Course info

COURSE OUTLINE SUMMARY

Beneficial Insects, Insects as Indicators of Habitat, Insect Conservation

Beneficial insect groups and their role in natural and agricultural systems; Bees and their role in crop

pollination with emphasis on specific floral relationships with crop plants; Parasitoid, predators and

pathogens as biological controlling agents; Insects as decomposers and their role in recycling of

nutrients; Insect products and their use.

Insect groups important in the assessment of environment quality. Case studies from a variety of sites (mines, rehabilitation lands); Invasive insects.

Principles of conservation of rare and endangered insects; Conservation and management of insects that provide ecological services; Political, social and ethical aspects of insect conservation.

BENEFICIAL INSECTS : TOPICS

Productive insects

Silk worm:- The silk worm filament secreted from the salivary gland of the larva

helps us in producing silk.

Honey bee:- Provides us with honey and many other byproducts like bees wax and

royal jelly.

Lac insects:- The secretion from the body of these scale insects is called lac. Useful

in making vanishes and polishes.

Insects useful as drugs, food, ornaments etc,

As medicine eg. Sting of honey bees- remedy for rhenmatism and arthritis

Eanthoridin - extracted from blister beetle –useful as hair tonic.

As food/ animal feed - for animals and human being.

For animals- aquatic insects used as fish food.

Grass hoppers, termites, pupac of moths.

They have been used as food by human beings in different parts of the world.

Ornaments, entertainers

-Artists and designers copy colour of butterflies.

- Beetles worm as necklace.

- Insect collection is an hobby

Scientific research

Drosophila and mosquitoes are useful in genetic and toxicological studies

respectively.

Helpful insects

Parasites: These are small insects which feed and live on harmful insects by

completing their life cycle in a host and kill the host insect.

Eg egg, larval and pupal parasitoids

Predators: These are large insects which capture and devour harmful insects.

Eg Coccimellids, Preying matritids.

Pollinators: Many cross pollinated plants depend on insects for pollination and fruit

set.

Eg Honey bees, aid in pollination of sunflower crop.

Weed killers: Insects which feed on weeds, kill them thereby killers. Eg Parthenium

beetle eats on parthenium. Cochneal insect feeds in Opuntia dillenii.

Soil builders: soil insects such as ants, beetles, larval of cutworms, cri kets, collun

bola, make tunrels in soil and facilitate aeration in soil. They become good

manure after death and enrish soil.

Scavengers: Insects which feed on dead and decaying matter are called scavengers.

They important for maintaining hygine in the surroundings.

Eg Carrion bettles, Rove beetles feed on deade animals and plants.