Insects and Society

321 Pages·2019·91.681 MB·\321

by  Timothy D. Schowalter (Author)

INSECTS AND SOCIETY

INSECTS AND SOCIETY
Timothy D. Schowalter
CRC Press
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Contents
Preface xi
The Author xiii
1 Introduction 1
1.1 Why Study Insects? 2
1.2 The Scientific Method 6
1.3 Scope of This Book 8
2 What Makes Insects Different? 11
2.1 Insect Classification 12
2.2 Why Are Insects So Diverse? 29
2.2.1 Morphological Characteristics 32
2.2.2 Physiological Characteristics 33
2.2.3 Behavioral Characteristics 36
2.3 Summary 37
3 Insect Effects on Human History 39
3.1 Prehistoric Period 39
3.2 Historic Period 43
3.3 Summary 48
4 Nuisances 49
4.1 Household Nuisances 50
4.1.1 Filth Flies 50
4.1.2 Cluster Flies and Other Overwintering Pests 51
4.1.3 Roaches and Silverfish 52
4.1.4 Crickets 52
4.1.5 Clothes Moths and Carpet Beetles 52
4.1.6 Indianmeal Moths and Flour Beetles 53
4.1.7 Bed Bugs 54
4.1.8 Lice and Fleas 55
4.1.9 Mites 55
4.1.10 Spiders and Centipedes 56
4.1.11 Other “Bugs” 57
4.1.12 Delusional Parasitosis 58
4.2 Outdoor and Recreational Nuisances 59
4.2.1 Lovebugs 59
4.2.2 Biting Flies 59
4.2.3 Ants 60
4.2.4 Caterpillars 61
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Contents
4.2.5 Wasps and Bees 62
4.2.6 Spiders and Mites 64
4.3 Nuisances for Pets and Livestock 65
4.4 Summary 66
5 Structural Pests 67
5.1 Termites 67
5.1.1 Subterranean Termites 70
5.1.2 Drywood Termites 73
5.1.3 Dampwood Termites 73
5.2 Carpenter Ants 73
5.3 Carpenter Bees 74
5.4 Wood Wasps 74
5.5 Wood Boring Beetles 75
5.5.1 The Old House Borer 75
5.5.2 Powderpost Beetles 75
5.6 Summary 76
6 Venomous and Poisonous Arthropods 77
6.1 Arthropod Venoms 77
6.1.1 Stinging Hymenoptera 78
6.1.2 Stinging Lepidoptera 82
6.1.3 Other Insects 84
6.1.4 Other Arthropods 84
6.2 Arthropod Toxins 88
6.3 Summary 91
7 Parasites and Disease Transmission 93
7.1 Flies 94
7.1.1 Mosquitoes 94
7.1.2 Sand Flies 97
7.1.3 Biting Midges 97
7.1.4 Tsetse Flies 97
7.1.5 Screw-worm Fly 98
7.1.6 Other Parasitic Flies 98
7.2 Lice 98
7.3 Fleas 99
7.4 Hemiptera 99
7.4.1 Kissing Bugs 99
7.4.2 Aquatic Hemiptera 100
7.5 Mites 100
7.5.1 Ticks 100
7.5.2 Chiggers 103
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Contents
7.6 Indirect Effects of Biting Insects 103
7.7 Factors Affecting Disease Epidemiology 103
7.8 Summary 105
8 Crop Pests 107
8.1 Specialists vs. Generalists 108
8.2 Major Agricultural Pests 108
8.2.1 Grasshoppers and Crickets 108
8.2.2 Lepidoptera 110
8.2.3 Coleoptera 113
8.2.4 Hemiptera 115
8.2.5 Diptera 118
8.3 Garden Insects 119
8.4 Management Strategies 121
8.5 Summary 122
9 Forest Pests 125
9.1 Bark Beetles 126
9.2 Defoliators 131
9.3 Wood Borers 136
9.4 Regeneration Insects 141
9.5 Sap-Suckers 142
9.6 Summary 143
10 Insects as Food 145
10.1 Insect Roles in Food Webs 145
10.2 Insects as Human Food 147
10.3 Insect Products as Food 152
10.4 Sustainability of Insects as a Source of Protein 154
10.5 Summary 155
11 Medical and Industrial Materials 157
11.1 Medical Uses of Insects 157
11.2 Industrial Uses 162
11.3 Summary 167
12 Cultural Value and Artistic Expression 169
12.1 Religious, Spiritual and Artistic Icons 169
12.2 Entertainment 172
12.3 Recreation 176
12.4 Summary 179
13 Crop Pollination 181
13.1 Pollination Mechanisms 181
vii
Contents
13.2 Adaptations to Improve Pollination 182
13.3 Pollinators 184
13.4 Importance of Pollination for Agriculture 185
13.5 Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) 188
13.6 Summary 189
14 Decomposition 191
14.1 Decomposition Mechanisms 192
14.2 Detritivores 193
14.3 Value of Decomposition 199
14.4 Uses of Detritivores 201
14.5 Summary 202
15 Biological Control 203
15.1 Biological Control in Natural Ecosystems 204
15.2 Biological Control of Plants 208
15.3 Biological Control of Pests 208
15.4 The Value of Biological Control 212
15.5 Summary 213
16 Forensic Science 215
16.1 Collection of Entomological Evidence 216
16.2 Estimating Time Since Death 221
16.3 Summary 224
17 Insects as Indicators of Environmental Change 225
17.1 Environmental Monitoring 225
17.2 Indicators of Environmental Change 226
17.2.1 Indicators of Water Quality 227
17.2.2 Indicators of Terrestrial Changes 229
17.3 Summary 232
18 Why Do Insects Become Pests? 235
18.1 Population Fluctuation through Time 236
18.2 Factors Affecting Population Size 239
18.2.1 Abiotic Factors 239
18.2.2 Biotic Factors 240
18.2.3 Regulation of Population Size 240
18.3 Anthropogenic Effects 242
18.4 The Future under Climate Change and Land Use Change 242
18.5 Summary 244
19 Deciding When and How to Control Insects 247
19.1 Problems with Insecticide Use 248
viii
Contents
19.2 Integrated Pest Management 250
19.2.1 Preventative Measures in Human Habitations 254
19.2.2 Manipulating Plant Abundance and Condition 254
19.2.3 Protecting or Augmenting Predators and Parasites 255
19.2.4 Remedial Measures 255
19.2.5 Two Case Studies 257
19.3 The Role of Science 259
19.4 Habitat Conservation 260
19.5 Social Responsibility 261
19.6 Summary 261
20 Concluding Remarks 263
Further Reading 265
Index 289
ix