Insects are the most interesting and diverse group of organisms on earth, many of which are useful as pollinators of crops and wild plants while others are useful as natural enemies keeping pestiferous insects in check. It is important to conserve these insects for our survival and for this the diversity of insect species inhabiting the different ecosystems of our country must be known. The cornerstone to studies of any kind of organismal diversity is their taxonomic identity. Even after over two and half centuries of studies, so little is known of the insect wealth of our country. It has contributions from taxonomists who have been studying Indian insects for long, this book offers up to date information on many important groups of Indian insects seeking to fill the lacuna of a long felt need for a comprehensive work on the taxonomy of Indian insects. Salient features: Provides an up-to-date taxonomy of major insect groups of India Presents identification keys with illustrations of several important groups of Indian insects Gives a new insight into why insects are so abundant Addresses fundamental questions in mechanoreception and cross kingdom interactions using insects as model systems Indian Insects: Diversity and Science is a festschrift to Professor C. A. Viraktamath, an insect taxonomist par excellence. It has been designed to cater to the needs of academicians, researchers and students who wish to identify insects collected from local environments and will be an invaluable aid for those working in the areas of systematics, ecology, behaviour, diversity and the conservation of insects.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Examines how insects have been used as weapons in wartime conflicts throughout history, presenting as examples how scorpions were used in Roman times and hornets nests were used during the MIddle Ages in siege warfare and how insects have been used in Vietnam, China, and Korea.

This book presents the pest management by using predatory insects. It elucidates the characteristics features of predatory insects and their utility value in the field of Biological control and integrates them in Integrated Pest Management (IPM). During the last five to six decades voluminous scientific work on various aspects of predatory insects has been done at different Research Institutions and Universities in India. Since the scientific literature lies scattered in various journals, and not yet has been published in book form, it is considered desirable and essential to provide a concise account in a book form. The book entitled Indian Insect Predators in Biological Control is the first of its kind in our country. It has the following distinguished features: (1) Enlighted the distribution and diversity of insect predators in various agroecosystem. (2) Provide updated coverage of ethology, biology and life table parameters of predators. (3) Di and tri tropic interaction of crop-pest-predators. (4) Biological control potential of predators in laboratory, pots, controlled field cage and natural field conditions are elaborated. (5) Biosefty of synthetic and biopesticides are discussed. (6) Mass production with natural, faciated and oligidic diets are explained. (7) Text is illustrated with photographs, line drawings, tables and graphs to make the material more interesting to the students. (8) This book is intended as a text for use in teaching the concept of biological control to undergraduate and post graduate students of biology and agriculture. (9) This also immensely helps the researchers who are engaged in pest management, crop production and protection by using various natural predators. Contents Chapter 1: Insect Predators and Pest Control by K Sahayaraj; Chapter 2: Behavioral and Ecological Features of Mantids that Confer as Prospective Biocontrol Agents by M C Muralirangan, K P Sanjayan & N Senthikumar; Chapter 3: Dragonflies and Damselflies in Biological Control by F K Kakkassery; Chapter 4: Feeding Adaptations and Semiochemical Perception in Predatory Heteroptera by Pathipati Usha Rani; Chapter 5: Anthocorid Predators and their Biocontrol Potential by M Nasser & U C Abdurahiman; Chapter 6: How Efficient are Geocorid Bugs (Heteroptera: Insecta) as Crop Pest Managers? by Ananda Mukhopadhyay & Soma Das; Chapter 7: Reduviids in Biological Control by K Sahayaraj; Chapter 8: Biology and Behaviours of Coccinellid Beetles by T V Sathe; Chapter 9: Mass Production and Biological Control Potential of Coccinellids in India by Jagmohan Singh & K S Brar; Chapter 10: Syrphids: As an Important Predators of Aphids in India by T V Sathe & Sangit Visherad; Chapter 11: Indian Insect Predators on Insect Pests of Rice by K S Behera & A Prakash; Chapter 12: Role of Predators in the Control of Horticultural Crop Pests of India by M Mani & A Krishnamoorthy.