Page 13 - Adventures through the World of Entomology

A JOURNEY THROUGH THE WORLD OF ENTOMOLOGY A JOURNEY THROUGH THE WORLD OF ENTOMOLOGY
WITH NORM EHMANN BS, MPH, BCE, RS
ADVENTURE ONE
“DO ALL PESTS FALL UNDER THE DEFINITION OF INSECTS?”
At first glance it would seem rather easy to answer the question posed by the title of this Adventure.
All of us know that a skunk can be a pest when disturbed (my dog found that out recently, much to his
disgust). And, we all know that a skunk is not an insect. Those of us who take pride in a beautiful yard
recognize gophers and moles as pests, but we do not classify them as insects. In some rural areas, where
deer abound, rose fanciers consider them a pest because they can strip a prized collection of rose bushes
overnight (roses seem almost to be some kind of a delicious dessert for them); and yet we know that deer
are not insects.
POISON IvY
How about plants? We can name a whole host of plants that can be called
pests. People who like to camp outdoors and who like to hike into the
“wilderness” often meet up with poison oak or poison ivy — much to
their dismay and discomfort. These plants are thought of as pests. Any
plant that is growing in a place where it is not wanted is designated as
a “weed.” Weeds are pests and, although they may harbor insects, they
certainly are not insects themselves. So you see, if we put our mind to USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
Jennifer Anderson @
it, we can think of a large number of living things that we can, under the
right circumstances, consider to be pests and, at the same time, we can POISON OAK
recognize that they are not insects.
Or can we? The only way we can recognize that something is or is not
an insect is to have a clear cut definition of an insect. So let’s try to get a
precise definition of an insect by a process of elimination using a system
of classification based on similar characteristics. Photo Courtesy of
Corky’s Pest Control, nc
It all starts with knowing the difference between living things and non-
living things. All living things are composed of cells. This differentiates them from minerals, rocks,
etc., which are considered “non-living.”
Two thousand years ago, the Greek philosopher Aristotle, divided all living things into two Kingdoms
— the Animal Kingdom and the Plant Kingdom. He called them, “blooded” and “bloodless.”
In the Animal Kingdom, there are thirty or more Phyla (Phylum is singular and Phyla is plural). Each
phylum has a group of characteristics that separates its members
from members of any other phylum. One of the thirty phyla is the GOPHER
phylum Chordata which includes all animals that have backbones
— lions, tigers, elephants, dogs, cats, rats, mice, gophers, skunks,
monkeys and humans are just a few of the animals that belong to
the phylum Chordata. Insects do not have backbones.
Drawing by Andrew Schaible
Courtesy of Corky’s Pest Control, nc.
3 3
WITH NORM EHMANN BS, MPH, BCE, RS
ADVENTURE ONE
“DO ALL PESTS FALL UNDER THE DEFINITION OF INSECTS?”
At first glance it would seem rather easy to answer the question posed by the title of this Adventure.
All of us know that a skunk can be a pest when disturbed (my dog found that out recently, much to his
disgust). And, we all know that a skunk is not an insect. Those of us who take pride in a beautiful yard
recognize gophers and moles as pests, but we do not classify them as insects. In some rural areas, where
deer abound, rose fanciers consider them a pest because they can strip a prized collection of rose bushes
overnight (roses seem almost to be some kind of a delicious dessert for them); and yet we know that deer
are not insects.
POISON IvY
How about plants? We can name a whole host of plants that can be called
pests. People who like to camp outdoors and who like to hike into the
“wilderness” often meet up with poison oak or poison ivy — much to
their dismay and discomfort. These plants are thought of as pests. Any
plant that is growing in a place where it is not wanted is designated as
a “weed.” Weeds are pests and, although they may harbor insects, they
certainly are not insects themselves. So you see, if we put our mind to USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
Jennifer Anderson @
it, we can think of a large number of living things that we can, under the
right circumstances, consider to be pests and, at the same time, we can POISON OAK
recognize that they are not insects.
Or can we? The only way we can recognize that something is or is not
an insect is to have a clear cut definition of an insect. So let’s try to get a
precise definition of an insect by a process of elimination using a system
of classification based on similar characteristics. Photo Courtesy of
Corky’s Pest Control, nc
It all starts with knowing the difference between living things and non-
living things. All living things are composed of cells. This differentiates them from minerals, rocks,
etc., which are considered “non-living.”
Two thousand years ago, the Greek philosopher Aristotle, divided all living things into two Kingdoms
— the Animal Kingdom and the Plant Kingdom. He called them, “blooded” and “bloodless.”
In the Animal Kingdom, there are thirty or more Phyla (Phylum is singular and Phyla is plural). Each
phylum has a group of characteristics that separates its members
from members of any other phylum. One of the thirty phyla is the GOPHER
phylum Chordata which includes all animals that have backbones
— lions, tigers, elephants, dogs, cats, rats, mice, gophers, skunks,
monkeys and humans are just a few of the animals that belong to
the phylum Chordata. Insects do not have backbones.
Drawing by Andrew Schaible
Courtesy of Corky’s Pest Control, nc.