eyes of Elly, an international student from Rwanda, insects, despite their small size, are the most beautiful things in the world. During his four years of PhD studies in agricultural insects and pest control at College of Plant Protection, Yunnan Agricultural University, Elly's encounter with the world of insects in Yunnan has led to a growing fascination with them.
提起“虫”，人们总会联想起一些不太美好的画面与词汇，对于昆虫世界的认知与了解也只停留在表面。然而，在来自卢旺达的留学生艾力（Elly）眼中，昆虫虽然渺小，却是世间最美好的存在。在云南农业大学植物保护学院攻读农业昆虫与害虫防治博士学位的4年中，艾力与云南的昆虫世界邂逅，对昆虫也愈发着迷。
Mantises as Pets and an Obsession with the Insect World
During a biology class in middle school, Elly’s interest in insects was sparked to life, and in his eyes, these insects living in the “underworld” were cute little magical creatures.
中学时期的一节生物课，让艾力对昆虫产生了十分浓厚的兴趣，对于他来说，这些生活在世界“底层”的小生物，是可爱的“精灵”。
“Studying insects has become a habit.” Whether he is walking on the road or sitting in the park, Elly is always on the lookout for bugs. Compared with the various types of insect specimens and microscopes in the laboratory, observing insects in their natural habitats always make him excited. “When I see bugs I've never seen before, I want to bring them home to raise and study them.” Elly says that although humans have now discovered a wide variety of insects, we have still only scratched the surface of the insect world, and many insects have become extinct even before us humans were able to discover them. “Yunnan has lush vegetation and a much wider variety of creatures, making it a good place for an insect lover.” During his years of study in Kunming, Elly has seen moths twice the size of his face, discovered thrips that are barely visible to the naked eye, and seen many insects that he has never seen before.
“研究虫子已经变成了我的生活习惯。”无论是走在路上，还是坐在公园，艾力总是把注意力放在可能会出现虫子的地方，比起实验室里的各类昆虫标本、显微镜，活灵活现的昆虫总让他感到兴奋。“看到没见过的虫子，就想赶快带回去饲养、研究。”艾力说，虽然人类目前发现的昆虫种类繁多，但还只是昆虫世界的一小部分，很多昆虫甚至还没被人类发现就已经灭绝。“云南植被茂盛，生物种类也更加丰富，对于一个昆虫爱好者来说，是不错的地方。”在昆明学习的几年中，艾力见过比脸还大一倍的蛾，发现过肉眼几乎看不到的蓟马，也见识了很多原来不曾见过的昆虫。
Nephila clavata.By Li Weimei
棒络新妇蜘蛛。李维梅摄
Not long ago, Elly's two “pet” mantises died which made him very sad, and he even made him decided not to keep any more "pets" in the future. In Elly's eyes, mantises are not only quiet by nature, but will also help eliminate mosquitoes. “Once you get to know insects, you can truly understand their beauty.” From the initial attraction by the pattern and colors to studies on insect construction, Elly grew to know the insects better than they knew themselves, while always caring for the best of all insects.
不久前，艾力的两只“宠物”螳螂去世了，对此他伤心了很久，甚至决定再也不养任何“宠物”。在艾力眼中，螳螂们不仅不吵不闹性格安静，更会“懂事”地为主人消灭房间里的蚊子。“当你了解昆虫以后，才会真正明白它们有多美。”从一开始被花纹色彩吸引，到开始琢磨研究昆虫的构造，艾力逐渐变得比虫子们还了解它们自己，而他对任何虫类，都永远心存善意。
Studying Insects in Depth and Looking at Them Objectively
With in-depth study and research, Elly has gradually discovered that insects cannot simply be categorized as "beneficial" or "harmful", and that there is a reason behind every existing life. Cockroaches, for example, as the "public enemy" living in dark and dirty corners, often appear in houses with lots of germs, making many feel disgusted by the sight of them. Even Elly, who is obsessed with insects, used to deal with cockroaches by "stomping on them". However, after studying and researching, Elly learned that cockroaches mainly feed on decaying organic matter, and the feces they excrete after digesting this organic matter is beneficial to plant growth, so cockroaches cannot simply be categorized as “pests”. They are essential creatures in the ecological chain.
随着深入的学习研究，艾力逐渐发现，昆虫不能以简单的“益虫”或“害虫”定义，每一个生命都有存在的意义。以蟑螂为例，作为“全民公敌”的蟑螂生活在阴暗肮脏的角落，身上携带大量病菌，还经常出入人类家居，让许多人心生厌恶。连痴迷昆虫的艾力，以前见到蟑螂，也会采取“一脚踩扁”的方式处理。然而学习研究后，艾力了解到蟑螂主要以腐败的有机物为食，它们将有机物消化后排出的粪便有利于植物生长，所以，蟑螂并不能单纯定义为“害虫”，而是生态链中不可或缺的生灵。
Ottelia acuminata and Damselfly. By Li Weimei
海菜花与豆娘。李维梅摄
Nowadays, when he encounters cockroaches, Elly will gently drive them out of the house and then stop to think. “Cockroaches are only found in dirty places, so when they appear, it’s like a reminder that it's time for me to clean the house.” He says insects also have their own minds and emotions. People cannot simply be defined as being good or bad, and the same goes for insects.
现如今，再遇到蟑螂，艾力会温柔地将它们驱出家门，然后开始自我审视。“脏的地方才会有蟑螂，当家里出现蟑螂，是它们在变相地提醒我该打扫了。”他说，昆虫同样有自己的思维、情感，正如人不能单纯地定义为坏人或好人一样，昆虫也是。
Restoring People’s Views of Insects through Teaching
When it comes to planning for the future, Elly still associates his fate with insects.
提起对未来的规划，艾力依然把自己的命运与昆虫绑在了一起。
“What I would like to do most is to be a teacher.” Elly says that most people fear, and have a nasty view of bugs. The reason for this is that many films and movies portray insects in a negative light, which makes it impossible for people to look at them objectively. Since there is a world in a wild flower and a bodhi in a leaf, Elly believes that although insects are at the bottom of the ecosystem, they have a profound influence on the fate of the planet.
“我最想做的是一名老师。”艾力说，大部分人对于虫子抱着讨厌、害怕的态度，经过思考，他认为这种情况是因为在不少影视作品中，对于昆虫的刻画以负面为主，这也导致了大家无法用客观的态度来看待昆虫。一花一世界，一叶一菩提，艾力认为，虽然昆虫是生态系统的底层，但深刻地影响着地球的命运。
The Dianchi wetland. By Zhang Zhigang
滇池湿地。张志刚摄
Nowadays, Elly is very active in various volunteer activities and goes to schools to spread knowledge about insects to children. "If there were no insects in the world to spread seeds, there would be no forests and no animals, which would indirectly lead to the loss of food and basic survival guarantee for humans." Elly says that through education, humans can look at and understand insects in a more objective and impartial way, and better understand the earth we live on and what we can do to protect nature.
如今，艾力十分积极地参与着各类志愿者活动，走进学校为孩子们科普昆虫相关知识，“如果世界上没有了昆虫传播种子，就不会有森林，也不会有动物，那么就间接导致人类失去食物和基本的生存保障。”艾力说，通过教育的方式，人类才能更客观公正地去看待和认识昆虫，才能更好地理解我们赖以生存的地球，更好地回馈自然。
