Entomology

The study of the most successful creature on

Earth!

Fun FactsOne million species have

been discovered/described

Approximately 20 million species are still undiscovered

What’s the Big Deal?

Why do we need insects?

Pollination (no fruits & few flowers) Eat Dead Animals Food Supply Help Wood Decay Loosen Soil

Life Cycle - Metamorphosis

Body Structure

3 pairs of legs

AbdomenThoraxHead

* 0,1,2 pairs of wings *cold-blooded

Senses Bodies are compact so many sense

organs do more than one thing.

Some insects find nectar with the bottom of their feet.

Katydids have ears on their legs.

Compound Eyes Thousands of

lenses, each lens points in a slightly different direction.

Allows the eye to see in thousands of directions.

Communication - Signals

Recognized by other species

See, hear, smell, feel, taste

Might be a warning

Communication - Messages

Meant for only members of the same species

Sent by tapping, flashing, chemical odor or “singing & dancing”

Examples: Female moths send out chemical signal

to find a mate Fireflies flash their lights Honeybees do a dance for how far food

is

Social Insects Colonies can contain thousands &

thousands

All have 3 things in common:1) Adults cooperate to care for the young.2) Different members of the group are

responsible for different jobs.3) Each group has at least ONE queen*.

*Queen-produce young, may live many times longer than workers, sends chemical messages to control the colony.

Swarm Examples

People & Insects - Harmful

Called pests

Destroys plants & crops

Killed with pesticides & insecticides

Now using other insects to control insect populations (i.e.-ladybeetles eat aphids)

People & Insects - Harmful

People & Insects - Helpful

Silkworms (caterpillar of silk moth) give us silk.

Bees provide pollination & honey.

High in protein for a food source.

We might find new chemicals & medicine from insects.

Forensic Entomology

Timeline of activity called postmortem interval.