Entomologists at Work

Abstract

PEOPLE BECOME ENTOMOLOGISTS for two reasons. First, they have an innate inquisitiveness about the world, along with the urge to observe, to deduce, to record. Second, they are drawn to the study of insects in order to control them. Man and insects have been closely associated ever since man made his appearance as a latecomer in the evolutionary scale. It follows that insects-so ubiquitous and varied in sharing man's habitat from the start-would appeal to man's intellectual curiosity. Early writings reflect not only man's interest in insects, but also his respect for them as a source of knowledge. The Old Testament Book of Proverbs (6: 6) offers the admonition, Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. There is hardly any branch of biology that is not enriched by the knowledge derived from insects. In 1834, Bassi, working with silkworms, demonstrated a causative agent of disease, findings that led to the modern theory of infectious disease. The field of genetics owes much to the vinegar fly, Drosophila sp., as the experimental animal employed in studies that have led to the establishment of fundamentals in this field. More recently, E. 0. Wilson, of Harvard, has drawn on his studies of insect social behavior to elaborate concepts of sociobiology that hold promise for better understanding of the role of inheritance and environment on animal behavior, including human behavior (Wilson 1975). Insects are well-adapted models for studies in population dynamics, behavior, physiology, and a host of other studies that involve living organisms in natural or experimental settings. People become entomologists for practical reasonsto control the damage done by some insects and to manage the beneficial ones to man's advantage. Insects have achieved such remarkable success in their variability, specialization, multiplication, and dispersal that they impinge on man's well-being in countless ways. On one hand, they are threats to health, comfort, food, and survival. On the other, they play an essential role in the ecosystem, in the production and recycling process on which all life on this planet depends. It is now abundantly clear that all-out war on this group of animals, the vast majority of which are not injurious to man, is ill conceived. Rather, the challenge is to arrive at a system of coexistence based on sound ecological principles including the population dynamics of both man and insects. Work with insects needs to be viewed in the context of the major problems facing mankind and the opportunities that this work offers in terms of service and satisfaction. The major problems facing the human species at this point in its evolution are (i) providing food and fiber for the peoples of the world, (ii) regulating human population, and (iii) improving the viability of the environment. Insects impinge directly on all three problems. Programs to avert mass starvation require control of agricultural insect pests. Efforts to stabilize population cannot occur where malaria and other diseases take heavy toll of human life. The global ecosystem can be endangered by pollution with chemicals that disrupt vital biological processes. It is the application of specialized knowledge of entomology to such problems as these and the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake that makes entomology an appealing vocation.