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Srishti Mudaliar
When we think of the insects, we visualize mere beings of no
use, with an unbearably large population, which we think might do us nothing
but harm and we leave no stone unturned to get rid of them. But, have we ever
thought that the so called mere insects could be an item of use? Do we really
know their importance in our life? Entomology, the study of insects reveals
all.
Entomology is an age old branch of Zoology, but is still a
developing subject in India .
This is because in a developing country like ours, we dare not study anything
but the vocational courses! Two decades backs, young students were asked in
their classes about their aims and ambitions. In the present day’s India
students are better asked whether they wish to become a doctor or an engineer.
But, what about the other branches that are available for a study? People hold
that there is no scope whatsoever in any other available fields. We all know
that the government of India
spends a lot on the scholarships and education of our wards. But, do we as
responsible citizens of India ,
give enough, in lieu, to the country? Is it really right on our part to grow
the kids only to earn breads?
Entomology is not only a simple but also a scoring subject. It
offers a lot of interesting choices. In the era of the high speed internet, the
bunch of all the online databases, related to the subject is just one click
away form the user. There are more than a few restricted branches that are
thought of, for the study of the insects and their industrial exploitation. In
the RTM Nagpur University, Entomology is studied as a subject of specialization
under the subject Zoology, that keeps the related fields like animal husbandry,
agriculture, wild life photography etc. open for a pursuer. A few of the major
professions that a vocationally trained entomologist can be occupied into are
listed below.
Research
and Ethology: Insects have a number of complex primitive organ systems in
their body. Research scholars study them. Due to the large variety of the
insects available, there is always a scope for a research student to discover
something new. Endocrinology (study of insect endocrine system) is also a field
of great demand, though more outside India .
Social
insects provide a sheaf of study material to the ethologists. Insects like Apis
(honeybees) and Isopterans (insect order for termites) have beautifully
designed colony life, which almost equals to a human colony and its social life.
The colonies are complex and there’s always a scope for a new discovery.
Pest
control: Insects are vectors to
some diseases like Musca (housefly) that spreads stomach infections,
Aedes and Culex (mosquitoes) that cause malaria and elephantitis; parasites
like Pediculus (head louse), Cimex (bed bug); pests like Periplanata
(cockroach), Sitophilus (rice weevil: a stored grain pest); that
provide a wide rage of specimen for study and are responsible for most of the
occupations in the pest control and pesticide industries and the medical and
veterinary branches.
Industrial
Entomology: Apiculture (beekeeping), Sericulture (silk worm rearing) and
Lac culture (rearing of the insect Laccifer
lacca to produce lacquer) are the chief occupations that come under the
industrial entomology. India ,
Sri Lanka and Myanmar
are the leading shellac (processed lac) producers. India
follows China
to rank second in the production of silk. Honey and other apery products have a
great commercial value. Honey is used in the manufacture of cosmetics,
medicines and being a rich source of glucose strengthens heart muscles and
various body organs on daily consumption.
Taxonomy:
A taxonomist names, classifies and groups animals. An insect taxonomist
observes and uses the minutest differences, like the difference in sitting
positions of the Lepidopterans (moths place their wings at an angle of 180° to
each other, while the butterflies place each of their wings perpendicular to
the body plane) for the insect classification. Animal classification leads to
the proper prediction of their behavior ex: One could predict the arrival of a
locust swarm by knowing the specie of the locusts that are present in a
particular locality under study.
Apart from these, insects also form an important part of the
Earth’s ecosystem. Insects are the only beings on Earth that dwell on land
(cockroaches), in water (some species of silverfish and other lower insects),
in the air (dragonflies), under the earth (termites and other fossorial
insects) and are present at the every possible nook and corner of the Earth. If
the world ever faces a severe disaster and looses all other species, the
insects would be the only creatures to survive. They would be the only hope
left to the humanity, because only they could live under extreme conditions and
possibly evolve back to humans by means of emigrational and other adaptations.
Insects occur in such a large number that they hardly need any cryopreservation
(preservation of the cells or genome in liquid nitrogen) and some or the other
member of the insect species or at least of some of the species would survive
even under the most adverse conditions. Thus, their study becomes significant.
Entomology may not appear as much yielding (monetarily) as
the vocational studies. But skipping the life sciences, due to social irons,
despite interest, is nothing but a folly. Our biased view towards the non
vocational subjects is leading to a lack of brains in the many of the fields,
of which a study is must for the survival of the humanity. Subjects do not make
a student’s career, but his own interest and efforts. Every field has got a
wide scope and importance the only thing we need is a proper awareness.
Alumna
Post Graduate Deptt. of Zoology,
Post Graduate Deptt. of Zoology,
