From chocolate covered scorpions to toasted leaf-cutter ants this page lists a variety of insect foods that can be purchased online, many from Amazon.com! Several links are dead unfortunately, but with a little perseverance similar products are probably available.

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This web site features an online publication (ca. 40 pages) detailing the history of forest entomology, from 1901 to 1982, in the area from the Northern Rocky Mountains to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Malcolm Furniss provides a concise history, supplemented with fine black-and-white photographs of forestry laboratories, pest outbreaks, and some of the characters who contributed to forest entomology in this area. Several retired employees provide personal reflections on their employment with the forestry laboratories from 1951 to 2005. This is a great resource for educators interested in the history of forest entomology and its local flavor. It is downloadable as a PDF.

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William Kirby's text on entomology, first published in 1828, is available in PDF format from Internet Archive. Kirby is often called the "Father of Entomology" and his book is considered the first text on entomology published in English. The PDF files are large.

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For generations, the main interest in aquatic insects has been firmly at the feet of trout fishermen. This web site provides about 4,000 outstanding photographs of many popular insects used as models for tying flies (fishing lures), as well as information on the natural history of these insects and some basic, elementary information about classification. Also available is an on-line discussion forum about aquatic insects and trout fishing.

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A bibliography, mainly for spiders, and an extensive collection of web resources related to arachnids were put together by the International Society of Arachnology. Also included are news items about the society, publications, meetings, and other arachnid-related information.

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This web site provides a compilation of more than 240 proverbs that mention insects, arachnids, centipedes, and crustaceans. Roughly 60% mention Diptera and Hymenoptera. The proverbs are listed under 15 taxa, including Arachnida, Chilopoda, Crustacea, and 11 orders of insects. The geographic origin of each proverb and a list of references also are provided.

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This 1994 article by Victoria Rivers, Professor of Textiles at University of California (Davis), is about the fascinating and exquisite use of beetle parts, especially iridescent beetle wings, in textiles. Many entomologists will not be familiar with this aspect of the use of insects and will find the article delightful. The article explores how beetles have been used in textiles throughout history in India, New Guinea, Thailand, Burma, and Amazonia. The online article is about 6 standard text pages and includes photographs that, when clicked, provide a larger image.

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This site provides a short article, in PDF format, about the legendary American blues artist, Charley Patton, and his famous song about the notorious cotton boll pest, the boll weevil. The article, by R. K. D. Peterson, was scanned from a 2007 issue of the American Entomologist magazine.

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This site is dedicated to all things cicada throughout the world and contains an enormous amount of information on this group of insects. Cicadas are photographed and generally enjoyed on this site, initiated in 1996. The site includes a question and answer section, a gallery, a blog, and brood dates and related information, as well as interviews with cicada researchers and video and sound files. Many items for purchase are included for individuals or classrooms. Because of the large amount of information available on this site, it is not entirely simple to navigate.

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This article, succinctly written by the late Charles Hogue, was taken, with permission, from the 1987 Annual Review of Entomology. It provides an excellent explanation of cultural entomology, along with examples of the influence insects have had on art, folklore, history, literature and language, the performing arts, philosophy, religion, and other areas of culture from around the world. To delve more deeply into cultural entomology, the original 1987 article should be consulted for a listing of many specific references to the subject.

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Cultural Entomology Digest was published in four issues from 1993 to 1997. All issues are available online. More than 30 short articles on the use of insects in human culture are presented, covering a wide variety of fascinating topics from butterflies in mythology to insects in psychiatry to the use of beetles as religious symbols. The articles are both informative and entertaining, and are written by recognized authorities.

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This PDF created by the Entomological Society of America is a general brochure designed to advise students on where to go and how to prepare for a career in entomology. It highlights some of the major disciplines within entomology including forensics, conservation, and medical veterinary.

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This web site is devoted to cicadas, leafhoppers, planthoppers, spittlebugs, and treehoppers. It is built around the vast literature collection amassed by the late Zeno P. Metcalf and now housed in the North Carolina State University Libraries' Special Collections. A searchable bibliographic database focuses on the world's largest literature collection -- nearly 12,000 references from 1741 to 1955 --for these groups. The searchable database is supplemented with selected references (1956-present) for each of the five insect groups, a biography of Metcalf, overviews of each group, and selected links to additional web sites on these insects.

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The ESA website for professional and amateur entomologists alike. Provides peer reviewed publications, publishes the popular American Entomologist magazine, and handles all the registration for the various regional and national meetings of entomologists across the country. This is a valuable resource for student and professional alike.

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This USDA web site is devoted to the life and work of 19th-century entomologist Charles Valentine Riley, with excerpts from his sketchbooks and other works. The site provides six representative images of historical treasures from the famous "Father of Biological Control", along with information on how to obtain high-quality digital images of the works. A further link is available which includes a more extensive collection of his papers and images.

