ABSTRACT
By about 10 000 years ago, with a social organization in place and nearly all major parts of the world populated, the stage was set for the advent of organized agriculture. The steps toward organized agriculture include large villages, food storage and seed storage. All these activities undoubtedly brought early humans into contact with insects, some of which became important pests of human food and shelter. Caves and even some shallow rock shelters provided a dependable and nearly uniform environment, in terms of temperature and humidity. Human society progressed from small bands of hunter-gatherers to organized large villages, and then to experimenting with the cultivation of plants and keeping animals for food and perhaps fuel. In southern Europe and the Mediterranean region the more complete transition from hunting, fishing and food gathering in small bands to organized agriculture, herding and semi-permanent villages took place about 8000 years ago.
