F@stSheet Ent-3001

Entomology Resources & Supplies IN THIS F@STSHEET GENERAL REFERENCES GARDENING & PEST CONTROL FIELD GUIDES INTERNET RESOURCES ENTOMOLOGICAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR YOUTH SOURCES FOR ENTOMOLOGICAL SUPPLIESFOR MORE INFORMATION

        Whether you're a teacher, student, or just curious, here are listings of some of the best books, resources, and supplies to help you explore the fascinating world of insects.

GENERAL REFERENCE
       Smithsonian Handbooks. Insects Spiders and Other Terrestrial Arthropods. George C. McGavin. 2002. DK Publishing, Inc. New York. Visually rich introduction to the study of insects for older children and adults. Illustrates and describes 29 common insect orders and some of the most important hexapod families. Excellent reference to learn arthropod orders.
       Amazing Bugs. Miranda MacQuitty. 1996. 44 pp. DK Inside Guides. DK Publishing, Inc., New York. A visual exploration of the inside workings of insects. See how insects jump, sing, see, taste and touch, all from a morphological perspective. Highly recommended.
        Insect. Laurence Mound. 1990. 64 pp. Eyewitness Book Series. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. Eye-catching photographs on white backgrounds make this book attractive and fun to read. Well organized, lively and scientifically sound, this book is appropriate for upper-level primary through adult. Part of the Dorling Kindersley Book Series, several other insect titles are also available.
        An Introduction to the Study of Insects. D.J. Borror, C.A. Triplehorn, & N.F. Johnson. 1989. 875 pp. Saunders College Publishing, Philadelphia. The standard college entomology textbook for entomology. Technical, yet accessible to the average educator. Contains keys to all the important North American families of insects and numerous black and white illustrations. A must for all who are seriously interested in the study of insects.
        The Common Insects of North America. Lester A. Swan & Charles Papp. 1972. 750 pp. Harper & Row, Publishers, New York. Provides a technical reference on insect families and representative species. For high school and college students and educators. Many black and white and some colored illustrations. A nice reference-- likely to be in a library-- but currently out of print.
        How to Know the Insects. R.G. Bland & H.E. Jaques. 1978. 409 pp. Wm. C. Brown Company, Dubuque, Iowa. Part of the "How to Know.." series of identification keys this book is designed to aid in the identification of adult forms of common U.S. insects. For advanced high school and college students and educators. Contains many useful black & white illustrations.

GARDENING & PEST CONTROL
        Garden Insects of North America Whitney Cranshaw. 2004. 656 pp. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. This is the best reference book I've seen on insect pests of ornamentals. While the size may seem daunting, the price is not. This book contains one of the best collections of insect photographs available for North American yard and garden insects. Despite its size, it is relatively easy to use because it is organized by the type of damage caused. Recommended for Master Gardeners and all serious students of landscape and garden bugs.
        Southern Living Garden Problem Solver. Steve Bender, editor. 1999. 336 pp. Oxmoor House, Birmingham, AL. This is an excellent resource book for the recognition and control of garden pest problems. Contains excellent discussions of organic vs. conventional pest control approaches to landscape maintenance. Color photos and illustrations of a variety of pest-related problems.
       The Ortho Home Gardener’s Problem Solver. Michael McKinley (Editor), Ortho Books. Well written and comprehensive guide to landscape problems including insects, diseases and weeds. Color photos and illustrations of 700 pest, disease and cultural plant problems. This book is a condensed version of the popular professional edition of The Ortho Problem Solver available for reading in many hardware and garden centers.
        Common Sense Pest Control. William Olkowski, Sheila Daar & Helga Olkowski. 1991. Taunton Press, Newtown, CT. Thorough treatment of the least-toxic approach to pest control. Readers will find many practical suggestions on how to control both structural and landscape pests. A worthwhile book, though some of the control recommendations go to extremes to avoid the use of conventional pesticides.

