Original by Grant Lambdin

Modified by Georgia Agriculture

Education Curriculum Office –November 2005

Welcome Welcome

to theto the

World of World of InsectsInsects

Insects are often mentioned in your daily school routine:

-- busy as a “bee”

-- mad as a “hornet”

-- don’t “bug” me

-- don’t be a

“bookworm”

Why should insects be Why should insects be included in our class?included in our class?

What is agriculture?What is agriculture?

Agriculture is more than justChickens

CowsHogsCrops

What is agriculture?What is agriculture?

-the science or art of cultivatingthe soil, producing crops,and

raising livestock and in varyingdegrees the preparation of these

products for man’s useand their disposal (as in

marketing)- Webster’s Dictionary

What is agriculture?What is agriculture?

•Traditional Agriculture•Natural Resources•Environment/Biodiversity

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What is one thing thatWhat is one thing thatall humans on Earthall humans on Earth

have in common?have in common?

-They must eat!

EARTH COMPOSITION

About 3% of all of the

Earth’s surface is currently cropped

to support

ca. 6.4 billion people!!

Agriculture will continueAgriculture will continueto be important becauseto be important because

we have to EAT!we have to EAT!

-Insects will continue to beimportant to us as

beneficials and pests!

Importance of InsectsImportance of Insectsto Agricultureto Agriculture

- spread plant, human, and animal diseases

PESTS

– eat our foods - damage our crops

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5

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??

Let the

METAMORPHOSIS

begin!!

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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18

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21

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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!!

WELCOME TO THE WORLDOF INSECTS

THE GOOD, THE BAD,

AND THE BUGLY!