2 MISC. PUBLICATION 318, U. 8S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
them. The collector should not be misled by advertisements of cer- 
tain companies to the effect that they will purchase insects, espe- 
cially when he is obligated to buy a book of instructions before these 
companies will buy the insects. 
Insect collecting should be started as a hobby, just as the collect- 
ing of stamps and other objects, and not as a means of making money. _ 
The value of insect collections to scientific institutions depends on the 
number of authentically identified species the collections contain and 
the preciseness with which the specimens are mounted and labeled. 
The public in general is becoming more conscious of the damage 
caused by insects and the need for more information on insect con- 
trol. Members of 4-H clubs who participate in the activities out- 
lined in this manual will learn many things of permanent value to 
them. 
To get the most out of the insect study, one should follow the 3-year 
program outlined. This will allow time not only for the acquirement 
of experience, which is the best teacher, but for a review of litera- 
ture on insects. 
All persons cannot become entomologists, but they may acquire 
knowledge for practical use. 
WHY STUDY INSECTS? 
Many persons go through life finding little enjoyment in the beau- 
ties of Nature and knowing very little about them. If we learn to 
know more of our natural surroundings, we shall be building toward 
a fuller life. The human race makes up only a very small part of 
the living creatures here on earth. Man feels that he has about 
reached the top of the social ladder, but in reality he still has a long 
way to go. 
HISTORY OF INSECTS 
People could profit much by turning to some of Nature’s other 
children who have been struggling along life’s pathways for millions 
of years, possibly long before man came into existence. The lowly 
insects, as we think of them, were living on the earth more than 40 
million years ago. In fossils and in amber, we find preserved insects 
almost identical with those we can find in our own back yard today. 
Scientists have found no trace of man that dates back to anywhere 
near those geological ages. 
What is it about the insect that has permitted it to withstand all 
these centuries while many other forms of animal life have appeared 
on the earth and after a relatively few years passed out of existence? 
We see pictures of large prehistoric animals and wonder why, with 
all the strength they must have possessed, they did not dominate the 
earth. This process of elimination is still going on, and every few 
years some form of animal life passes out of existence. Our natural- 
ists today are working hard to perpetuate certain kinds of birds and 
animals that are almost extinct. 
IMPORTANCE OF INSECTS 
Insects, however, live on, and today they are man’s greatest com- 
petitors in his struggle for existence. Insects destroy our crops, they 
kill our animals, they crumple our buildings, and they actually feed 
on man himself. In addition, they spread disease germs that 
