The introduction and development of applied entomology in the twentieth-century tremendously altered the relationships between the Chinese people, the environment, and insects. Previously, most insect-pests (with the exception of locusts) had been regarded as merely annoying little bugs. During the period of 1915 to 1960, insects were constructed as formidable enemies to humankind that were to be eliminated in China by global circulation of entomological knowledge and chemical insecticides.This project addresses the conception of insects as pests and the transformation of entomological knowledge and practices in Chinese natural history, materia medica and agricultural studies into a new globally situated modern scientific discipline. Scientific agriculture, transactional entomological networks, wartime national defense, commercial insecticides and environmental pollutions, together with Mao’s massive public health campaigns against pests are brought into the Anthropocene debate currently pursued in global environmental humanities.
