InsectSafari - Insect Safari, a site written by Orkin Pest Control together with the Smithsonian Institution, promises to be a really enjoyable site for kids. The Insect ID guide gives illustrations and profiles on appearance, diet and habitat for 11 insect species, with just the right amount of information for junior school children. The educational games, such as painting by computer, printouts etc. should keep them amused for hours. The section for teachers offers downloadable lessons on a variety of subjects from systematics, insect sense receptors, flying etc. for various grades of primary school kids, with printable handouts, teaching instructions etc. and notes for making models with (sigh) yet again the ubiquitous toilet roll. As this is a US site, emphasis is naturally given to their educational tour, with computer previews, and its itinerary. One word of warning, The games need Macromedia Flash Player/Shockwave Player 7. I recommend going straight to the Technical support page before letting youngsters get their hands on the program. Otherwise your computer will be endlessly interrupted by "download now?" adverts. etc. or worse get blocked for minutes on end (words of experience). Colourful, attractive and a good introduction to entomology for children. Rating: 9 out of 10 (23 January 2003) CCL
http://www.insectsafari.com/default_static.asp
Smithsonian Department of Entomology - Introduction to Entomology is the site of the Entomological section of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, last updated 4.6.2001. The site gives a general introduction to the science of Entomology, stressing its importance with statistics on pollination, tropical insect biomass etc. There is also a brief history of the Institution and a description of its work, present staff and of associated organisations, such as USDA (US Department of Agriculture) and WRBU together with links. The site also gives access to the NMNH database that undoubtedly holds a mine of information. It seems however to be addressed to those already in the know as it is very specific. No doubt some sectors are brimming with info, others seem to be lacking or are not yet ready for consulting - hymenoptera for example only contained data on ants. Like the database, the section on information to visitors again gives the impression that this site is addressed mainly to US residents, although there is plenty of information on how to apply to conduct research there. Rating: 6 out of 10 (2 November 2002) CCL
http://entomology.si.edu/
Featured Creatures - Great reference site for all sorts of entomological queries written by the University of Florida's Department of Entomology and Nematology and their Agriculture and Consumer Services. Simply search for the species you are looking for under the icons for common or scientific names, habitat or higher classification and without wasting time on introductory pre-amble, you get straight to what you are looking for. Together, the departments give an introduction to the species, distribution and life cycle as well as host range, biology, damage and management - plus lots of references. Aimed at Florida's residents, the site is obviously USA oriented and keen insect lovers will undoubtedly find some European spp. missing - but the authors are open to more suggestions. (18 August 2001) CCL
http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/
Auburn University Entomology & Plant Pathology - The main section of this comprehensive site covers a guide to the insects of Alabama trees, dividing them as pests of tree crowns, main stem and roots and root collars. "Crown insect pests", for example, is further divided into routes dealing with insects attacking foliage, buds and branches, flowers and fruits, which finally lead to the individual species. For all types of readers, the text amply covers life cycles as well as crop damage with excellent photos for identification. Unfortunately not all the orders are covered yet, so the best bet is to go directly to the "Web publications" icon if it's the natural history aspect you're interested in (bag worms, cicadas etc, etc,). Other interesting areas are Fire ants and Cockroaches. (12 August 2001) CCL
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/dept/ent/ent.html
Alien Empire - Want to learn more about how insects reproduce, live together and battle for survival? Alien World is a good place to start. Initially set up as a web companion to the TV documentary series 'Nature', the site itself has a lot to offer on the weird, complex and magical world of insects and is packed with graphics, sounds, animation and video clips that play an central part in presenting each of the insects featured. These include termites and the complex colonies that they inhabit, the female Mayfly (Dolania Americana) which spends a year or more living underwater in its aquatic nymph form before emerging as an adult for a mere five minutes of life, as well as general sections on topics such as insect aerodynamics. This is not an all-encompassing site and does not try to be, but as an inspiring sampler it is effective and certainly worth a look. (5 August 2001) TA
http://www.wnet.org/nature/alienempire/index.html
