Question

Which set of beneficial insects to man?
A) Honey bee, Lac insects, Cochineal insects
B) Silk worm, Honey bee, Wasp
C) Honey bee, Silk worm, cockroach
D) None of the above

Answer 1

Insects are both harmful and beneficial to humans. Some insects act as pests and have to be destroyed for the betterment of human living. Insects are useful to maintain balance in the ecosystem as they carry out major roles in nature such as Pollination, Increasing the fertility of the soil, decay of dead organisms. For research purposes where Drosophila melanogaster is used as model organism, in the field of medicine where the derivatives of insects acts as a drug.

Complete answer:
Honey bee is one of the insect which is responsible for pollination in plants which is indirectly useful for human, the digested form of flower nectar called as honey is of great ude to human health as it is a concentrated solution of fructose and glucose, it has good number of essential vitamins and minerals also a great amount of protein, beeswax si a major source of candles and other adhesive agents.Lac insects have great medicinal uses to reduce weight, reduce heart rate, strengthening bones, used to make dentures and dental products and also for coating medicines. Cochineal insects are used to obtain dye due to its rich pigment concentration. Silk worm is used to extract silk fibresand they are commercially beneficial not directly useful for mankind, wasps and cockroaches are considered as pests and they are avoided.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option ‘A’.

Note: Lac insects are not much known to common man, it has been used to treat diseases in ancient modes of medicine such as Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha. Their extracts were used as tonic for diseases related to liver, stomach and intestine. They are used as Anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, anti-bilious and also as a contraceptive.