HISTORY OF

ENTOMOLOGY
Early History
• About 3100 BC – earliest graphic record of
insect found in Egyptian document as kingdom
symbol, the Oriental hornet; SN: Vespa
orientalis

• Aristotle (284-322 BC)

• Father of Zoology
• Founder of General Entomology and
Entomology as Science
Early History
• Pliny the Elder (79-23 AD) – Roman author
published 37 books in Historia Naturales (11th
book devoted entirely on insect during 77 AD)
• Dioscorides (60 AD) – Greek military surgeon
described the significance of insect to
pharmacology
• Beetles containing cantharidin when killed over steam or glowing
ashes, preserved and added to other medicaments were used to
treat leprosy, carcimonas, herpes and dropsy
• Francisco Redi (1626–1697) – disproved the
theory of spontaneous generation with the aid of
housefly maggot
Early History
• John Ray (1627-1705) – wrote the Historia
Insectorium, the first publication on insect life
histories
• Rene Antoine Ferchault de Reaumur (1683-1757)
– initiated the modern entomology and produced the
well-illustrated classification, the first and original
compendium of entomology
• Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778) – Father of
Taxonomy who introduced the modern system of
binomial nomenclature and published the Systema
Naturae (classification of living things)
Early History
• Johann Christian Fabricius (1521-1899) –
student of Linnaeus who published Systema
Entomologica
• Pigafetta (1521-1899) – Italian historian who
made the first written record of an insect in the
Phil., the leaf insect in Palawan in 1521 voyage of
Magellan
• Spanish missionary Father Galliana -
introduced silkworm rearing in the Philippines in
1593 and re-introduced in 1780 but did not
prosper
Early American Occupation
• Charles Banks (1902 –1904)
• an American who was the first Phil. gov’t entomologist
• published various aspects of Economic Entom, Medical
Entom and systematics
• published pest of cacao (1904)
• C. Licudan (1908) – published about Phil. Mosquitoes
• 1909 – Dept. of Entomology was established at UPCA
Los Baños headed by E.M Ledyard
• 1910 – Bureau of Agriculture created an Entom section
• 1911 – F.O. Cevallos presented earliest works on the
use of chemicals for pest control in the Phil.
Early American Occupation
• 1912 – end of the first quarantine law (RA 2145)
• RA 2145 – An act to prevent introduction in the Phil. Island of
plant diseases and epidemic
• Became RA 2515 – An act prohibiting the exportation from
and importation into the Phil. Island of diseased planting
materials
• Mitzmain (1913) – who first established
veterinary entomology in the country
• Surra, a disease of carabao is transmitted by common
housefly (SN: Tabanus stratus fabricius)
• C. Schultz (1913) – first attempt of using Italian
bees in beekeeping in the Phil.
Early American Occupation
• 1915 – Locust Act No. 2472 was enacted by the
Bureau of Agriculture on locust campaign
program
• Leopoldo B. Uichanco (1915) – first Filipino
Entomology instructor
• 1916-1917 – Catalogue of Phil. Coleoptera
published by W. Schultz
Onward Years . . .
• H.E. Woodworth (1921-1922) – published the
first comprehensive host index of insects injurious
to Phil. Crops
• 1923 – use of soap as an effective contact
insecticide on the control of migratory locust
• 1924 – Locust Scouting Act 3163 was enacted
• 1925 – first flight for locust control
• G. Ocfemia (1926) reported abaca bunchy top
virus aphid transmission (vector: Pentalonia
nigronervosa)
Onward Years . . .
• 1927 - Manalang use of Paris Green as
larvaccide for mosquitoes
• 1928-1929 – introduction of biocontrol agents by
UPCA Dept. of Entom
• 1929 – C. Bulligan studied on corn borer (SN:
Ostrinia furnicalis), a serious pest of corn
• 1931 – De Mesa first reported on forest insect
(wood borer) in the Makiling Echo Journal
10(1):15-19
Onward Years . . .
• 1931 – Extensive biological studies on white grab
(Leucopholis irrorata) by Uichanco and Otanes
• 1932 – Clemente studied mutation on Phil. Wild
Drosophila
• 1933- First study on pesticide residue on
vegetable crop dusted and sprayed with
arsemicals (by J. Samson)
• 1934-1936 – Russel and Balsas published the
first illustrated key to the Phil. Anopheles
mosquito
Onward Years . . .
• 1934 – first report on mites of crop plants in the
Phil by Fajardo and Bellosillo Cendana (first
Filipinos trained in insect biocon)
• 1939 – DDT was discovered (Dichloro-diphenyl-
trichloroethane)
• 1941 – Viado, the first insecticide toxicologist in
the Phil.
• 1946 – introduction of DDT in the Phil to control
housefly and migratory locust
Onward Years . . .
• 1947 – Cendana and Baltazar reported cotton
leafhopper (SN: Empoasca bigutulla). Claire
Baltazar was the first Filipina entomologist after
WW II
• 1954 –first studies cnducted on plant resistance to
insect by S. Cendana using corn hybrid and inbred
on corn borer
• 1959 – Introduction of IPM concept (ETL and EIL)
• 1960 – Entom researches in the Phil. Were boosted
especially on rice insect pest with the establishment
of IRRI at Los Baños
Onward Years . . .
• 1961 – Leo C. Rimando, the first Filipino Acarologist (mite
specialist)
• July 12, 1962 – Phil. Entomological Society (now Phil.
Assoc. of Entomologist, Inc.) was established; S.
Cendana was the first president
• 1962 – Rachel Carlson’s Silent Spring (birds mortality due
to DDT)
- Venus Calilung – Filipina Aphidologist (aphid virus)
- Thaddeus W. Harris – Founder of Applied Entom in
the USA
- Ferino – discussed/identified rice whorl maggot (as
taxonomist of the species
Onward Years . . .
• 1964 – B. Gabriel, first Filipino Insect pathologist
• 1966 – Publiction of Phil. Hymenoptera
Catalogue by C. Baltazar – the first catalogue
done by a Filipino
• 1976 – Founding of the National Crop Protection
Center at UPLB
• 1972 – Banning of DDT in USA