They invade and even destroy our dwellings, and everyone has had encounters with stinging and biting insects. And malaria is only one of the many diseases carried by insects. On the brighter side, however, only a relatively few species of insects are harmful to humans, and most are actually beneficial. With estimates of between ten and thirty million species, insects are an essential part of most ecosystems. A few examples follow.
Insects are the custodians that rid the terrestrial world of waste products and dead organisms.
They aerate and replenish the soil. Most flowering plants are insect pollinated, including many of our agricultural crops. Insects are fascinating organisms and we encounter them more frequently than any other animal. Insects and Society is designed to give the student an appreciation of the role insects play on this planet as well as an understanding of their interactions with other organisms, especially humans. Direct damage by feeding Transmission of disease etc.