NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL LIBRARY ARCHIVED FILE Archived files are provided for reference ...

244 Pages·2015·1.78 MB·English

NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL LIBRARY ARCHIVED FILE
Archived files are provided for reference purposes only. This file was current when produced, but is no
longer maintained and may now be outdated. Content may not appear in full or in its original format.
All links external to the document have been deactivated. For additional information, see
http://pubs.nal.usda.gov.
United States
Department of Information Resources on the Care
Agriculture
and Use of Insects
1968-2004
Agricultural
Research
Service
AWIC Resource Series No. 25
National
Agricultural June 2004
Library

Compiled by:
Animal Welfare
Gregg B. Goodman, M.S.
Information
Animal Welfare Information Center
Center
National Agricultural Library
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Published by:
U. S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
National Agricultural Library
Animal Welfare Information Center
Beltsville, Maryland 20705
Contact us : http://awic.nal.usda.gov/contact-us
Web site: http://awic.nal.usda.gov
Policies and Links
Adult Giant Brown Cricket
Insecta > Orthoptera > Acrididae
Tropidacris dux (Drury)
Photographer: Ronald F. Billings
Texas Forest Service
www.insectimages.org

Contents
How to Use This Guide
Insect Models for Biomedical Research [pdf]
Laboratory Care / Research | Biocontrol | Toxicology
World Wide Web Resources

How to Use This Guide*

Insects offer an incredible advantage for many different fields of research. They are relatively easy to rear and
maintain. Their short life spans also allow for reduced times to complete comprehensive experimental studies. The
introductory chapter in this publication highlights some extraordinary biomedical applications. Since insects are so
ubiquitous in modeling various complex systems such as nervous, reproduction, digestive, and respiratory, they are the
obvious choice for alternative research strategies. Their opportunities lie vastly unexplored.
Insects’ biological processes are temperature dependant and they have allowed us to view biochemical
pathways and intermediate steps in ways that would be impossible with other warm blooded animal models. They are
an economical alternative to vertebrate models and less labor intensive than more traditional laboratory animals. From
a societal standpoint, invertebrates may be more acceptable for research than vertebrates. Many scientists, either by
law or policy, are required to consider ways to reduce the number of animals proposed for an experiment, refine their
techniques to minimize pain and distress, and replace with a non-animal model or a phylogenetically lower species.
Since research has not yet shown invertebrate cognition of what would be considered pain in mammals and birds, their
use is also a refinement alternative.
This guide, Information Resources on the Care and Use of Insects, provides a snapshot of how insects are being
used in research and industry. The citations included also review how they are utilized, cultured, reared, and housed in
the laboratory and elsewhere. References extracted scan the publication years 2004 to approximately 1968 and
resulted from searching numerous scientific and technical databases. The call number is included for materials in the
National Agricultural Library’s (NAL) collection. Information on how to obtain copies of articles mentioned in the
bibliography are available from the National Agricultural Library's at http://www.nal.usda.gov/borrow-materials.
The websites and organizations at the end of some sections are current through August 2004. They were found
by running general searches on the World Wide Web. As sites can become outdated or relocated and new sites
emerge, a general search on one of the commercial search engines should help locate address changes or new sites if
the addresses included no longer function.
* Information included in this portion of this publication and other web-resources sections were adapted from
Information Resources for the Care and Use of Invertebrates (published previously in AWIC by Michael D. Kreger,
Ph.D.) and included with his permission.
The author gratefully acknowledges the staff members of the Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC): Barbara
Buchanan for her assistance in review of the printed version and preparation of the web publication, D’Anna Jensen
for help with the creation of the index, and Jean Larson for editing and overall guidance/ support.

The Animal Welfare Information Center, http://awic.nal.usda.gov/contact-us
http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/pubs/Labinsects/labinsects.htm
August 4, 2004
[Reproduced with permission from CRC Press (see Table of Contents for details).]