Entomology Undergraduate Courses

Entomology Undergraduate Courses

ENY 2040	THE INSECTS		3 CREDITS
Instructor: DR. DONALD W. HALL
Prerequisites: None
General Description: An introduction to insect biology, insect-organism interaction and insect association with man. Features discussion of basic biological principles using insects as examples.
Grading: Class grades will be based upon five quizzes and the final examination.
Course Outline:
Introduction		Film: Birth of the Bees
Zoological nomenclature: insect relatives		Communication (visual, sound, chemical)
The “process” of science		Adaptive coloration
Spiders and relatives		Film: Insectivorous Plants
Insect development		Pollination biology
Classification of insects: Geological history of insects		Honey bees
Orders of insects: Thysanura, Ephemeroptera, Odonata, Blattodea Mantodea, Orthoptera, Phasmatoidea, Isoptera, Dermaptera Psocoptera, Thysanoptera, Phthiraptera, Hemiptera, Neuoptera Hemiptera, Neuroptera (including Megaloptera) Coleoptera, Siphonaptera Diptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera
		Insects in art, religion, music, commercials, literature
		Medical and veterinary entomology
		Medical importance of insects
		Screwworms and sterile males
		Beneficial insects
		Ecological consideration in insect control
		Insecticides “pro” and “con”
		Insect Pest Management
Texts: Berchbaum, M.R. 1989. Ninety-nine gnats, nits, and nibblers. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, IL.

ENY 3005	PRINCIPLES OF ENTOMOLOGY		3 CREDITS
Instructor: STAFF
Prerequisites: None
General Description: A survey of the major groups of insects and their biology. Students will learn the major features of the physiology, behavior, ecology, control, and identification of insects. The course will consist of two hours of lecture and a 2-hour laboratory each week.
Grading: The grade will be based on two lecture examinations, a variable number of lecture quizzes, weekly laboratory quizzes, a laboratory final and an insect collection. The laboratory grade will count as half of the course grade.
Course Outline:
Introduction, zoological nomenclature 1-24; 413-419		Semiochemicals
Insect relatives		Pollination by insects
Insect classification and metamorphosis		Social insects
Insect orders		Adaptive coloration
External morphology and the insect integument		Phytophagous insects
Insect development		Medical and veterinary importance of insects
Digestion and excretion		Household insects
Ventilation and circulation		Insecticides
The nervous system		Insect pest management
Reproduction and mating behavior
Texts: Evans, H.E. 1984. Insect biology. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. Borror, D.J., and White, R.E. 1970. Guide to the insects. Houghton Mifflin Co.

ENY 3030	INSECT FIELD BIOLOGY	3 CREDITS
Instructor: DR. DONALD W. HALL
Prerequisites: None
General Description: The course consists of a series of field exercises with insects with emphasis on those of special interest and usefulness to teachers. There will also be exercises on the identification of the orders and common families of insects, and students will be required to learn common names of 100 common Florida insects (including 24 common butterflies). Part of each period will be devoted to general insect collecting. A course collection is required. The course meets for two 4-hour laboratory periods each week.
Grading: Grades will be based on a course portfolio (100 points), a final practical examination (100 points), and an insect collection (100 points).
Course Outline:
Identification of classes of arthropods and orders of insects
The leaf litter insect community; the dung insect community
The carrion insect community, the insects associated with logs and dead trees
Insects micro-communities (Bidens flower head and acorn communities)
Insect pollination biology and insect - extrafloral nectary relationships
Common ants and their behavior
The predatory behavior of tiger beetle and antlion larvae
Aquatic insects: flowing water, standing water (including artificial containers)
Bark beetles and long-horned beetles
Texts: Borror, D.J., and White, R.E. 1970. A field guide to the insects. Gerberg, E., and Arnett, R. 1989. Florida butterflies. Feinsinger, P., and Minno, M. Handbook to schoolyard plants and animals of north central Florida.

