welcome to the world of insects. importance of insects to agriculture - spread plant, human, and...

Welcome Welcome

to theto the

World of World of InsectsInsects

Importance of InsectsImportance of Insectsto Agricultureto Agriculture

- spread plant, human, and animal diseases

PESTS

– eat our foods - damage our crops

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Importance of InsectsImportance of Insectsto Agricultureto Agriculture

- sting us (venomous)

PESTS

- infest our homes- infest our animals and our bodies

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Importance of InsectsImportance of Insectsto Agricultureto Agriculture

PESTS

- annoy us- cause unsightly damage

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Importance of insectsImportance of insectsto Agricultureto Agriculture

BENEFITS

- degrade and recycle nutrients

– pollinate our plants11

Importance of InsectsImportance of Insectsto Agricultureto Agriculture

- feed on pest species

- food for other animals

BENEFITS

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Importance of insectsImportance of insectsto Agricultureto Agriculture

BENEFITS

- used in research and medicine

- provide natural products (e.g.,

honey, beeswax,silk, dye, and

shellac) 13 14

MOST OF US RECOGNIZEBEETLES AS MAJOR PESTS!!

DID YOU KNOW THATSOME PEOPLE “TREASURE”THEM AS COLLECTIBLES??

How many insects are there in the world?

- about one million insect species have been described

- scientists estimate that theremay be as many as 10 million differenttypes of insects!!

- there are about 200 million insectsfor every human on earth!!

How many insects are there in the world?

-insects comprise about 10% of the earth’s weight

-insects represent about 80 to 85% of all life on earth

PEST FACT

The insect population of the world is

at least 1,000,000,000,000,000,000.

Averaging the weight of each insect

as 2.5 mg, the weight of the earth's

insect population exceeds that of

human inhabitants by a factor of 12.

Fortunately, most of theseinsects cause us no harm

- only about 10% of all insects causeus the greatest amount of pain, anguish, and economic loss

- because each one of you will comeinto contact with many types of organisms, it is important to properly identify them to effectively manage them

GENERAL INSECT IDENTIFICATION

What is it ?

ORGANISMS COMMONLY MISIDENTIFIED AS

"INSECTS"

MillipedesCentipedesPillbugs

MitesSpidersTicks

Daddy-long-legs

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What makes an organisman INSECT??

[generally speaking]

- three body parts [head, thorax, andabdomen]

- one pair of compound eyes

- six legs

- one pair of antennae

- an exoskeleton

- most adult insects have wings

INSECTS are expertsat two biological functions:

1) eating

[unfortunately, theydo both of themextremely well!]

2) reproducing

How can we separateor classify INSECTS??

1) by the use of a written key [generally uses body parts]

3) by the type of mouthparts that theyhave or their manner of feeding [e.g., chewing or piercing-sucking]

2) by the type of damage that theycause [e.g., borer, gall former, leaffeeder]

These types of classifications

help us to quicklyplace a “general label”

on the “problem” insect!!

Types of Mouthparts[piercing-sucking]

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Types of MouthpartsTypes of Mouthparts[chewing][chewing]

Types of wingsand venation of wings

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Types of development

“WHITE ANTS”

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CAN YOU MATCH THESEPHYSICAL WONDERS?

1) Run 50 body lengths in 1 second (cockroach)

= a six-foot person running ca. 206 miles per hour

CAN YOU MATCH THESEPHYSICAL WONDERS?

1) Run 50 body lengths in 1 second (cockroach)

2) Flap your arms (“wings”) 300 times in 1 second (flying mosquito)

= about one million timesper hour

CAN YOU MATCH THESEPHYSICAL WONDERS?

1) Run 50 body lengths in 1 second (cockroach)

3) Jump 130 times your height (flea)

2) Flap your arms (“wings”) 300 times in 1 second (flying mosquito)

= a six-foot person jumping 780 feet

CAN YOU MATCH THESEPHYSICAL WONDERS?

1) Run 50 body lengths in 1 second (cockroach)

3) Jump 130 times your height (flea)

2) Flap your arms (“wings”) 300 times in 1 second (flying mosquito)

4) Lift 10-50 times your weight (ant)= a 200 lb person lifting

one to five tons!

CAN YOU MATCH THESEPHYSICAL WONDERS?

1) Run 50 body lengths in 1 second (cockroach)

3) Jump 130 times your height (flea)

2) Flap your arms (“wings”) 300 times in 1 second (flying mosquito)

4) Lift 10-50 times your weight (ant)

5) Hear with your legs (cricket)

INSECTS THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!!

1) in the air

3) in the soil

2) in the water

4) in our homes

5) on our plants

6) on our animals

7) on our bodies!!