A glossary of technical terms used on this site.
- Abdomen
- the posterior of the three body divisions of an insect
- a.i.
- active ingredient
- Alatae
- winged forms
- Apex (pl. Apices)
- top
- Apterae
- wingless forms
- Bacillus thuringiensis
- a spore forming bacterium which can be used to control certain insect pests especially caterpillars
- Bait
- usually poisoned foodstuff used to attract and kill insects
- Caterpillar
- larva of an insect belonging to the order Lepidoptera
- Chemical control
- control of insects with insecticides
- Coleoptera
- insect order containing beetles
- Cultural control
- control of insects by using farming methods which either destroy the insects or prevent rapid population growth
- Dead heart
- a symptom of insect damage in which the central shoot of the plant dies
- Diapause
- a period of dormancy during which the development of the insect is arrested
- Diptera
- insect order containing flies
- Distal
- near or towards the end of an appendage
- Dust
- an insecticide which is formulated to be used as a dry powder
- e.c.
- emulsifiable concentrate
- Elytron
- a thickened, leathery or hard front wing
- Entomology
- the study of insects
- Entomophagous
- feeding on insects
- Family
- a subdivision of an order, containing a group of related genera; family names always end in: idae
- Genus
- a group of closely related species; genus names are written with a capital and should be printed either in italics or underlined
- Gramineae
- a family of plants; grasses (including cereals)
- Granule
- particle of inert material which is mixed or impregnated with a pesticide
- Grub
- a thick bodies larva of a beetle with thoracic legs and a well developed head
- Hatch
- break out of the egg
- Hemelytron
- Front wing with a thickened basal part and a membranous tip
- Hemiptera
- insect order containing two suborders: Heteroptera and Homoptera
- Heteroptera
- suborder of Hemiptera: bugs
- Homoptera
- suborder of Hemiptera: cicadas, hoppers, psyllids, whiteflies, aphids and scale insects
- Host
- the plant on which an insect feeds
- Hymenoptera
- insect order containing bees, wasps and ants
- Imago
- the adult stage of an insect
- Instar
- the insect between two successive molts; the first instar is the larva which hatches from the egg
- IPM
- Integrated Pest Management
- Isoptera
- insect order containing termites
- i.u.
- international units; indicating the toxicity of the product
- Larva
- the immature stage between egg and pupa of insects with a complete metamorphosis
- Leaf miner
- an insect that lives between the lower and upper surface of a leaf feeding on the leaf cells
- Lepidoptera
- insect order containing butterflies and moths
- Maggot
- larva of Diptera; they are legless and do not have a distinct head capsule
- Metamorphosis
- a change in form during the development
- Mine
- tunnel inside a leaf
- Nocturnal
- active at night
- Nymph
- an immature stage of an insect that does not have a pupal stage
- Order
- a subdivision of a class containing a group of related families; the class Hexapoda (insects) contains about 30 different orders
- Orthoptera
- insect order containing grasshoppers and crickets
- Ovipositor
- the external genitalia of a female insect
- Parasite
- an animal that lives in or on the body of another living animal (the host) at least during a part of its life cycle; it feeds on the tissues of the host; entomophagous insect parasites usually kill their host in the end
- Pest insect
- an insect causing damage to man’s crops, domestic animals or possessions
- Phytophagous
- feeding on plants
- Posterior
- hind or rear
- Predator
- an animal that attacks and feeds on other animals (the prey); the prey is killed and usually mostly or entirely eaten
- Proleg
- a fleshy abdominal leg of certain insect larvae
- Pupa
- the stage between larva and adult in insect with a complete metamorphosis; it is a non feeding and usually inactive stage
- Seed dressing
- seed treatment; mixing seed before sowing with a protectant chemical, often a combination of an insecticide and a fungicide
- Siphunculi
- a pair of dorsal tube like structures on the posterior part of the body of aphids
- s.p.
- soluble powder
- Species
- a group of individuals having some common characteristics which are able to breed with each other but not with other groups of individuals; division of a genus
- Spiracle
- breathing pore
- Thorax
- the body region behind the head which bears the legs and the wings
- Thysanoptera
- insect order containing thrips
- Tillering
- producing shoots from the lower part of the plant
- u.l.v. (or ulv)
- ultra low volume
- Vector
- an insect which is able to transmit viruses or other pathogens
- Window
- a small hole in the leaf with one epidermis left intact
- Wingspan
- the measurement across the wings when they are extended
- w.p.
- wettable powder
You can also search in the Glossary of Entomology.