Name: Sabado, Christian S.

Course/Section: BSIT – 3A

1. What is entomology?
- Entomology is the science of insects and how they interact with humans, the world, and
other living things. Entomologists make significant contributions to nutrition, chemistry,
genetics, human/animal health, molecular science, criminology, and forensics, among
other areas. Insect research is the foundation for advances in biological and chemical pest
control, food and fiber processing, and other fields. Moreover, entomology study to date,
more than one million insect species have been identified. They are the most numerous
animal species on the planet, and they can be found in almost any ecosystem. Insects
have been on the planet for over 350 million years. Human disease, livestock, evolution,
ecology, and biodiversity all benefit from a better understanding of entomology.

2. What are the specialized fields of entomology?

- Entomology, like every other body of information, is a very broad subject to discuss. As a
result, depending on what field of entomology they are focusing on, entomologists have
their own area of specialization.
a. Insect ecology - is the study of how insects communicate with their surroundings.
Insects are very important to the natural world, and they play a variety of roles in the
environment, from angel to villain. While most people think of insects as annoying
bugs that ruin an evening barbecue, insects are actually very important to the natural
environment. Several fields of study are involved.

b. Insect Morphology - is the research and explanation of the physical structure of

insects is known as insect morphology. Because of their common evolutionary past,
the vocabulary used to classify insects is close to that used to describe other
arthropods. Insects distinguish from other arthropods in three ways: their bodies are
divided into three regions (called tagmata) (head, thorax, and abdomen), they have
three pairs of legs, and they have mouthparts.

c. Insect pathology - is a biological field that is distinct in a qualitative way. Pathology,

or the study of diseases and illnesses, is an ancient pursuit, at least in terms of the
human body, with Hippocrates, the founder of Western medicine, dating back nearly
25 years. Finding out what went wrong in a body has been crucial in finding out how
to resolve issues in a variety of species.

d. Insect physiology - is the study of how insects live and reproduce is known as insect
physiology. Insect physiology is usually studied using a systems approach. These are
 the same structures that all animals require. The digestive, excretory, circulatory,
immune, muscular, nervous, and reproductive systems are the main systems.

e. Insect Taxonomy - is the method of naming and classifying living organisms is

known as taxonomy. Taxonomists research species and use their characteristics to
classify them. These features may be apparent morphological variations or genetic
differences.

f. Insect toxicology - studies how insecticides and other chemicals affects insect
physiological functions. This field of entomology plays a very import role in pest
management as far as crop production and agriculture is concerned.

g. Industrial Entomology - Honey, silk, and shellac are just few examples of products
derived from insects. When these insects are bred and cultured for the purpose of
mass production of insects bi-products, that’s where industrial entomology step in.
industrial entomology is the branch of insect science which deals with the study and
rearing of beneficial insects such as honeybees, bumblebees, butterflies and silkworm
for the benefits of man. It also deals with the extermination of household pests such
as termites, cockroaches, houseflies, and many others.

h. Medical and Veterinary Entomology - Insects can definitely cause harm to both
humans and animals. Medical and veterinary entomology deals with everything about
of medical or public health and veterinary importance. Topics such as malaria,
dengue, chikungunya disease and many others are common concerns of this field.

i. Crop protection entomology - is the study and practice of eradication and control of
insect pests that damage man and his possessions. This is also called agricultural
entomology.

j. Biological control - is the study and practice of introducing living organisms to

control insect pests.

