Fundamentals of Entomology

Insect dominance

• Insects are the most dominant species on the earth as they originated on earth 480 million years ago. Among 1.7 million living species, 0.95 million species are insects.

Insect Order	Number of species
Coleoptera (Beetles and weevils)	3,50,000
Lepidoptera (Butterflies and moths)	1,60,000
Hymenoptera (Bees, wasps and ants)	1,20,000
Diptera (Flies and mosquitoes)	1,20,000
Hemiptera (Bugs)	98,000
Orthoptera (Grasshoppers, crickets and locust)	20,000

Honey Bee Bioecology