Having trouble with a term found on this site? These pages might be helpful to you. Use the menu below to get around. You are currently exploring letters I-M.
I
- IGR (acronym) (eye Gee arr)
- Insect Growth Regulator: A substance or compound which has the ability to stop or hamper the development processes of an immature arthropod.
- Indigenous (inn-did-jen-uss)
- Of/from the area naturally, or naturally-occurring. A native species or one not introduced artificially.
- Insect (inn-sekT)
- An arthropod having 3 body parts (head, thorax, abdomen) and six legs. Most, not all, are winged as adults.
- Insectivore (inn-sekT-ah-Vorr)
- An organism which consumes insects only.
- Insectary (inn-sekT-ah-ree)
- An operation or system mass-producing insects, mites or nematodes for use in biocontrol activities.
- Instar (inN-STARr)
- A development stage of an insect. They will often molt between instars as they grow. These stages are typically numbered, first instar, second instar… an so on.
- Interveinal (inN-turr-vay-nal)
- The portion of a leaf between the leaf veins.
- In-vitro (inN-VEE-troh)
- To be reared or raised on an artificial or non-living host or development diet.
- In-vivo (inN-VEE-voh)
- To be reared or raised on a living host.
- IPM (Abbreviation) (eye Pee emm)
- Integrated Pest Management: Multifaceted pest management where one would use two or more control techniques. In the sense it is used here it involves the use of biocontrol agents, traps, physical means, even, to get all liberal on you and all, chemicals as well.
[Menu]
J
- Juvenile (joo-Ven-Nile)
- Immature stage, young. You no doubt knew this already.
[Menu]
K
- Kairomone (kyy-roh_MONe)
- An allelochemic substance produced by a pest which elicits a response in predators and parasitoids. In this case, body odor kills.
[Menu]
L
- Larvae (s. larva) (lahR-Vayy)
- Larval. A second-stage form of an immature insect which undergoes a complete metamorphosis. The stage before the larval stage would be egg, the stage after would be pupa, and after that is adulthood. A caterpillar is a larva. So is a grub, and so is a “crawler.”
- Lipids (liP-Pidz)
- Fatty cells. An insect (or any living thing which has them), lives on them between finding and consuming meals. During that time their bodies will consume their own lipids (and eggs will be re-absorbed in females as well).
[Menu]
M
- Macro (macK-Kroh)
- Being large. In the case here, insects are macroscopic when compared to bacteria which are microscopic.
- Mesophyll (mezzo-Fill)
- Leaf tissue capable of photosynthesis located between the upper and lower leaf skin surfaces.
- Metamorphosis (met-tah-MORe-FOh-siss)
- Pertains to the development of arthropods. A change. Some insects undergo a complete metamorphosis going from egg, to numbered larval instars, to the drastic pupal stage to, adulthood. Others undergo an incomplete metamorphosis, going from egg, to numbered nymphal stages, to adulthood, all seemingly more gradual and less dramatic.
- Micro (myKe-Kroh)
- Being small. Something microscopic which cannot be detected with the unaided human eye. In other uses, a tiny environment, a microclimate, encompassing nothing more than a single leaf.
- Microclimate (myKe-Kroh-klii-mahte)
- The temperature, humidity, dew point and other climatic conditions specific to a tiny given area. The conditions within the foliage of a plant for example.
- Microorganism (myKe-Kroh-ORR-GaN-izm)
- A microscopic plant or animal.
- Mini-wasps (minn-ee wass’p’s)
- Any sort of stingless parasitoid belonging to the order Hymenoptera and used — by humans or naturally — to attack specific pests insects.
- Molt (mollT)
- An insect undergoing metamorphosis, whether complete or incomplete, will molt or shed its cuticle as it gets older and out grows its old cuticle.
- Monitoring (mohn-it-Torr-ing)
- Using traps, micro- and macroscopic devices to keep an eye on pest levels and fluctuations.
- Monoculture (mohN-oh-Kul-tuur)
- A crop consisting on a single plant type or variety.
- Multicellular (mull-Tee-SELL-uu-larr)
- Organisms consisting or more than one cell. From large animals to tiny insects, all have this in common.
- Mummies (muMM-eez)
- A type of pupal casing created by the host insect’s exoskeleton. This, for example is the result of parasitism by Aphidius species.
[Menu]