They seem to have hundreds of legs and just looking at them can give you the creeps. Insects are in the taxonomic class Insecta. They are primarily small invertebrate animals usually characterized by three pairs of jointed legs, two pairs of wings, an exoskeleton, a thorax, an abdomen, and a segmented body consisting of a head equipped with sucking, piercing, or biting mouth parts called mandibles, two antennae, and compounded eyes. Insects hatch from eggs and many undergo metamorphosis. They work harder, jump higher, lift a larger percentage of their mass, and can out fly us any day.
Insects are an important source of food for reptiles, birds, fish, and some mammals.
Without insects these creatures would die of starvation. Insects also help us by recycling dead organic matter. If they did not do this, the matter would accumulate into disgusting piles and would kill plants and small animals. Basically, the more we know about them, the more we will be able to distinguish between good and harmful insects. Here is a list of our sources.