An Elementary Study of Insects | Page 5

swamps to the heart of our desert lands,
offers a home for some small insect.
The most striking habits and developments among insects is found in
the more highly advanced families of bees and ants where definite
insect societies are formed, resembling in many respects human
societies and human activities. Among these villages are established,
homes built, battles fought, slaves made, herds kept by shepherds, and
even fields cultivated. In these groups we have the nearest approach to
human intelligence.
Their Role in Agriculture
Some insects may be very destructive to crops, others are beneficial,
while the majority of insects are of no importance to man or agriculture.
The various forms of pests such as the chinch bug, potato beetles, and
others do an enormous amount of damage each year. They destroy
hundreds of millions of dollars worth of crops annually in the United
States alone. They devour enough to pay for the entire cost of running
the school system of our country and nearly enough to meet all the
expenses of our government. In view of these facts it is the duty of each
and every farmer, young or old, to acquaint himself with these
destructive pests and prepare himself for combating them. With a
knowledge of the methods of controlling these pests much of this
enormous loss can be prevented.
While some insects are extremely injurious, others are very helpful.
The products of the honey bee in the United States alone amount to

several million dollars a year, to say nothing of its value to the farmer
in pollinating fruits. The annual output of silk, all of which is spun by
the silkworm, is worth millions of dollars. Many other forms are of
value to man by producing material of commercial value such as lac,
shellack, dyes, medicines, etc. Of all the beneficial insects those which
are of greatest value to man are the parasites and similar forms which
help to keep in check many of the severest pests of the farm. Insects are
not all bad fellows by any means. One must acquaint himself with
those which are good and those which are bad before he can hope to
deal with them intelligently.
* * * * *
"And with childlike credulous affection We behold those tender wings
expand, Emblems of our own great resurrection, Emblems of the bright
and better land."
--LONGFELLOW.
CHAPTER II
COLLECTING INSECTS
"Does he who searches Nature's secrets scruple To stick a pin into an
insect?"
--A. G. OEHLENSCHLAEGER.
In the life of every normal human there comes a time when he wishes
to make a collection of some kind. It may be a collection of coins,
postage stamps, post-cards, shells, relics, birds' eggs, pressed flowers or
insects. If the child grows up in the country, the result of this craving is
usually three or four cigar boxes of insects or an almanac or geography
stuffed with the most attractive wild flowers of the field. A collection
of this sort may be small and poorly kept and yet it is worth while. In
later life one will search in his mother's closet or attic for the old cigar
boxes which contain the remains of youthful efforts, usually a mass of
gaudy wings, fragments of insect legs and bodies and a few rusty pins.

This desire to make a collection is natural and should be encouraged in
the child. It tends to make him observe closely and creates an interest in
things about him, and if properly directed it will add a store of
information which can be gotten in no other way.
Directions for Collecting
Many boys and girls of the rural schools will have little time or
inclination to provide themselves with apparatus for collecting insects.
An old straw hat or a limb will serve their purpose. From their point of
view what difference does it make if they tear off most of the legs and
break the wings? They succeed in securing the "bug" and when pinned
in the box it will mean just about as much to them as the most perfect
specimen ever prepared.
[Illustration: A convenient home-made net for catching insects; note
the broom-stick handle, heavy twisted wire and mosquito net bag.]
This method of catching insects will prove effective where nothing
better is available, but any child can easily make a small insect net by
attaching a loop of fairly stiff wire to a broom handle or other stick and
sewing a bag of mosquito netting or other thin cloth to the wire. By
means of such a net one can catch insects more easily and at the same
time there is less danger of tearing such insects as butterflies. Care
must be taken in handling the stinging insects.
[Illustration: A cyanide jar for killing insects; note the