08/25/1997

Insects and Science: the Department of Entomology at AU

AUBURN, Ala. - Insects blanket the planet, and they are constantly competing with us for our crops and our homes, but entomologists at Auburn University are helping Alabamians to stay ahead of the game through research, teaching and extension.

"Unlike some other departments in the College of Agriculture, we don't have a particular commodity that you can immediately associate with entomology," said Art Appel, professor of entomology. "With us, it's basically every home, every crop and every bit of food that people eat or store -- anything that gets insect pests."

Entomologists study the biology, physiology and ecology of insects and apply those studies to controlling and managing them, Appel said.

"I think more people are becoming aware of entomology," said Ed Cupp, head of the Department of Entomology. "We want to dispel the notion that entomologists run around in pith helmets, chasing butterflies."

Instead, the understanding and control of insects is an essential part of food and fiber production, he explained.

"Insects are our biggest competitor on a global basis," Cupp said. "It's a constant battle. If we stopped what we're doing to control insects, it would take less than a decade for agriculture to start slipping backwards."

Integrated pest management (IPM), defined simply as using two or more methods of pest control in production, has become a hot topic in the effort to control insect damage to crops. The goal of IPM is to control pests in the most cost effective way, without using excessive amounts of chemical pesticides.

Entomology is useful in every aspect of agriculture, from controlling tobacco budworm in cotton with Bacillus thuringiensis to controlling insects that transmit diseases to cattle, Appel said, but it also impacts areas outside of traditional agriculture.

One example is urban entomology, which focuses on pests like ants, cockroaches, fleas and termites. Urban pest control is a more than $200 million per year business in Alabama, and the field is growing, Cupp said.

"Urban entomologists work with protecting the health, homes and belongings of everyone in the state -- farmers and city dwellers, alike," Appel said.

With the transition to the semester system in 2000, urban entomology will be offered as a new undergraduate program option along with basic entomology.

An important part of the department's undergraduate teaching is its instruction of students in outside majors.

The economic entomology course is taken by many horticulture and agronomy students who need to be trained to recognize insects and make control recommendations, said William Moar, associate professor of entomology.

"We train many of the people in Alabama who work in pest control," Moar said. "We are teaching what we think the students in these classes need."

An introductory class called "Insects" also attracts many students from outside the College of Agriculture. "It's an elective that goes through everything from what insects look like to what they do. We cover the spectrum and try to give people a good appreciation for what insects are," Appel said.

The department is working to organize a class that would form a link between science education students and entomology, to show future teachers how they can use insects in their science classrooms. The idea was recently approved by the Auburn University Graduate Council.

"You can't do many projects with big animals, but you can always work with butterflies, cockroaches or fruit flies," Appel said.

The class would provide a basic overview of entomology combined with hands-on experience that would teach the students how to demonstrate scientific principles with insects.

The department's faculty are consistently given high ratings by their students, and they are exploring new ways to make classes more interesting by using the World Wide Web and computer driven methods of lecturing, Cupp said.

Look for the department's home page at http://www.ag.auburn.edu/dept/ent/ent.html.

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News from:

Office of Ag Communications & Marketing

Auburn University College of Agriculture
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
3 Comer Hall, Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849
334-844-4877 (PHONE) 334-844-5892 (FAX)

Contact Jamie Creamer, 334-844-2783 or jcreamer@auburn.edu
by Anna M. Lee

August 25, 1997