They’ve obviously been here way longer than us, and have huge populations. So why aren’t they the dominant species on Earth?
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They are, or at least some of them are. They are everywhere, and can survive conditions many other animals cannot, their populations are huge and they reproduce explosively. They have been on the Earth far far longer than humans and any of our mammalian or even reptilian ancestors, and will be here after we’re long gone. They are incredibly resilient collectively and quickly move in to new niches wherever resources allow. The biomass of just ants outweighs the biomass of all humans – when you add in all the other insects, they dwarf all other animals. By any measure, they are dominant.
But if you’re asking why aren’t insects more “human-like” in how their brains work and how we intentionally reshape our environments, the answer is they don’t need those things to survive (and in fact thrive). They’re doing just fine without those things, and they haven’t needed to develop them to be successful. Big brains, consciousness, introspection and planning ahead are energy intensive and come with a big price tag – much much longer reproductive cycles, much much longer offspring rearing cycles, much greater susceptibility to harsh environmental conditions, etc. Those things are expensive generally and precious when resources are scarce.
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