What is general entomology?

Entomology is the science of studying insects that constitute about 75% of the animal kingdom
as far as the number of species is concerned. They are ubiquitous and highly diversified creatures

and hence are an interesting subject of study.

Entomology is the study of insects.

More than one million different species of insect have been described to date. They are the most
abundant group of animals in the world and live in almost every habitat. Insects have lived on
earth for more than 350 million years. Entomology is crucial to our understanding of human
disease, agriculture, evolution, ecology and biodiversity.

Entomologists are people who study insects, as a career, as amateurs or both.

The Royal Entomological Society supports entomology through its international scientific
journals and other publications, scientific meetings and by providing a forum for disseminating
research findings. The society also funds, organises and supports events and activities for anyone
that wants to learn more about insects and entomology through its outreach and education
programmes.

Why we study general entomology?

Since entomology is a specialized field of study, students learn from entomologists who are actively
involved with a wide variety of research projects.

 Because insects are so abundant and unusual.

 They are the most diversified kind of animal life in existence, and, except for
microbes, insects are the most numerous.
 Scientists have identified nearly a million different species of insects and expect that
there may be that many more left to be discovered.
  In a forest you might be able to find 10,000 arthropods (insects, mites, centipedes,
etc.) per square foot in just the top 3 inches of litter and soil. A Kansas farmer may
find several billion greenbugs in his sorghum field.
 The average number of insects in one square mile is more than all of the people on
earth. The total weight of arthropods in the world is several times the total weight of
all other land animals combined.

 Increasing knowledge of the damage done by insects, and the role they play in
transmission of animal, plant and human diseases,emphasizes the necessary for
correctly identifying these pests and knowing more about their life habits.

 Entomologists have to alert for new pests and watch for new outbreaks of old pests.
To do this one must be able to distinguish between insects that are injurious or
potentially injurious and those that are beneficial or of no consequence to human
welfare.

1. Over half of the two million living species described in the world are insects. If you’re
interested in global or local biodiversity then insects need to be studied.

2. Insects have been around for over 350 million years and have evolved solutions to many
physical and chemical problems. Engineers are increasingly looking to insects for solutions in
material science and chemistry. The more understanding we have of insects, the more we can put
that understanding to use.

3. You can travel the world working on insects. Insects are found on all seven continents, even
Antarctica.

4. Insects are hugely economically important in agriculture. They can be beneficial as pollinators
and decomposers, or they can be detrimental as pests and vectors of plant diseases.

5. Insects are vectors of many serious human, animal and plant diseases across the world.
Understanding the biology of insects is key to understanding the diseases that they carry and
spread.

6. Insects are excellent models for physiological and population processes. For example, the
common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, has been used as a model species in genetic studies
for over 100 years. Its short generation time, small size and the ease with which it can be reared
in the laboratory makes it an ideal organism for such studies.

7. More species of insect have had their genome sequenced than any other group of multicellular
organisms. Insects are an excellent model for studying the molecular basis of life.

8. Insect are everywhere. No matter where you live in the world or what language you speak, you
will come into contact with insects.
REFERENCES

https://www.royensoc.co.uk/understanding-insects/what-is-entomology/

https://www.iaszoology.com/general-entomology/

https://entomology.k-state.edu/doc/4-h-collections/intro.pdf