Intro to Entomology

What is Entomology? Entomology is the study of insects. The study of insects includes their development, anatomy, physiology, life history, behavior, environment, and classification. An entomologist is a scientist - who spends most of their time studying insects.

Objectives Discuss the significance of entomology. Describe the procedure for classifying insects.

Insect Facts Most Numerous animals on earth.  More than 750,000 species of insects have been identified.  Only about 10,000 are harmful to humans. About 100,000+ species in North America Likley 1,000+ insect in a typical backyard Less than 3% of those insects are damaging Most insect are either beneficial or harmless

Harmful aspects of Insects Insects are considered pest when:  transmit diseases to humans, domestic animals, and plants  Are nuisance pest in and around the home  Feed on crop and amenity (turf and ornamental) plants

What is the significance of entomology? The significance of entomology Insect roles 1. Positive roles  a. help nourish the soil by breaking down organic and inorganic materials in the environment, which is a natural form of “recycling.”  b. pollinate fruits and vegetables.  c. some destroy other insects that harm crops or animals, which reduces the need for pesticides.

What is the significance of entomology?  d. provide food for other animals. Without those insects, the food chain would be disturbed.  e. Researchers can use insects for product development. (1) Lac comes from lac scale insects and is produced mainly in India.  Approximately 40 million pounds are used annually, as it is an important ingredient of floor polishes, shoe polishes, insulators, various sealants, printing inks, and varnish.

What is the significance of entomology? (2) Beeswax can be used as a base for ointments, polishes, and candles.  Forty percent of all beeswax is used in cosmetic manufacture for lotions, creams, and lipsticks. (3) Dyes are provided by scale insects and are used in making cosmetics and in coloring cakes, medicines, and beverages.

What is the significance of entomology? 2. Negative roles  a. Some insects (e.g., termites) damage wood.  b. Some insects (e.g., mosquitoes) transmit disease (e.g., malaria).  c. Some insects (e.g., Japanese beetles) can destroy crops.

What is the significance of entomology? B. Human roles Research  a. Insect research enables people to create pest-resistant varieties of some crops.  b. Insect research aids in the creation of insect-specific insecticides.  c. Insect research helps scientists with medical/drug research.

What is the significance of entomology? For example,: Sigma Chemical Company purchases fireflies (lightning bugs) for medical research. These bugs contain luciferin and luciferase, which are rare chemicals that scientists have been unable to reproduce synthetically.  The chemicals are used in researching treatments and cures for cancer, multiple sclerosis, cystic fibrosis, and heart disease.

What is the significance of entomology? Pest management: helps prevent unnecessary destruction by harmful insects, thus minimizing crop losses.

How do you classify insects to order? Classifying insects to order A. Insects come in different sizes and shapes, but they share some distinguishing characteristics. 1. An insect has a hardened external skeleton composed of three body regions: a head, thorax, and abdomen.  a. The head includes the eyes, antennae, and mouth parts.

How do you classify insects to order?  b. The thorax is the middle section of the body. It contains the nerve centers and muscles that control movement. The legs and wings (if present) are attached to the thorax.  c. The abdomen is the section located at the rear of the insect’s body and may be visible or hidden beneath wings. It contains the internal organs and sexual organs. The abdomen provides an area in which to store food that is being transported to the nest, and it contains glands that secrete fluids to drive enemies away or to create trails. Some abdomens have needle-like projections for piercing or stinging.

How do you classify insects to order? 2. It has six jointed/segmented legs on the thorax. 3. It has two antennae (one pair) to sense the world around it from inside its exoskeleton (outside skeleton). 4. An insect usually has one pair of compound eyes.  Some have none. 5. An insect usually has one or two pairs of wings. Some are wingless.

Insect Orders Insects are divided up into 32 orders, or groups. The largest order is the beetles  (Coleoptera) with 125 different families and around 500,000 different species. In fact, one out of every four animals on earth is a beetle.

2 types of Metamorphosis Simple Complete

Metamorphosis of Insects Simple Metamorphosis the wings develop externally during the larval stages. The larval stages, which are called nymphs, look very similar to the adult insect. There is no pupal stage. Egg, then to larval stage where wings develope. There is no pupal stage

Metamorphosis of Insects Complete Metamorphosis wings develop internally during the larval stages. The larval stages look quite different from the adult. Between the last larval stage and the adult stage there is a pupal stage which usually is inactive. The figure shows the development from an egg via the larval stage (caterpillar) and pupa to an adult butterfly or moth. Egg to Larval stage (caterpillar) to Pupa to Adult butterfly A larva is a young insect with a soft tubular body and looks very much like a worm. The pupa stage is a dormant stage where the larva changes into an adult.

2 Types of Mouth Parts Chewing Sucking

Mouth Parts of Insects Mouth parts are chewing or piercing-sucking and determine how the insect feeds. The strong, curbed, and toothed chewing mouth parts are used for chewing, cutting, crushing, or grinding. Piercing-sucking mouth parts are long and needle-like for piercing leaf surfaces or skin.

How do you classify insects?  Order  Metamorphosis  Mouth Parts

Insects Orders we will learn Lepidoptera – Butterflies, and Moths Coleoptera – Beetles, Weevils, Rootworms Diptera – Flies

Review What is the significance of entomology? How do you classify insects?