Urban Entomology

Urban entomology is the discipline of science that includes the life history and control of arthropods that interact with people, pets and plants in the human environment - whether in an urban or a rural setting. The term urban entomology was first applied to this area of study more than 20 years ago by Walter Ebeling, a Professor at the University of California, when he prepared one of the first general reference books by the same name. The primary intention was to provide this discipline with an identity, a name that would separate the study of household and structural pests from already established disciplines, such as agricultural and medical entomology. Unfortunately, the term urban seems to imply the narrow sense of insects only found in cities and metropolitan areas, but this discipline has a much broader and deeper coverage. The study of the insects and other arthropods asso­ ciated with the human living space and workplace will increase in importance as society becomes more aware of their aesthetic, economic and medical impact on the quality of life. My principal qualifications for writing this text are 25 years of teach­ ing and research on insects in the human environment, and a sincere interest in present and future students in this discipline. There are several reference books that provide keys to identification or attempt complete coverage of life history and habits of household and structural pests.