ENY 3222C	BIOLOGY AND ID OF URBAN PESTS (URBAN ENTOMOLOGY)		2 CREDITS
Instructor: DR. PHILIP G. KOEHLER
Prerequisites: ENY 3005 or equivalent
When Offered: Summer A of even years
General Description: Biology, identification, and management of household, structural, and occasional pests. Course will focus on the main pest species that occur in urban environments. The course will consist of two lectures and one 2-period lecture/lab session per week.
Grading: Five weekly quizzes on Friday (50% of grade), comprehensive final exam and laboratory practical (50% of grade).
Course Outline:
Urban entomology overview Types of pests and damage Ecology and behavior of urban pests General management considerations		Stored food pests Pests of whole grain Pests of processed grain General feeders General concepts of control Commodity fumigation
Termites Subterranean Drywood Dampwood Concepts of insect societies Recognition of damage General concepts for control and protection
		Fabric pests and delusory parasitosis Clothes moths Carpet beetles General concepts of control Methods of dealing with delusory parasites
Other wood-destroying organisms Powderpost beetles Carpenter bees Carpenter ants Woodwasps General concepts of control		Occasional pests Spiders Centipedes Millipedes Beetles Moths
Cockroaches Principal species Biology and ecology of domestic species Biology and ecology of periodomestic species Methods of detection General concepts of control		Venomous insects Wasps Bees Other biting pests
		Ectoparasites Lice Fleas Mites Ticks General concepts of control
Flies Biology and ecology of filth flies Biology and ecology of biting flies Recognition of major pest species General concepts of control
		Moisture-related pests
Ants Principal species Social structure of ant colonies Nesting sites General concepts of control		Vertebrate pests Mice Rats Snakes Birds General concepts of control
Texts: Ebeling, W. 1976. Urban entomology.
Supplemental Reading: Mallis, A. (ed.). 1990. Handbook of pest control. 6th Ed. Bennett, G., Corrigan, R., and Owens, J. 1988. Scientific guide to pest control operations. 4th Ed.

ENY 3225C	PRINCIPLES OF URBAN PEST MANAGEMENT		2 CREDITS
Instructor: DR. PHILIP G. KOEHLER
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
When Offered: Summer A of odd years
General Description: Methods of controlling household, structural, and occasional pests. Course will focus on the methods of chemical and nonchemical control used in urban entomology. The course will consist of two lectures and one lecture/lab session per week.
Grading: Five weekly quizzes on Friday (50% of grade), final exam (50% of grade).
Course Outline:
Overview of urban pest control Methods of urban pest control History of urban pest control Chemophobia vs chemical sensitivities		Field trip for German cockroach control
		Methods of pretreatment for subterranean termite control Soil and wood treatment Length of residual Concepts of control application Chemical and nonchemical control measures
Chemicals used for urban pest control Botanicals, organophosphates Carbamates, pyrethroids, synergists Concepts of toxicity, manufacturing, and nomenclature
		Field trip for subterranean termite control
Formulations used for urban pest control Solutions, emulsions, suspensions, dusts Aerosols -- residual vs non-residual Performance on surfaces, toxicity, and properties		Methods of remedial treatment for subterranean termite control Equipment used to ingest termiticides Calibration of equipment Chemical and nonchemical control measures
Equipment used for urban pest control Hand-compressed air sprayers Hydraulic sprayers, dusters Power aerosol generators Crack and crevice injection devices Granular applicators Concepts of application technology		Methods of drywood termite and powderpost beetle control Chemicals used for control Principles of fumigation Equipment used to monitor airborne concentrations
Methods of German cockroach control Chemical methods of control Nonchemical methods of control Surveillance for Types of infested locations Concepts of scheduling and applying control technologies		Methods of vertebrate pest control Anticoagulants Single dose toxicants Methods of baiting Nonchemical control strategies
		Field trip on vertebrate pest control
Texts: Mallis, A. (ed.). 1990. Handbook of pest control. 6th Ed.
Supplemental Reading: Ebeling, W. 1976. Urban entomology. Bennett, G., Corrigan, R., and Owens, J. 1988. Scientific guide to pest control operations. 4th Ed.

