Handbook of the Insect World Author:4-H An Approach to Insect Understanding — We live in a world teeming with insects. At least 686,000 known species, plus an additional 9,000 species of ticks and mites, compete with man. Each of these thousands of species numbers into millions, even billions of individuals. The common housefly, Musca domestica L., for instance, is just one species or ... more »kind of insect. Every summer day there are billions of this one insect species about.
Some insect species are large enough to be seen easily. Most are so small they are seldom noticed. Termite colonies containing thousands of individuals may exist hidden away unnoticed in the floors of homes for many years. Yet, a single roach running across the kitchen floor may be seen immediately.
This booklet presents in a single volume concise descriptions, drawings, and approximate sizes of some of the most common insects.
Man's future on this earth may very well depend on how well we understand the insect world - how well we fight our insect enemies - how well we protect our insect friends. The more we know about the world of insects, ticks, and mites, the better chance we have of protecting ourselves against them.
It is impossible to illustrate every insect in this limited space. But we hope this booklet will encourage readers to seek further information from the excellent texts available on the fascination study of entomology. Included also are some of the near relatives of insects, such as spiders and centipedes, commonly mistaken for insects.
From these drawings you will not be able to name exactly all the many kinds of insects you find. Hundreds of species differ from each other in ways so minute that even authorities find it difficult to tell them apart. But you will find out much of what you wish to know by comparing insects you collect with drawings in this booklet.« less