Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Plant Sciences, Zoology & Evolution => Topic started by: rosalind dna on 29/08/2008 18:27:21

Title: What do Entomologists do?
Post by: rosalind dna on 29/08/2008 18:27:21

As I've mentioned on TNS before I think. I am researching my family's trees well I've come across an Entomologist, who was an expert in Nomenclature of insects.

Only I don't really know what an Entomologist, Insect specialist does?

It'd help my researches, thanks

Rosalind

Title: What do Entomologists do?
Post by: blakestyger on 29/08/2008 20:39:24

After doing their first degree and finding out all about insects the entomologist will probably either do academic work, which is mostly genetic (molecular biology) with a view to taxonomy and evolution, or insect control which will be concerned with garden, agricultural and domestic insect problems.
Thankfully, there is now more interest in the role of insects in pollination, plant disease prevention and other insect prevention in the trend to reduce agricultural chemical use.

Inevitably, some will go into the city or IT. [::)]

Title: What do Entomologists do?
Post by: rosalind dna on 29/08/2008 21:13:29

RD This is the man, whom I at present looking into Arthur Francis Hemming and he is the first person, who's profession I didn't know much about.

But I've always thought that Entomologists were specialists in
Insects and other small creatures like slugs, snails, butterflies, mozzies etc.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/research-curation/collections-library/collections-management/collections-navigator//transform.jsp?rec=/ead-recs/nhm/uls-a353120.xml

Title: What do Entomologists do?
Post by: RD on 29/08/2008 23:09:58

Looks like Mr Hemming was mad keen on butterflies...

Quote

he published over 1,000 scientific papers on Lepidoptera [butterflies & moths].

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Francis_Hemming

So he would be a particular type of entomologist: a lepidopterist (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepidoptery) (butterfly collector).

Lepidoptery was his obsession, not his profession: he was a high-ranking civil servant.

Title: What do Entomologists do?
Post by: RD on 29/08/2008 23:22:38

You probably don't need this information now Rosalind

Quote

Entomologists are mainly employed as researchers or extension officers.

As researchers they work in a variety of fields aimed at combating crop pests and insect born human and animal diseases. These fields include: biological control of harmful insects and weeds, use of beneficial insects; integrated pest management, use of insecticides in combination with various other measures to manage pests; development, testing and registration of insecticides; taxonomy, which entails the classification and documentation of our insect fauna; and veterinary and medical entomology. Entomologists are also concerned with the conservation of our insect fauna and the environment. They are also involved in the study of the ecology and biology of insects in relation to other organisms in nature.

http://www.career-descriptions.co.uk/entomologist-career-description.htm

Title: What do Entomologists do?
Post by: Asyncritus on 30/08/2008 00:14:25

If you want to see what some real entomologists do, i.e. studying the insects themselves and not the bottoms of damned test tubes in some molecular biochemist's lab, then you can't do better than read the works of Jean Henri Fabre.

It is astonishing what insects do, and they really knock big holes in any theory of evolution.

http://www.efabre.net/e-fabre.htm

Title: What do Entomologists do?
Post by: rosalind dna on 30/08/2008 12:39:12

OK thanks and that's interesting but I couldn't watch the link to the website about the insects because Rosalind doesn't like creepy crawlies/insects and specially when it comes to the slugs in the  garden.

I must have misread something somewhere but this will be very useful to me.