90 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 10 



by the social Hymenoptera. The latter, however, is a subject in 

 itself and has received the attention of more competent hands than 

 mine; the studies of Wheeler in particular have thrown much light on 

 this fascinating problem. As Wheeler has stated: "We know that 

 the insect responds not only to external stimuli but also to certain 

 unknown stimuli originating within the cells of the alimentary tract, 

 reproductive organs, etc., and that the responses to these stimuli are 

 often remarkably complex, as e.g., in the elaborate feeding and nesting 

 instincts of ants, bees and wasps. Nor does the complication of the 

 problem end here. It is greatly increased by two further considera- 

 tions, first, by our complete ignorance of the protoplasmic changes, 

 chemical and physical, which precede or accompany these tropisms 

 or the response to stimuli in general; and second, by the difficulty of 

 explaining why all these responses are so marvelously adaptive. I 

 venture to assert, nevertheless, that it is better to face these diffi- 

 culties, insuperable as they appear, than to continue investigation 

 in that spirit of anthropomorphism, which has been such a fruitful 

 source of misinterpretation in the comparative study of habits and 

 instincts." 



Reference has already been made to the control of the corn root 

 aphis {Aphis maidi-radicis) which is based on a knowledge of the 

 instinctive behaviour of the ant Lasws niger americanus. The most 

 notable example in applied entomology of the practical value of a 

 knowledge of instinctive behaviour is seen in beekeeping. A knowl- 

 edge of the behaviour of the bees enables us to mould their instincts 

 along those lines most desirable from the point of view of our con- 

 venience and pecuniary profit. 



Incomplete as this account is of the manner in which insects react 

 to the various constituent factors of their environment, I trust that 

 in the time at my disposal I have indicated the fundamental character 

 of insect behavior in relation to the solution of the problems that con- 

 front us. We have reached a stage in the progress of our work that 

 demands on the part of everj^ investigator and entomological practi- 

 tioner, whether he be working at problems as wide apart as taxonomy 

 or quarantine administration, as thorough a knowledge as possible of 

 the manifold nature of insect behaviour, that is, of the relations and 

 reactions of insects to the physical and biological factors in their 

 varied environments; for it is through such knowledge that applied 

 entomologists will find solutions to some of the greatest problems that 

 now occupy our attention and are certain to confront us in the future. 

 Great as the contribution of entomological science to the advancement 

 of civiUzation has been in the past, it is slight compared with promise 

 of future achievement. 



