m.bugfacts.netBug Facts - Insect Info - Guide for Kids

Pest-Help.com List of Pests Infestations Bed Bug Infestation Cockroach Infestation Fly Infestations Mouse Infestation Rat Infestation Silverfish Infestation Pest Questions For Kids Home » Bug Facts Fun Facts About Bugs Bug & Insect Guide for Kids! Welcome to our resource page for educational material about bugs, insects, critters and anything else that flys or crawls around the house. When properly introduced, insects can be a great way to spark your students’ interest in science. Discovering the ecological importance, and the interdependent relationship between insects and humans. You may not welcome insects into your home, but life as we know it wouldn’t exist without them! In This Guide: Main Insect List Even More Insect Stuff for Kids Insect Life Cycle & Development Insect Glossary (new page) Insect Activities for Kids (new page) Insect List Below is a list of common favorites for kids including brief facts and illustration. Monarch Caterpillar/Butterfly Identification click to enlarge Caterpillar : Up to 2-3/4 inches long; black with white and yellow bands. Butterfly : Wingspan 3-1/2 to four inches long; wings brownish orange; black to dark brown veins; two rows of orange and/or white spots. Habitat Found primarily in meadows, roadsides and sandy areas where milkweeds grow. Food Caterpillars feed on milkweed foliage, flower buds and milky juice; butterflies feed on flowers. Life Cycle Females lay eggs along migration northward; fully grown caterpillar changes to barrel-shaped, leaf-green pupa with gold dots; process from egg to butterfly takes about four weeks. Did you Know? They can travel over 2,000 miles during migrations each fall, often stopping in same rest spots every year. House Fly Identification click to enlarge About 1/4 inch long; light gray with four lengthwise stripes on thorax; large reddish compound eyes. Habitat May migrate up to 20 miles from birthplace, but most stay within one or two miles; 98% of flies caught in houses are house flies. Food Feed on a wide variety of foods, but prefer liquids containing sweet or decaying material; larvae feed on moist food rich in organic matter. Life Cycle Eggs laid singly, but in clusters of 75-150; female may lay over 500 eggs in a lifetime; eggs hatch in 10-24 hours; entire life cycle completed in less than seven days. Did you Know? Associated with a number of filth-related diseases. Read more house fly facts . FireFly Identification Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons 1/2 inch long; blackish-brown with dull edges on sides and down middle; above head is rosy pink covering with dull yellow edges and black spot in center. Habitat Nocturnal; live in moist places under debris, bark or decaying matter on the ground; on summer nights, blink their yellow lights to attract mates. Food Adults do not feed; larvae feed on insect larvae, slugs and snails. Life Cycle Eggs are left on damp soil; larvae overwinter, then pupate in moist soil. Did you Know? The Female cannot not fly. Read more facts about fireflies . Carpenter Bee Identification click to enlarge Large, about one inch, resemble bumblebees; some species may have a blue-black, green or purple metallic sheen; no hair on abdomen. Habitat Often burrow into the exposed, unfinished dry wood of buildings, telephone poles, fence posts and bridges; prefer softer woods for nesting; not social insects, although individuals may establish burrows close to each other. Food Pollen and nectar. Life Cycle Complete one generation per year in most of the U.S.; mature from egg to adult in 84 to 99 days; female furnishes nest with bee bread,” a mixture of pollen and regurgitated nectar, and lays an egg on top of it. Did You Know? Males do not sting, but females have a potent sting which they rarely use; make loud buzzing noise when flying. Image Attribution: https://pixabay.com/users/deedster-2541644/ More Facts About Carpenter Bees . Wasps Identification click to enlarge Variety of shapes and colors; can be distinguished from bees by their smooth, rather than hairy, bodies; 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch long. Habitat Exhibit predatory and scavenging behavior; some species are solitary, while others live in colonies which may number thousands of individuals. Food Primarily protein such as spiders and soft-bodied insects, and small animals. Life Cycle Social wasps begin a nest with one queen laying all eggs for colony; if a queen dies, a worker can take over egg-laying function until colony produces new queen. Did You Know? Very protective of their nests; will defend against invaders with painful stings. Image Attribution: https://pixabay.com/images/id-564609/ Mosquitoes Identification click to enlarge About 1/8 to 1/4 inch long; brown to dark brown with light stripe down center; wings have dark brown scales. Habitat Often found near shallow temporary pools; larvae live in quiet bodies of water, ranging from fluid-filled leaves to stagnant ponds and lakes. Food Males drink plant juices; females feed on blood of mammals, including humans. Life Cycle Eggs are dropped in temporary pools; larvae feed, pupate and emerge over an extended period. Did You Know? Population increases after summer rains; males do not bite. Image Attribution: https://pixabay.com/users/wikiimages-1897/ Violet Dragonfly Identification click to enlarge About 1-1/4 inches long; male has violet abdomen and black head and thorax; female is dark brown to black; clear wings. Habitat Found along slow streams, shallow weedy lakes or coves of large rivers; alight on grasses and plant stems. Food Feed on small, soft-bodied insects. Life Cycle Females dip abdomen into water to lay eggs on underwater leaf; when eggs are deposited, male lifts female from the water. Actual Size Did You Know? Often seen flying in tandem over streams and ponds. Image Attribution: https://pixabay.com/users/erik_karits-15012370/ Carpenter Ant Identification click to enlarge Among the largest ants, from 1/4 to 3/8 inch long; most common species is black, but some have red- dish or yellowish coloration; workers have large mandibles. Habitat Normally nest in dead or water-damaged portions of standing trees, stumps or logs, or burrow under fallen logs or stones; nests look like hollow galleries” in wood; may move into buildings in search of food; foraging ants will travel up to 100 yards from nest to look for food. Food Do not eat wood; feed on a variety of both plant and animal food; prefer sweets and meats; also feed on other insects. Life Cycle Queen lays 15 to 20 eggs the first year, and up to 30 eggs the second year; eggs complete their life cycle in about 60 days; worker ants can live up to seven years, while a queen may live up to 25 years. Did You Know? Hollow galleries” in nests are so smooth, they appear to be sandpapered; colonies can contain up to 3,000 workers, but usually have only one More Information on Insects Ants Ants Black Ant Fire Ant Aquatic Insects Water Bugs Bees Bees Bumble Bee Honey Bee Beetles Beetles Click Beetle Firefly Japanese Beetle June Bug Lady Bug Butterflies Butterflies Flies Flies Crane Fly Horse Fly House Fly Miscellaneous Bugs Boxelder Cicada Cricket Dragonfly Earwig Grasshopper Katydid Mayfly Mosquito Praying Mantis Stink Bug (Harlequin) Walking Stick Moths Moths Wasps Wasps Mud Dauber Yellow Jacket Non Insects Centipede Millipede Pill Bug © 2024 pest-help.com privacy policy contact...