ABSTRACT
Entomology is ‘‘the study of insects,’’ according to the Oxford Dictionary of Biology, 4th edition, 2000. Strictly speaking, the true insects are only those belonging to the class Insecta, which does not include the spiders and other animals often thought of as insects such as millipedes or ticks. However, this chapter includes material on both insects and their close relatives because many resources treat these related groups together. Applied entomology is largely excluded, although some basic tools are mentioned.
