The rival world.

Galleries and Reading Room

Library

Shop

Café

Due to essential system maintenance, online requesting will be unavailable from 9pm until midnight on Tuesday 21 April. You can still search the catalogue as usual. We apologise for any inconvenience.

We're running paid user research studies to improve Wellcome Collection online

Take part in research

<p>With high production values and a dramatic narrative that insects are man's worst enemy, we discover what science has to offer in the battle against the insect kingdom. Firstly, insects considerably outnumber man and are constant irritants as well as man's main rival for food (amply illustrated by footage from around the world). Close up real time and timelapse cinematography shows insects multiplying. Some insects are beneficial; the silk worm weaves its coccoon (silk looms are in production);insects are great pollinators (bees are shown at work). Vast libraries of insect specimans are seen. Numerous insects are deadly to man; a tsetse fly carries sleeping sickness and a sick man lays stricken whilst another becomes blind; elephantiasis; malaria carrying anopheles mosquitoes. The World Health Organisation collates information about deaths by insects - whole areas of Africa are under siege as the war against the mosquito is underway. Game animals are shown to be healthy whereas cattle contract ngana. Other insects destroy housing or crops. The film indicates that a third of all crops are destroyed by insects and the greening of the desert by irrigation has led to the spread of malaria with trade and commerce resulting in the spread of insects. Young locusts, hoppers, are seen in action - local people beat them with little effect. In the desert, locust control is by laying poisoned bait as a first lince defence, however, when they become airborne fledglings, the war is taken to the air where the locusts are sprayed with insecticide. In Kenya, ladybirds were introduced to eat the mealy bugs on the coffee crop but their action is slow. The careful study of insects has led to improved ways to battle against the insect invasion and quicker acting insecticides.</p>

The rival world.

Licence and re-use