![insects.jpg](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPZeWLXzenwa42U7C9jJAU7zCaHtWFUQjjhjM1AiazgpL/insects.jpg)

Insects contain a vast array of chemical compounds, some of which can be collected,
extracted or synthesized for our use. Chitin, a component of insect cuticle, and its derivatives
act as anticoagulants, enhance wound and burn healing, reduce serum cholesterol, serve as
non-allergenic drug carriers, provide strong biodegradable plastics, and enhance removal of
pollutants from waste water, to mention just a few developing applications. Silks from the
cocoons of silkworm moths, Bombyx mori, and related species have been used for fabric for
centuries, and two endemic South African species may be increasing in local value. The red
dye cochineal is obtained commercially from scale insects of Dactylopius coccus cultured on
Opuntia cacti. Another scale insect, the lac insect Kerria lacca, is a source of a commercial
varnish called shellac. Given this range of insect-produced chemicals, and accepting our
ignorance of most insects, there is a high likelihood that novel chemicals await our discovery
and use.
Insects provide more than economic or environmental benefits; characteristics of certain
insects make them useful models for understanding general biological processes. For
instance, the short generation time, high fecundity, and ease of laboratory rearing and
manipulation of the vinegar or common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, have made it a
model research organism. Studies of D. melanogaster have provided the foundations for our
understanding of genetics and cytology, and these flies continue to provide the experimental
materials for advances in molecular biology, embryology and development