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Did You know? - Incredible Insects

Season 1 Episode 1

By Daniel TothPublished 3 years ago 8 min read
2
Did You know? - Incredible Insects
Photo by Europeana on Unsplash

Kids love learning about animals, and visiting the zoo is usually one of their favorite programs. However, sometimes this information fades away throughout the years. At times, schools can discourage and restrain us to learn more about nature. As animals fascinated me all my life, I would like to share with you what fun – and bizarre – facts I know about these fascinating creatures.

What’s better to start a series with probably one of the most hated/feared creatures of the animal kingdom and who knows, this article might flip your perspective upside-down about them.

More than half of the animal species on Earth are insects. This means that the ratio of insects to humans is around 200 million to one. These little creatures live in pretty much every environment in the world; the desert, the arctic, the rainforest, the seas, the air, or underground. Some insects feed on plants, while others suck the blood of animals. Other insects feed on carcasses, rotting plants, or feces, yet others can be found in meadows feasting on flowers while also pollinating plants.

Why there are so many insects?

We live in a world full of insects. We can find them anywhere; from the tropics to the Arctic. Some species can even breed in oil fields!

Their success is due to several factors: their small body, they can easily hide from their enemies, they can survive with minimal food, and they are extremely adaptable. But out of all the factors, their successful reproduction is the most important one. Researchers have calculated that a single pair of housefly could produce up to 191 trillion (18 zeros after 191) offspring in not more than four months – in case each offspring survive and would be able to reproduce –.

Could we survive without insects?

If all the insects would disappear, our world would change radically. In some ways, it would be a much more pleasant place, as there would be no mosquitoes or flies spreading various diseases.

But without pollinating insects, many plants would not be able to reproduce; without the ants – who aerate the soil with their tunnels – our soil would lose most of its fertility; without bees, we would have neither honey nor wax; we wouldn’t be able to admire the beautiful dragonflies at night and many insectivorous birds and reptiles would also disappear. Even trout would have a very hard time surviving as they consume a lot of insects in their lives.

Which insects have the weirdest diets?

A real blow to tobacco traders are those little beetles – Cigar beetles – that dip in tobacco to get their “hands” on their favorite foods; cigars and cigarettes.

Drugstore beetlesor Bread beetles – are no different, they have a special taste too! Their larvae love to eat hot chilis and gingers, aluminum foil, lead sheets, and books. They are one of the biggest destroyers of books, they eat the covers, sheets, and even the glue! Once a single larva chewed through 27 books on a bookshelf!

But some pests can be good for humanity as well. Museums use the so-called Burying Beetles or Carrion Beetles – to devour the remaining meat from the carcasses of dead animals. This work is done better than any human would do, and they don’t even ask for payment! Definitely a win-win situation!

How big is the biggest insect?

The Giant Weta qualifies for the heaviest insect in the world. They weigh 60 g (2 oz) which can easily outweigh a mouse or a smaller bird! They are found primarily in New Zealand, so if you want to meet these beauties, you know where to find them!

Giant Weta, photo by Wikipedia

The largest insect in the world is the Queen Alexandria’s birdwing. These butterflies can grow their wings up to 30 cm (one foot) wide.

The longest insect in the world is the Phryganistria stick insect which can grow up to 60 cm (2 feet) long. Twice the length of your worst nightmare! When scientists found these giant insects in 2014, they were mistaken for part of a tree.

But don’t worry! Most insects do not grow larger than 0.5 cm (0.2 in). The smallest insect of the world is the Fairyfly, which aren't longer than 1 mm (0.04 in).

What is the lifespan of insects?

Most insects cannot live longer than 1 year. The lifespan of a cockroach is 40 days, for a housefly, it’s between 19 and 30 days, and mosquitoes live between 10 and 60 days.

Some adult insects (imagos) have a short life, while others live quite long. For example, mayflies live only 24 hours, whereas the 17-year locustor Pharaoh cicada – live for 17 years. However, they spend most of their lives in larvae form, underground. When they change into their adult forms, they only live for a few weeks. The longest living insects are termite queens, they can live up to 50 years. Queen honeybees usually die after their 8th birthdays.

