Insects and Human Society
Insects are often seen merely as pests or uninvited guests to human activities. A large number of insects coexist with us humans and are either harmless or beneficial to our society and its endeavors. Often what is needed is a proper balance between our society and the societies that insect species represent. The emergence in the mid-20th century of integrated pest management is one aspect of our efforts to live together more successfully. The changes humans have brought upon their ecosystems by monocultures, introduced species, and major ecological disruptions such as clear-cutting have resulted in a disturbance of the proper balance, and harmful outbreaks of devastating proportion.
This case presents the large number of resources in book and article format that cover insects as helpers to our societies and as challenges to our desired way of life. Just as we are aware of the balance between the good and the bad in the Insecta Class, the Library collection provides a balance of materials providing views on this interesting group.
