on a long enough timeframe, we're all guests in the bugs house.

Heck yeah we are. Also wherever your house is and whenever it was built theres a 100% chance it was built on a bugs house and theres definitely a haunted mass grave of insects under and around it.

yes, but there was proper notice given, and the planning permits were on display that construction was going to be occurring. there was plenty of time to relocate rather waking up one day and having the color yellow front of mind and needlessly laying down in front of the equipment.

At least the plans weren't on display It in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying 'Beware of the Leopard.”

all the more reason - whatever the observed timeframe - to not behave like assholes towards insects and other life or nature in general.

> all the more reason - whatever the observed timeframe - for us humans to not behave like assholes towards insects and other life or nature in general.

But what about kudzo?

> Kudzu, a perennial vine native to Japan and China, was first introduced into the USA in 1876 and was actively promoted by the government as a “wonderplant", It expanded to cover over 1 million ha by 1946 and well over 2 million ha today. When Kudzu invades a forest, it prevents the growth of young hardwoods and kills off other plants. Kudzu causes damage to powerlines, and even overwhelms homes, Kudzu has invaded important protected areas, requiring significant investment of management resources, The management response to date outside the protected areas has been insufficient to deal with this very significant threat.

Sounds like an asshole to me.

Don't forget everyone who feeds on bugs (as well as those who feed on those who feed on bugs).

> Don't forget everyone who feeds on bugs

Is the OP killing them because s/he has no other alternative to feed himself/herself, or is it because of the annoyance even though s/he is in their habitat?

I don't think OP feeds on bugs, that's why mass killing of insects seems wrong. If it's a campsite it's less bad though than if it was a house where you could just turn down outside lights instead.

I agree with the sentiment of not elevating selfish human desires over the health of an existing ecosystem.

But defining "the health" of an ecosystem is tricky. An invading invasive species is better adapted after all, and it is part of nature.

We need clearer understanding of what we mean by nature and what we are protecting. Are we just trying to hold on to some moment of time in a dynamic ecosystem? Maybe. Protecting the status quo might be practical in terms of human survival, but this doesn't feel like a moral invariant that some people hold it up to be.

All this said, I feel a deep connection with nature, and I recognize this most likely comes from us evolving alongside it. But I recognize my own bias; I care less about mosquitos and more about birds.

You talk as if the bug would have any respect for your house. Spoiler: they don't, bugs will literally eat your house to feed themselves (termites). I understand and support the concept that the existence of bugs is beneficial to us and so we should refrain from eliminating them, but there's nothing natural about the concept of respect for a bug's "house".

Good point and the whole idea of what is natural tends be anchored at some point in time, from some point of view. All too often, people use natural as a (unimpressive) rhetorical technique to justify some moral claim. Such claims fall apart when you (a) define nature at some other time or point of view; or (b) reject the notion that behavior we see in nature (in all its wonder, complexity, ruthlessness, and cruelty) should be the fundamental basis for human morality.