Beneficial effects:

1. Pollination-:

• Insects such as honey bees, beetles and wasps aid in pollinating our crops and fruit trees.
• Crops in Rosaceae, Cucurbitaceae and Leguminosae are exclusively pollinated by bee. It is estimated that 80% of the commercial food crops are pollinated by honey bees.

2. Bio-control agents-

• Some parasitic and predatory insects are excellent bio-control agents for controlling other injurious insects.
• Example Encarsia formosa is an excellent bio-control agent for white flies on tomatoes and potatoes.

3. Production of products –

• Honey, wax, silk (from Bombyx mori), shellac (from Laccifer lacca) and cochineal (red dye widely used in cosmetics, medicinal and food products) derived from, scale insect, Dactylopius coccus.

4. Nutrient recycling –

• Insects feed on dead and decaying plants, animals and animal excreta and help in recycling the nutrients.
• Some insects burrow into soils and improve the soil structure and texture. Examples are dung feeders dung beetles and termites.

5. Source of food –

• over 500 species of insects are used as food by humans – usually crickets, grasshoppers, beetle, wasp, butterfly larvae, bugs etc.

6. Insects useful as drugs, ornaments and scientific research-

• As medicine e.g. Sting of honey bees- remedy for rheumatism and arthritis.
• Eanthoridin – extracted from blister beetle –useful as hair tonic.
• Ornaments, entertainers -Artists and designers copy color of butterflies. , Beetles worm as necklace.
• Scientific research -Drosophila and mosquitoes are useful in genetic and toxicological studies respectively.