Pharaoh cicada, photo by Wikipedia

Does the Queen bee reign in the hive?

Although the queen bee is the most important member of the bee society, she does not actually reign in her hive. Their main task is to lay eggs. The queen is the only fertile female in the hive. She is unable to feed herself or her offspring, so she is completely dependent on the workers.

So, it is safe to say that the workers - the females who cannot produce eggs - are the real rulers of the hive; they have bigger brains than the queen, they decide when and where to go to collect nectar, when to have a new queen, and when to move out and make a new colony.

Those members that are bigger than the workers are the drones. Their only task is to fertilize the queen. They don't forage for nectar or pollen, they don't have stingers, and they die after mating - their endophallus (genital) is ripped from their abdomen, resulting in death. Yikes!

How true are True bugs?

True bugs are in the Order Heteroptera which consists of 40 000 species. "Heteroptera" is the Greek word for "different wings": their front pair of wings are partially hardened and only clear on the tips. Most of these little bugs are terrestrials, but some of them can be found in water – such as pond skaters, water scorpions, or backswimmers.

Some true bugs have been utilized as food for humans; certain water bugs are used in Chinese cuisine to give their food a particular flavor. Some of these foods are imported into the US.

How good is their sight?

The eyes of insects are completely different from us, they see the world quite differently than we do. Insects have compound eyes, which form multiple inverted images. The eye of some moths and dragonflies are consisted up of 30,000 small eye particles whereas ants only have six. These “simple eyes” are called ommatidia. Each Ommadium has its transparent cornea which allows them to have a mosaic vision.

In contrast with our eyes, insect eyes are immovable and unable to focus. They are short-sighted. However, their compound eyes are excellent at detecting movements, so they play a huge role in avoiding predators and tracking prey.

Photo by Caters News Agency

Do all mosquitoes suck blood?

Only female mosquitoes suck blood - males feed on plant juices such as nectar to get the sugar they need. Mosquitoes have tube-like mouthparts (called as proboscis), that pierce the host’s skin and inject their anti-clotting saliva into the wound. This causes itching and swelling on the skin.

Mosquitoes belong to the Order Diptera (flies) where several blood-sucking insects can be found, such as the Horse-Fly, Louse Fly, Black Fly, or the Tsetse fly who transmits the deadly African disease “Sleeping Sickness”. However, a new study shows that some of these pesky insects can be useful: they can help with our natural defense agents against blood loss.

How often do earwigs go into your ear?

Never. Earwigs don't lay their eggs in your ears or feed on the human brain. They got their name from the old belief that they love to hide in our ears. However, their name lies some truth; due to their long, slender bodies and smooth, flat legs, they can easily hide in tiny gaps/holes.

They lay their eggs in the ground. Mothers take care of their eggs until they hatch. After they turn into tiny nymphs, mom then spends the next few weeks fetching food. This behavior is very rare among insects.

Do ladybugs have a dark secret?

These cute little creatures who we all love from children’s books – have a dark secret: obsessed with promiscuous sex, and they pass on venereal disease to each other.

Researchers found that these insects typically mate every two days during the mating season, each time with a new partner. You can only imagine what happens in an area where there’s a lot of them...

What is cuckoo spit?

It has nothing to do with cuckoos. If you see a slimy, white, sticky foam on a plant or grass, it’s home to the nymph of the Spittlebug. This “comfortable” nook is made of plant sap which has been ingested by the nymph. It protects the animal from dehydration and hides them from the eyes of predators.

Spittlebugs can jump incredible distances; they can jump up to 70 cm high and can accelerate to more than 14km per hour in just a millisecond.

Cuckoo spit on a leaf

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About the Creator

Daniel Toth

Amateur Writer | World Traveler | Animal Lover | Foodie

Follow me on: Twitter and Pinterest

If you enjoy my articles/stories, like and share them. Thanks :)

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