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There are several online glossaries, this one from Berkeley, while not perfect, was the most thorough. Use is quite simple, it is a one page list with a clickable alphabet at the top. It is part of a teacher designed set of pages about insects and teaching entomology.

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A short history of the use and production of shellac as processed from Lac insects in India. It includes a brief timeline history, as well as a discussion of the insects that produce it. Other links include lac production process, and properties of shellac. The site is devoted to the promotion of shellac production and use.

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Nicely illustrated history of silk and explanation of silk production. A fine discussion of the moths, life history, and feeding are included, as well as the extensive cultural history of this outstanding insect product.

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A short illustrated article from Biodiversity Explorer from Southern Africa on the use of beetle toxins for creating poison arrows. These poison arrows are used by the San people of Africa.

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This site provides a set of about 20 insect illustrations, originally drawn on canvas as a WPA project during the Depression and made available by the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois. The illustrations are primarily overviews of some of the more common insect orders. The size of the original illustrations was ca. 1.0 x 1.5 m, and some of the scanned versions on this site are small and, therefore, lacking in details. Each illustration also has a link to the Tree of Life to provide taxonomic information. The site is of particular value from a historical perspective. Of even more historical value and interest is the associated link to the Department's wonderful lantern slide collection, showing entomologists in profile and in action, along with old pictures of insects and entomological situations in field and laboratory. Those interested in teaching the history of entomology would benefit from the link to the lantern slides.

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More than 31,000 photographs of insects of most orders, as well as mites, ticks, spiders, and scorpions, are available at this site, a joint project of the University of Georgia and the USDA Forest Service. The site boasts more than 800 photographers. Many light-microscope images of smaller insects are provided. Some natural history information is provided for many of the images.

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This is a well-designed website that promotes insect appreciation and demonstrates the intricate relationships of insects and humans. The site is divided into four components: 1) entophiles, which includes photographs and short descriptions of more than 150 insects; 2) cedigest, which includes an impressive set of articles on insects and their roles in our culture; 3) class Insecta, which includes numerous beautiful examples of butterfly wing patterns, with descriptions; and 4) entolinks, which includes about 20 links (with brief reviews) to about 20 other insect-related web sites and resources. This web site affords a nice supplementary tool for entomological instruction, particularly at an introductory level, and should be a delight to students.

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"Insects in Psychiatry" originally was published in the February 1994 issue of Cultural Entomology Digest. The article presents a succinct (roughly 4,000-word) overview of the role of insects in psychiatric disorders. It provides helpful distinctions among insect phobias, delusions of parasitosis, and illusions of parasitosis, along with more than 30 selected references. The article provides an excellent entree into the not-uncommon role of insects in psychiatry. It would be comprehensible and of interest to a wide range of students.

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A playful site dedicated to insects in films, with discussions of how the insects were portrayed in fiction as well as in documentaries. The site suffers a bit from having not been updated in the past few years, but there have been many good insect films to include.

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This site provides an online article by R. K. D. Peterson, with references, discussing the devastation of Napoleon's Grand Armee by typhus, the causative agent of which is transmitted by human body lice. The article puts to rest the commonly held belief that the Russian Winter drove the largely intact army from Moscow. Instead, Napoleon's troops were devastated by typhus.

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This web site provides an extensive "electronic museum" devoted to the life and works of 19th-century entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre, with examples of his written entomological works, his correspondence (with Darwin and others), and historical context. Listings of his translated works in 15 languages is available, as is a gallery of historical photographs.

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This is a commercial site intended as a resource for teachers and students. The site features images of many arthropods, including insects and spiders, and a good number of video clips.

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This web site features astonishing copyrighted photographs of about 180 species of beetles, for aesthetic purposes, but also of value for illustrations when teaching. All illustrations are arranged by Latin binomial, with emphasis on scarabs, buprestids, and longhorned beetles, but also including weevils, click beetles, and a few ground beetles. A moth page is under construction, and two lovely beetle books are for sale.

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This site is devoted to art created with paint, paper, and fly larvae as an entomological outreach project. It includes many full color images of art, and a page with supplies for purchase. Although intended for children, the information on the site can be applied by college students as an outreach exercise.

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A short but entertaining article detailing some of the many myths that abound about insects. Including the now famous cockroach-eggs-in-the-mouth story so popular with entomophobes.

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The website of NABS an international scientific community for the better understanding of organisms living on the bottoms of lakes and streams. Home of the journal of the North American Benthological Society. Links to annual meetings, education and outreach, jobs for students and postdocs are also accessible from this page.

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This website provides a bibliography of about 45 popular classics in entomology, written as early as 1895 to as late as 2002, that emphasize the human side of entomology. The list, compiled by Lou Bjostad (Colorado State University), includes works from 1895 to 2002 and is arranged alphabetically by author. These books will inspire a love for insects and a fascination for the natural history of insects. Included are a wide range of books, from well-known works such as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, to lesser known but, nonetheless, marvelous works such as Hans Zinsser's Rats, Lice, and History. All entomologists, as well as all biologists, should read everyone of these works.