k. Post-harvest entomology - deals with the study and practice of controlling insect
pests in stored commodities

l. Forensic entomology - focuses on the use of insects to determine time, place of

human death for legal purposes.
3. What is insect?
- Insects are creatures that have existed on the planet for at least 300 million years, but
they predate dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are no longer alive, but insects live on, and some
haven't changed much since the time of the dinosaurs. Addition, Insect, (class Insecta
or Hexapoda), any member of the largest class of the phylum Arthropoda, which is
itself the largest of the animal phyla. Insects have segmented bodies, jointed legs, and
external skeletons (exoskeletons). Insects are distinguished from other arthropods by
their body, which is divided into three major regions: (1) the head, which bears the
mouthparts, eyes, and a pair of antennae, (2) the three-segmented thorax, which
usually has three pairs of legs (hence “Hexapoda”) in adults and usually one or two
pairs of wings, and (3) the many-segmented abdomen, which contains the digestive,
excretory, and reproductive organs.
3.1 Enumerate 10 examples of pests.
1. Ants, Bees and Wasps
Wasps, bees and ants (collectively known as hymenopterods) are one of the
largest orders of insects.
2. Bed Bugs
Bedbugs are small, elusive, and parasitic organisms all belonging to a family of
insects called Cimicidae.
3. Cockroaches
This order of insects, scientifically known as Blattaria, consists of around 4,000
species worldwide, of which 30 species are associated with human habitations and
about 4 species are well known as pests.
4. Fleas
‘Flea’ is the common name for insects of the order Siphonaptera, which are
wingless insects with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood.
Fleas are external parasites, living on the blood of mammals (including humans)
and birds.
5. Flies
The true flies are insects, scientifically known as Diptera which means two-
winged species. This large group consists of around 120,000 species worldwide
but it is believed that more of the same amount are still not described.
6. Myriapods
Myriapoda is a group (subphylum) of arthropods (which also includes insects,
arachnids and crustaceans) containing millipedes, centipedes, and others. The
group has 13,000 known species, all of which are terrestrial (land dwellers).
7. Pigeons
Locally, the only species of birds that are usually considered as agricultural pests
are the following three: the Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis), Għasfur or
Għammiel tal-Bejt.
8. Rodents
 Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterized by two
continuously growing incisors (front teeth), two on the upper and lower jaws
respectively, which must be kept short by gnawing.
Snails
9. Woodlice
If there is a high level of humidity in your house then one of your residents must
be the tank- like packed creature commonly known as the woodlouse.

10. wood lover

Wood Lovers (Susa)
The term ‘Susa’ in Maltese refers to any insect that in some way or another, in
one of its life stages, attacks live or dead wood
4. What is the economic importance/ significance of insects?
Insects are extremely valuable economically. Honey, wax, lacquer, and silk are
examples of useful substances produced by insects. Humans have been raising
honeybees for honey for thousands of years. The silkworm had a huge impact on
human culture. Silk was developed by the Chinese using worms, and the silk trade
linked China to the rest of the world. Crickets and other adult insects, as well as
insect larvae.
Insects as Food
Insects, of course, are not just eaten by people. Insects are the sole food source for
many amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, making their roles in food chains
and food webs extremely important. It is possible that food webs could collapse if
insect populations decline.
In some parts of the world, insects are used for food by humans. Insects are a rich
source of protein, vitamins, and minerals, and are prized as delicacies in many
third-world countries. In fact, it is difficult to find an insect that is not eaten in one
form or another by people. Among the most popular are cicadas, locusts,
mantises, grubs, caterpillars, crickets, ants, and wasps. Many people support this
idea to provide a source of protein in human nutrition. From South America to
Japan, people eat roasted insects, like grasshoppers or beetles.
Insects in Medicine
Insects have also been used in medicine. In the past, fly larvae (maggots) were
used to treat wounds to prevent or stop gangrene. Gangrene is caused by infection
of dead flesh. Maggots only eat dead flesh, so when they are placed on the dead
flesh of humans, they actually clean the wound and can prevent infection. Some
hospitals still use this type of treatment.
5. What is the general structure of an insect?
The basic structures of insects are similar to those of all arthropods.
1. They have a complete digestive tract,
2. They have an open circulatory system.
3. They have a central nervous system.
There are some features that they share only with terrestrial arthropods such as a tracheal
respiratory system. There are still other features that are truly unique to insects. The most
obvious of these are the wings. Insects are the only invertebrates that are capable of
flight. In this section we will examine the details of insect structure and function,
including a look at the insect wing and how it has contributed to the success of this
organism.