Ethnoentomology in a Rural Community from Piauí State Cerrado

Abstract

Insects are extremely important for nature, however, they are often perceived negatively. Therefore, this study aims at evaluating the perception and use of the insect population in Sussuapara community, Piauí Nazareth/PI , Brazil. A total of 89 residents were interviewed, using semi-structured forms. In order to collect the insects, bowls were left to the respondents. The analysis of the data was done quantitatively. The Fidelity Level (FL), ranking order priority (ROP) and importance value (IV) were calculated for the species with medicinal use and species cited as pests. According to interviewees, the ethno domain "insect" is composed of 49 organizations consisting of animals not always systematically classified in Class Insecta. The use of insects was restricted to medical category, wherein the honey bee (insect product) was appointed in 93% of the interviews (FL = 0.93, ROP = 0.9). In the category "food", honey is the only product used. The community recognizes as plagues only insects that cause damage in their farming, highlighting the caterpillar (Lepidoptera) (IVs = 0.9) and ants (Hymenoptera) (IVs = 0.7) as the main agricultural pests, and using only synthetic insecticides in their control. The negative perception of the insects combined with the lack of knowledge about the importance of insects in nature among the community strengthens aggressive actions against them.