Major Course Components

If you wonder why you have to learn to identify so many insects in ENT 425, think about this. In the early years of your education, you had to learn what seemed like an overwhelming number of letters in the alphabet.   But when you did, you could construct words and sentences to communicate with others, and you could also understand what others had written.  Similarly, you need to learn systematics and taxonomy to know what a particular insect is, to access accurate literature on how and why it lives where it does, and whether it requires management or is providing a valuable ecological service.  Similarly, you have to have an appreciation for the anatomy, growth, and development of insects in order to understand how their physiological systems are constructed and function.  An appreciation of all of these subjects is essential for a thorough understanding of insect behavior and ecology, but perhaps most importantly, making informed decisions about management (i.e. applied entomology).