ENY 3541	TREE AND SHRUB INSECTS		3 CREDITS
Instructor: DR. JOHN L. FOLTZ
Prerequisites: None
General Description: The lecture portion of the course will emphasize the biology, ecology, and management options for a number of insects affecting woody plants. The laboratory sessions will introduce insect physiology, morphology, and taxonomy and then cover techniques for detecting, identifying, evaluating, and controlling pest populations.
Grading: The course grade will be calculated from at least two major exams, a number of short quizzes, a collection of pest signs and symptoms, and a library research report.
Course Outline:
Introduction, history, and overview		Root-feeding insects
Woody plants and their mechanisms for coping with insects		Boring insects
Insect population dynamics		Sucking Insects
Natural enemies		Gallmaking insects
Applied controls		Other plant-damaging animals
Leaf-feeding insects
Texts: Johnson, W.T., and Lyon, H.H. 1988. Insects that feed on trees and shrubs. 2nd Ed. Ithaca, NY: Cornell Univ. Press. Borror, D.J. and White, R.E. A field guide to the insects of America north of Mexico. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.

ENY 3563	TROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY	3 CREDITS
Instructor: DR. J. HOWARD FRANK
Prerequisites: ENY 3005C or equivalent
General Description: An introduction to tropical insects with emphasis on natural history, ecology and behavior. The course will have three 1-hour lectures per week. It is designed for students who have not had experience in the tropics. Students will learn about insects in natural ecosystems and in agroecosystems.
Grading: One final examination requiring brief answers to any 30 out of 45 questions.
Course Outline:
The physical, chemical, and biotic worlds
Biogeographic regions and biodiversity. Eurasia, Africa, Australasia, and Oceania. Darwin and Wallace
The Americas and their biogeography and biodiversity, contrasting boreal regions with the tropics. Humboldt
Entomology and entomologists in the Neotropics; ants in the tropics; termites in the tropics
Phytotelmata: bromeliads, Heliconia bracts, aroid axils, pitcher plants, cacao husks, bamboo internodes, and treeholes as habitat for aquatic insects in the tropics
Medical entomology in the tropics: Diptera, Hemiptera, etc., their habitats, behavior and ecology; diseases they transmit; methods of control
Neotropical crops and stenophagous insects: A case of coevolution?
Entomology of palms: Example, coconut palm (Cocos nucifera)
Entomology of wild figs (Ficus spp.); entomology of cash crops: example, sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)
Entomology of tropical staples: Example, maize (corn, mais, Zea mays)
Entomology of topical fruits: Example, mango (Mangifera indica)
Entomology of tropical root crops: Example, cassava (manihot, mandioca, yuca, Manihot esculenta)
An overview of insects in the neotropics
Texts: Readings will be provided from several sources.
Supplemental Reading: Young, A.M. 1982. Population biology of tropical insects. Plenum. New York.

ENY 3564L	TROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY FIELD LABORATORY	3 CREDITS
Instructor: DR. J. HOWARD FRANK
Prerequisites: ENY 3563
General Description: This is the laboratory for ENY 3563. An introduction to tropical insects with emphasis on natural history, ecology and behavior. Students will visit a tropical country and will be shown the insect fauna of various natural ecosystems and agroecosystems. Each student will be assigned a small project to be accomplished in the field and reported on (to the assembled class) in the final day. Duration of trip will be ten days from departure to return.
Grading: Project report due on final day in the field to be presented verbally to all participants and in writing, to describe objectives, results, and how it could have been done better if you know at the start what you know now.

