Seeking Information In
Entomology

Entomology is the scientific study of insects.

Insects and related terrestrial arthropods comprise over 80% of the life forms on earth. The Class Insecta alone is suspected of containing between one and five million species at a minimum. Biological studies on most of these are sorely lacking, and probably fewer than half the extant species have been named and described. Insects, by virtue of their small size and rapid reproductive capability, are major competitors with humans for resources. These same characteristics, together with ease of handling and breeding, make them ideal organisms for the elucidation of basic biological principles. Insects are also extensively involved in the spread of many pathogenic microorganisms that impact plants and animals, including humans. For more information on this program at the University of Kentucky, check out the Department of Entomology website.