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This well-produced web site by the USDA's Systematic Entomology Laboratory provides a database of Dr. Asa Fitch's (1809-1879) extensive but previously obscure notes -- 800 hand-written pages -- on 190 aphid taxa in PDF format (which, therefore, requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader). The database is searchable by genus and species, or all aphid pages can be browsed. An introductory page introduces Asa Fitch, the first state-appointed (New York) professional entomologist, and gives explanatory information about his prodigious and detailed notes. Fitch's notes provide not only information about aphids and plants, but also a glimpse into life in the mid-1800s.

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Japan has a long tradition of appreciating the songs of Orthoptera, and caged orthopterans are often kept as singing pets. This website presents photos of various singing insects (on a grid for sizing), as well as the Japanese common name and scientific name for each species, the time of year when they are found, and their habitat and distribution. The presentation is available in both English and Japanese languages. More than 90 songs are available for various Orthoptera (crickets, katydids, grasshoppers, and mole crickets); several additional songs are available for beetles and assassin bugs. Also available are more than 10 examples of chorusing orthopterans, as well as examples of variations in songs caused by temperature and other factors. Click on the Insect Sound links. Audio files are in MP3 and RealMedia format. Each song plays for roughly 10 to 30 seconds. This is a wonderful website.

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This website provides a wonderful, light-hearted but scientifically sound introduction to entomology, taught by Cornell University's Department of Entomology. The entire course is presented, complete with syllabus, lectures, and various downloadable handouts. It features about 20 lecture topics spread over 28 class periods, with excellent visual aids that can be downloaded in PowerPoint format. The course emphasizes insect biology and insect interactions with humans. Lecture topics include insect diversity, development, vision, communication, pollination, pest management, predators and parasitoids, societies, vectors of disease, and more. The course assumes no previous exposure to insect biology.

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This site deals with the great plague outbreak of 14th-century Europe, its causes, and its consequences for civilization. The site includes an overview of the rat flea (though with the classification showing order following family). Also included are colorful quotations of the time and a simplified transmission diagram.

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More than 75 frequently asked questions about cockroaches are here answered expertly by University of Massachusetts Amherst biologist Joseph Kunkel. Everything from how to determine the gender of roaches to why they sometimes die on their backs is authoritatively answered. From this page, one also can link to the cockroach home page, which includes much additional information about cockroaches.

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An American Entomologist article in PDF format detailing the prevalence and purpose of insects in various mythology from scarabs to locusts and Native Americans to ancient Egypt. The article includes a bibliography.

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This web site offers a review of the agricultural devastation and eventual extinction, in about 1902, of the Rocky Mountain Locust, a once phenomenally abundant insect. The site includes bibliographical references. The author (C. R. Bomar) includes nine study questions for discussion on issues of social responsibility, extinction, and conservation. This resource is also available in PDF format.

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An especially useful and entertaining site for debunking some of the most pernicious nonsense people accept as fact about arthropods. For some reason Spiders generate an awful lot of incorrect information. The famous "daddy-long-legs having the strongest venom" story is roundly put to rest here, but don't expect it to go away any time soon. People love that story!

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This electronic book, edited by Thomas J. Walker, currently contains 40 brief chapters, each chapter covering one insect record, such as longest migration, smallest adults, and largest eggs. The project was initiated by graduate students at the University of Florida, but is now open to anyone maintaining a high-level of scholarship in their contributions. The book of records is a great reference for those looking for fun, yet accurate, information about insects for undergraduate Entomology classes or simply to satisfy one's own curiosity. Chapters are prepared in journal style with an introduction, methods, results, discussion, and references for further study. The site is easy to use and contains more detail than one might expect. Information is searchable by chapter, by contents and by author.

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FAO AGRICULTURAL SERVICES BULLETIN No. 124 This is an online book published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. It deals in depth with products from bees, besides honey, wax, royal jelly, propolis, and venom are covered.

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This is an image rich site devoted to the raising of silk worms. There's a lot of history, some videos, and a great deal of information about working silk at home. A great resource for teaching students about the product and it's origin. Especially fun are the Japanese and Chinese terms often employed for various items, for instance "Kega" is a baby caterpillar. Valuable links are also included,

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This two-page guide for teachers uses termites as a springboard for writing conventions and skills. The exercise includes brainstorming questions and writing assignments. It allows a good deal of flexibility and imagination on the part of the students, although it will tend to evoke anthropomorphism. Students, for example, are asked to discuss how being "almost blind" or "living with 5 million of your brothers or sisters" might feel, and if they would "want to be the king or queen of a termite colony". Students are asked to obtain the necessary scientific information about termites from online sources, library books, encyclopedias, and other soures.

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This site offers a brief historical article by D. W. Tschanz about mosquito-borne yellow fever and its role in the mid-19th century Mexican-American War. No references are provided.

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