As early as recorded history, insects have played an integral role in the shaping of civilization and the way humans are able to deal with their environment. In fact, in the early part of the twentieth century, the battle between insects and man was appropriately summed up:
The struggle between man and insects began long before the dawn of civilization, has continued without cessation to the present time, and will continue, no doubt, as long as the human race endures. It is due to the fact that both men and certain insect species constantly want the same things at the same time.1
Yet another early author echoed these same sentiments, but was perhaps even a bit more pessimistic when he noted that,
But. . . there is a war, not among human beings, but between all humanity and certain forces that are arrayed against it. . . [In fact,] the enormous forces of injurious insects which attack him from every point. . . constitute today his greatest rivals in the control of nature. . . If human beings are to continue to exist, they must first gain mastery over insects. . . Insects are better equipped to occupy the earth than are human beings. . .2
In line with the above, this paper will present an overview of both beneficial and injurious insects. It will begin by giving a synopsis of the relationship between insects and humans, proceed to a section on insects and their environments, and focus on both beneficial and injurious
1 Cited in C.F. Metcalf, and S.P. Flint, Destructive and Useful Insects, (New York: McGraw Hill, 1972), 1.
2 Ibid. insects in general. The paper will then conclude with a section on the control of insects, and some trends for future prospects and relationships between insects and humankind.
One of the most basic ways that insects interact with mankind is in the struggle for food. The fossil record shows that insects have been around for at least 350 million years, and by 200 million years ago, had e...