An Elementary Study of Insects

Elementary Study of Insects, by
Leonard Haseman

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Title: An Elementary Study of Insects
Author: Leonard Haseman
Release Date: November 10, 2007 [EBook #23434]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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ELEMENTARY STUDY OF INSECTS ***

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[Illustration: The Toad may be rough and warty in appearance but
worth its weight in gold as a destroyer of insect pests. Note the
expression of satisfaction after a successful night of foraging for
cutworms and June-beetles.]

AN ELEMENTARY STUDY OF INSECTS
By
LEONARD HASEMAN
Professor of Entomology in the University of Missouri

Columbia, Missouri MISSOURI BOOK COMPANY 1923

CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I
INSECTS: (1) What they are. (2) Their principal characteristics. (3)
Their methods of developing. (4) The principal orders. (5) Their habits.
(6) Their role in agriculture.
CHAPTER II
COLLECTING INSECTS: (1) Directions for collecting. (2) Pinning
and preserving a collection. (3) Rearing and observing them while
alive.
CHAPTER III
THE GRASSHOPPER: (1) Brief discussion of the grasshopper. (2)
Field studies. (3) Breeding cage observations. (4) Study of specimen.
CHAPTER IV
THE HOUSE FLY OR TYPHOID FLY: (1) Discussion of the life

cycle of the fly, its habits, danger from it and how it can be stamped out.
(2) Study of the fly and its work.
CHAPTER V
THE MOSQUITO: (1) Brief discussion of the life habits and stages of
the mosquito. (2) Observations and study.
CHAPTER VI
THE CABBAGE MILLER: (1) Brief discussion of the caterpillar, the
chrysalis, the butterfly, and its work. (2) Observations and study. (3)
Breeding work.
CHAPTER VII
THE APPLE WORM: (1) Brief discussion of the different stages of the
pest, its work and remedies for its control. (2) Observations and
breeding work.
CHAPTER VIII
THE TOMATO OR TOBACCO WORM: (1) Brief discussion of
stages, work and habits. (2) Study and observation.
CHAPTER IX
THE FIREFLY: (1) Brief discussion of the insect. (2) Observations and
studies.
CHAPTER X
THE WHITE GRUB OR JUNE-BUG: (1) Discussion of the insect as a
pest and its habits and stages. (2) Observations and studies.
CHAPTER XI

THE COLORADO POTATO BEETLE: (1) Brief discussion of the pest.
(2) Observations and studies.
CHAPTER XII
THE LADY-BEETLE: (1) Brief discussion of habits and appearance of
the lady-beetles, and their value as friends. (2) Observations and
studies.
CHAPTER XIII
THE DRAGON-FLY: (1) Discussion of life and habits of insect. (2)
Observations and field studies.
CHAPTER XIV
THE SQUASH BUG: (1) Discussion of habits, injury and control of
pest. (2) Observations and field studies.
CHAPTER XV
THE PLANT-LOUSE: (1) Discussion of habits, injury and control of
pest. (2) Observations and field studies.
CHAPTER XVI
THE HONEY BEE: (1) Discussion of the honey bee as to habits in its
home and outdoors, its value to man and the colony as a village. (2)
Observations and studies.
CHAPTER XVII
THE ANT: (1) Discussion of ant life and behavior, the colony as a unit,
its work and remarkable instincts. (2) Studies and observations.

INTRODUCTION

In the preparation of a book of this nature, to be used in the grade
schools, we realize that the one fundamental thing to keep in mind is
the economic importance of the insect, be it good or bad. The child
wants to know what is good and what is bad and how he can make use
of the good and how he can get rid of the bad. And yet there is
something more associated with the life, work and development of each
tiny insect. There is a story--a story of growth, not unlike that of the
developing child, a story of courage, strife and ultimate success or
failure, which is as interesting and of greater value to the child than
many of the stories of adventure and of historical facts. Snatches of
these stories will appear in the following chapters along with the
studies on insects and their economic importance.
In the development of our grade school system, especially in the rural
districts, there is a growing demand for some practical work along with
the regular cultural studies. To the child in the rural schools, practical
knowledge naturally tends toward agriculture. Many of these boys and
girls do not have a chance to pursue studies beyond the grades and it
therefore becomes necessary to introduce some elementary agriculture
into the grades to supply the natural craving of this vast assemblage of
children in the rural