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The Importance of Entomology

Entomology, the branch of zoology that deals with insects, may not seem to be important at first glance. Some people even consider all bugs to be pests that serve no purpose, but that could not be farther from the truth. Entomology reveals to us that 99.9 percent of insects have at least an indirect beneficial importance, leaving only 0.1 percent considered true pests.

  1. History

    • While some of the framework for scientific inquiry may be traced to the time of Aristotle, entomology did not exist in the context of a field of biology until the 17th century, when Anton van Leeuwenhoek used the microscope to study the morphology and organs of insects that fascinated him. In the 18th century, Carl Linnaeus authored "Systema Naturae," detailing a system of orderly classification of insects. Around the same time, Rene Antoine Ferchault de Reaumur further refined the study of insects by clarifying their functions.

    Significance

    • The study of insects shows just how important these small creatures are. Insects serve as the most effective pollinators of plants, and without them, some plants might be extinct. Insects provide products, such as honey and silk. More than 500 different types of insects serve as food for human consumption.

    Types

    • One type of entomology, agricultural entomology, deals largely with the impact of insects on crops. More notably, it also deals with the development and use of insecticides. In some cases, farmers introduce selected insects to their crops to keep destructive bugs in check. Another type of entomology, medical and veterinary, deals with the impact of insects on humans and animals respectively.

    Forensics

    • An emerging field in entomology, forensic entomology, borrows from the scientific knowledge of the characteristics of insects and applies it to help in legal and criminal investigations. Insects found in human remains can tell a forensic entomologist time, place and other details details about the death of the individual.

    Warning

    • Insects should be handled with care. Some possess the ability to bite or sting as a defense mechanism. Some of these bites or stings could be irritating or poisonous. Some bee stings have the potential of causing death to people with allergies. Most insects are not truly aggressive and will only bite or sting if they feel threatened.

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