People are generally not admirers of insects, creatures with a brain capacity less than a millionth that of an average human. Yet despite this apparent deficiency, members of the class Insecta are remarkably accomplished chemists. Without benefit of lab benches, pipettes, or glassware, insects are capable of producing a staggering diversity of substances. Chemicals are the means by which many insects defend themselves against predators, attract mates, detoxify poisonous substances, secure and preserve food, and otherwise exert control over their environments in a manner unequaled by any other group of organisms on the planet.

The chemical versatility of insects provides humans with not only raw materials to be used as drugs, fibers, and research tools, but also with conceptual models to inspire novel approaches to the design and use of chemical substances.

Chemical Ecology: The Chemistry of Biotic Interaction, Eisner, T. and J. Meinwald, eds, Washington: National Academy Press, 1995.

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