ENY 4161	INSECT CLASSIFICATION		3 CREDITS
Instructor: DR. JOHN T. ZENGER
Prerequisites: ENY 3005 or consent of instructor
General Description: A study of the insect orders, key families and subfamilies emphasizing their evolutionary relationships. The basic concepts of speciation, classification, and nomenclature will be covered as well as proper collecting, preservation and curatorial techniques. The course consists of a single 1-hour lecture and two 2-hour laboratories per week. Numerous field collecting trips will be taken during laboratory times.
Grading: Grades will be based on weekly quizzes, a midterm examination, an extensive insect collection, and laboratory practical examination.
Course Outline:
Preparation of specimens and curatorial techniques		Homoptera - Neuroptera
Species concepts and speciation		Coleoptera
Phenetic, cladistic, and evolutionary classifications		Strepsiptera
Orders: Protura - Ephemeroptera		Diptera
Odonata - Orthoptera		Trichoptera
Mantodea - Zoraptera		Lepidoptera
Hemiptera		Hymenoptera
Texts: Borror, D.J., Triplehorn, C.A., and Johnson, N.F. 1989. An introduction to the study of insects. 6th Ed. Sanders College Publishing, Chicago, IL.

ENY 4453	BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SYSTEMATICS OF INSECTS		3 CREDITS
Instructor: DR. JAMES E. LLOYD
Prerequisites: None
General Description: Survey of concepts and theory of teleonomy (adaptation and natural selection thinking), and theory and practice of biosystematics and museum technique.
Grading: Quizzes (10%), midterm and final exams (60%), insect collection, unknowns, discussion, reports, lab (30%).
Course Outline (lecture and discussion topics—additional topics may be brought up):
Interrelationship of behavioral ecology and systematics		Taxonomy and nomenclature
The species problem and how to solve it		Evolutionary stable strategies
Interrelationship of science and culture		Sexual selection and sperm competition
Systematics, the queen of biological science		Natural selection in nature
Classical genetics and insects		“Instinct” and learning in insects
Population genetics		Quantification of behavior
Natural selection and evolution		Cladistics and kin
Adaptation		Chemical ecology
Speciation		Migration
Laboratories and Field Trips:
Collecting techniques		Butterfly migration
Sampling techniques		Aggressive mimicry
Curating techniques		Identification of insects
Taxonomic keys		Quantifying behavior
Behavior and taxonomy		Marking insects for individuality
Chemical communication in ants		On approaching a brand-new problem
Constructing insect phylogenies
Texts: None.
Supplemental Texts: Krebs, J.R., and Davies, N.B. (ed.). 1984. Behavioral ecology: An evolutionary approach. 2nd Ed. Sinauer, Sanderland. MA. 493 pp. Holldobler, B., and Lindaeur, M. (ed.). 1985. Experimental behavioral ecology and sociobiology. Sinauer, Sanderland. MA. 488 pp. Brown, L., and Downhower, J.F. 1988. Analyses in behavioral ecology: A manual for lab and field. Sinauer, Sunderland. MA. 194 pp. Morse, D.H. 1980. Behavioral mechanisms in ecology. Harvard, Cambridge. 383 pp. Martin, P., and Bateson, P. 1987. Measuring behavior: An introductory guide. Cambridge, London. 200 pp. Lloyd, J.E. (ed.). 1980-1984. Symposia in insect behavioral ecology. Florida Entomologist. Vols. 63-68. Futuyama, D.J. 1986. Evolutionary biology. 2nd Ed. Sinauer, Sunderland. MA. 600 pp. Hennig, W. 1981. Insect phylogeny. 1981. John Wiley and Sons, New York. 514 pp. Otte, D., and Endler, J. (ed.). 1989. Speciation and its consequences. Sinauer, Sunderland. MA. Thornhill, R., and Alcock, J. 1983. The evolution of insect mating systems. Harvard, Cambridge. 547 pp.
Journals:
Systematic Zoology	Evolution	Animal Behavior	Cladistics
Environmental Entomology	Journal of the History of Biology	Insect Behavior	American Naturalist

