Insects impact American agriculture both as destructive and beneficial organisms. Insect pests, parasites, predators, products, and pollinators are all economically important. It is critically important to distinguish between different species, races, stocks, strains, biotypes, and other genetic entities and to document their different interactions with agriculture and the environment.

The goals of the National Invertebrate Genetic Resources Program include:

1. Preservation of reference specimens

2. Maintenance of genetically important germplasm

3. Documentation of specific insect stocks

4. Management of databases

5. Distribution of material to researchers and breeders