FIELD GUIDES
        A Field Guide to Common Texas Insects. Bastiaan M. Drees & John A. Jackman. 1998. 360 pp. Field Guide Series, Gulf Publishing Company, Houston. Photographic guide to some of the more common insects found in Texas. Each insect includes a short description of it's characters, life cycle, habits and pest status.
        A Field Guide to Butterflies of Texas. Raymond W. Neck. 1996. 323 pp. Field Guide Series, Gulf Publishing Company, Houston. Describes or illustrates through photographs the 444 most common of the butterflies of Texas. A great addition to the library of butterfly gardeners as well as butterfly watchers.
        Kaufman Focus Guides: Butterflies of North America. Jim P. Brock and Kenn Kaufman. 2003. 384 pp. Possibly the best field guide to butterflies for the U.S. Profusely illustrated with range maps and digitally enhanced images of butterflies enhanced to show key identification characters. This field guide sets a new standard for insect field guides. Highly recommended for committed butterfly watchers and collectors.
        A Field Guide to Texas Spiders and Scorpions. John A. Jackman. 1997. pp. Field Guide Series, Gulf Publishing Company, Houston. Learn about some of the least appreciated, least loved, yet most interesting crawling critters in Texas. The only photographic guide to spiders of Texas.
       The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. L. Milne & M. Milne. 1980. 989 pp. Alfred A. Knopf New York. Beautifully illustrated with high quality color photos, this is a nice reference for some of the more distinctive and common insect species. Although limited in its coverage, this reference is a nice addition to a secondary school library that already contains some of the more basic field guides listed below.
        Golden Nature Guides Series. H.S. Zim, Editor. This excellent series of nature guides is appropriate for older children (Grade 6 and up) as well as educators. Based on color illustrations, important insects are referenced and described. These should be some of the first books purchased for a classroom reference shelf, because of their good content and reasonable price. Relevant volumes include: Butterflies and Moths, Insect Pests, Insects, Pond Life, Spiders and Their Kin.
        Peterson Field Guides. R.T. Peterson, Editor. These guides are indispensable for college students, educators, extension personnel, and professional pest control operators. They include both black and white and color illustrations and descriptions usually based on family and species identification. The general insect field guide is one of the best references for quick identification of insects to family, the most important classification for most practical entomological problem solving. Relevant volumes include: Butterflies, Insects ofAmerica North of Mexico, Beetles, and Moths.
        Peterson First Guides®. Series of simplified guides to a variety of organisms, including insects. The Caterpillar guide should be of special interest, illustrating and grouping common North American caterpillars by easily seen characteristics. The Insects volume is ideal for children making a first insect collection.
        Caterpillars of Eastern North America. David L. Wagner. 2005. Princeton Field Guides, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ. 512 pp. The most comprehensive field guide to caterpillars yet published in the U.S. Beautiful photos of both adults and caterpillars of macrolepidopteran moths and butterflies. A must-have reference with lots of useful information for the serious naturalist and entomologist alike.
        Simon & Schuster's Guide to Insects. R.H. Arnett Jr. & R.L. Jacques, Jr. 1981. 512 pp. Simon & Schuster, New York. Like the Audubon Field Guide, this book is based on very nice color photos of some of the more striking, though not necessarily common, insects. It makes a nice addition a library that already contains the more general Golden or Peterson field guides.
        NPCA Field Guide to Structural Pests. Eric Smith & Richard Whitman. 1992. National Pest Control Association, Dunn Loring, VA. Encyclopaedic coverage of structural (indoor) pests, including arthropod and vertebrate pests. Designed as a handbook for professional pest control operators, this book makes a useful reference for Extension offices and others looking for an authoritative set of recommendations for pest control. Available only through the National Pest Control Association http://www.pestworld.com/ (Phone: (703) 573-8330).

INTERNET RESOURCES
        A growing number of Internet sites have insect themes. A good starting place for web surfing is the Entomology Department at Texas A&M University located at: http://insects.tamu.edu/ . The Entomological Society of America also has a web site at: http://www.entsoc.org/ . To access these sites you need a computer with a direct Internet connection, or connection via modem to the Internet through an Internet service provider. In addition, you need "browser" software that allows you to access and view Internet files. For practical control information visit the Insect F@stSheets page also maintained by Texas Cooperative Extension at http://citybugs.tamu.edu/FastSheets.

ENTOMOLOGICAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR YOUTH
        Entomological Society of America. 9301 Annapolis Road, Lanham, MD 20706-3115. Phone: 301-731-4535. Largest association of professional entomologists in United States, this group has recently added a youth membership category and can provide information about entomology as a career. On the Internet: www.entsoc.org
        Sonoran Arthropod Studies, Inc. Contact: Steve Prchal, P.O. Box 5624, Tuscon, AZ 85703. Phone: (602) 883-3945. Publishes a magazine and a newsletter.
        Young Entomologists' Society (YES), Contact: Gary Dunn, 1915 Peggy Place, Lansing, MI 48910-2553. Phone: (517) 887-0499. Publishes a magazine and newsletter and has a mailorder bookstore. On the Internet: insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/yes/yes.html

SOURCES FOR ENTOMOLOGICAL SUPPLIES
        While many of the materials needed for insect collecting and making a collection can be homemade, some must be obtained from a supply house. The following are some of the leading biological supply houses in the United States:
        BioQuip Products, 17803 LaSalle Avenue, Gardena, CA 90248-3602. Phone: (310) 324-0620. On the Internet: www.bioquip.com.
        Carolina Biological Supply Co., Burlington, NC 27215. (800)-334-5551 On the Internet: www.carolina.com.
        Gempler's, P.O. Box 270, Belleville, WI 53508. (800) 382-8473 On the Internet: www.gemplers.com.
        Ward's Natural Science Establishment, Inc., P.O. Box 1712, Rochester, NY 14603. (800)-962-2660. On the Internet: www.wardsci.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
     These publications, and help with additional questions about insects and insect control or other pest problems, can be obtained by contacting your local county Extension office. 

Author:
Michael Merchant, Ph.D., Urban Entomologist, Texas Agricultural Extension Service

Publication information:
This publication is part of the House & Landscape Pest Series produced by the Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2475. The most recent update can be found at: http://dallas.tamu.edu/insects/FastSheets/Ent-3001.html . Series Editor: M. Merchant. For more information about arthropods, check out the Texas A&M Entomology Website at http://insects.tamu.edu
Last revision: 10/9/01