ENY 4455	SOCIAL INSECTS	3 CREDITS
Instructor: DR. H. GLENN HALL
Prerequisites: Introductory entomology (preferably) or zoology
When Offered: Spring semesters
General Description: This course has two 1-hour lectures and one 3-hour laboratory a week. The course will introduce students to the unique characteristics of social wasps, ants, bees, and termites: their natural history; their division of roles and morphological differentiation into castes; their social behavior; and their evolution (genetic and ecological factors responsible). Laboratory exercises will include: taxonomic identification of the common social insects, particularly those in Florida; examination of the structure of different social insect nests; methods for establishing nests and rearing social insects, specifically ants, bumble bees, and honey bees (beekeeping, queen rearing and insemination); recruitment by ants to resources; communication dances of honey bees; and kin recognition in ants and bees.
Special Note: The laboratory exercises with live insects are designed to greatly minimize the chances that students will be stung. However, given that some chance persists, this course cannot be taken by those who have an anaphylactic reaction to insect stings.
Grading: Grade will be based on four quizzes, four lab reports, and one final exam. For graduate level credit, the grade will also include that from a written report and oral discussion of a current scientific paper on social insects.
Course Outline:
Introduction and natural history. The importance of social insects; systematic positions of social insects; degrees of social behavior; social wasps; social bees; honey bees; ants; termites; social behavior in other insects.
Sex and caste determination.
Group effects and control of nestmates. Control of gyne production and worker laying; division of labor; colony multiplication; swarming.
Communication and pheromones. Alarm and assembly; recruitment; dance language hypothesis and controversy; kin recognition; food exchange and grooming.
The evolution of social behavior. Genetic theory of social behavior; parental manipulation and nutrition; mutualism.
Symbiosis and the superorganism concept. Symbioses among social insects and arthropods; social homeostasis; social insects as superorganisms.
Texts: Wilson, E.O. The insect societies. 1971. Harvard University Press. Hölldobler, B., and Wilson, E.O. 1994. Journey to the ants. Harvard University Press. Selected readings from texts and articles on library reserve.

ENY 4571	APICULTURE		3 CREDITS
Instructor: DR. MALCOLM T. SANFORD
Prerequisites: None
General Description: A study of the life processes, organization and management of honey bees. The major focus is to provide a practical background to successfully maintaining a colony of bees. The course has two 1-hour lectures and a 3-hour laboratory per week.
Grading: Course grade is derived from quizzes and practical exams in the laboratory.
Course Outline:
History and importance of honey bees		Races of bees
Major developments in beekeeping		General management of colonies
Colony life		Nectar and pollen sources
Diseases and enemies		Products of the hive
Behavior		Management for pollination
Texts: Sanford, M.T. 1990. Apiculture workbook (copies available from the author)

ENY 4660	MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY	3 CREDITS
Instructor: DR. JERRY F. BUTLER
Prerequisites: ENY 3005 or permission of instructor.
General Description: The biology, distribution, identification, disease relationships, and control of arthropods affecting the health of man and domestic animals. The course has two lectures and a 3-hour laboratory each week. A collection is required.
Grading: There will be several 10-point quizzes, a midterm (100 points) and a final examination (100 points). The laboratory grade will be one-third of the course grade and will be based on weekly identification quizzes (10 points), a final practical examination (100 points) and a collection (100 points).
Course Outline:
History of medical and veterinary entomology
Epidemiology
Cockroaches
Hemiptera (and Chagas’ disease)
Anoplura (epidemic typhus and relapsing fever) and mallophaga
Nematocera - Ceratopogonidae and Phlebotomine sand flies (viruses and leishmaniasis)
Nematocera - black flies (Leucocytozoon and onchocerciasis)
Nematocera - mosquitoes (viruses, malaria, and filariasis)
Horse flies, deer flies, and snipe flies
Muscoid flies and louse flies
Myiasis
Fleas (tapeworms, murine typhus, plague)
Mites and mite-borne diseases
Ticks and tick-borne diseases
Arthropod venoms and allergens
Texts: Harwood and James. 1979. Entomology in human and animal health. Furman and Catts. 1982. Manual of medical entomology. Darsie and Ward. 1981. Identification and geographical distribution of the mosquitoes of North America, North of Mexico.