(Children09.Com) Ask A Bug
(Children09.Com) Ask A Bug
(Children09.Com) Ask A Bug
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Contents
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Ask a
Bug
House fly
The thorax
has the legs
and wings
attached to it.
The abdomen
has many
segments
underneath
the wings.
Goliath beetle
Millipede
Centipede
Myriapods, such as
centipedes and millipedes,
have many small body
parts and many legs.
Arachnids, such as
spiders, scorpions, and
ticks, have two body
parts and eight legs.
Tick
things to know
about us...
Woodlouse
Spider
Scorpion
Jointed leg
As adults, we can no
longer eat, since our
mandibles are too
long to feed with.
things to know
about us...
Antenna
Head
We have a hard
case to protect
our delicate wings
and soft bodies
underneath.
Neck
shield
Mandibles
Head
Antenna
Our wings
flap 85 times
every second!
Wing case
things to know
about us...
Where do you
go in winter?
My wing
stretches out
longer than
my body.
As adults, we crawl
into a crack, or
under rocks or dead
leaves, during the
winter. We go into
a sleeplike state and
dont eat anything
until spring.
Whats in my net?
When you go dipping in a pond or a river, many
types of bug may end up in your net. Im a diving
beetle and Im a really good swimmer, diving deep
under water to find my food.
things to know
about us...
10
My backside
sticks out of the
water to fill up
with air.
My back legs have
thick hairs to help push
me through the water.
How do you
catch your food?
As a larva, I am known
as a predator. I hide myself
among plants and sticks
and then pounce on my
prey as it passes by. I am
also known as a water tiger.
Which is the
best swimmer?
Water bugs have
different ways of getting
around to find food and
escape from enemies.
11
Why do
crickets sing?
Its mainly the male crickets that
make music to attract the
female ones. We also chirp to warn
other crickets of danger or to tell
other insects to stay away. We make
sounds by lifting our wings and
rubbing them together.
What do your
babies look like?
Baby crickets are called nymphs
and are smaller and less-developed
than the adults.
Snowy tree
cricket nymph
12
Our ears
are on our
front legs,
just below
our knees.
Why do you
have long
antennae?
We feel our way by
tapping our antennae
around and picking
up smells from our
surroundings. This
helps us to find food and
water and other crickets.
things to know
about us...
13
Each compound
eye has up to
5,000 tiny eyes.
things to know
about us...
Where do I see
baby dragonflies?
We lay our eggs in water. Our young
hatch and live under water for many
years, getting bigger.
A dragonfly
nymph
14
Our wings
are almost
see-through.
Thorax
Wing
Abdomen
We can fly not only
forward but also
backward, sideways,
and even just hover.
How do your
wings move?
We can fly very fast and
change direction very
quickly. Its because our
wings are powered by
very strong muscles in
our thorax and each wing
can move on its own or
together in pairs.
15
16
things to know
about us...
Do you make
good pets?
Yes, as we are clean and easy
to look after. We gradually
get use to being handled. Our
behavior is also fascinating
to watch, especially when
we catch and eat food.
17
Do you remember
being caterpillars?
Probably. In a science
test, butterflies kept
away from the smells
they were taught
not to like as
caterpillars.
18
Which is the
largest one?
Queen Alexandras birdwing
lives in the rain forests in
New Guinea. A female has
a wingspan of 1 ft (30 cm),
which will just fit on
these two pages.
things to know
about us...
Where do
you go
when it
rains?
We hide under large
leaves or rocks and
hold our wings
tightly together. If the
rain is too hard, our
wings will be damaged
and we will die.
We have long
tongues, which
we uncurl to
drink nectar.
We have two
compound eyes
made up of
17,000 tiny eyes.
19
things to know
about us...
What do baby
ants look like?
Young ants are helpless
larvae. The worker ants
look after the eggs and
larvae, keeping them warm.
20
Do bugs play?
Bugs dont play games or make
friends. We might look as if we
are playing as we dart around or
clamber over each other, but, in
fact, we act in this way to pass on
messages about
food or danger.
21
Do all bees
make honey?
Very few bees make honey and only
honeybees store enough for you to take
some, too. I am a bumblebee and I only
make about teaspoon (3 ml) of honey a day.
things to know
about us...
22
As we fly around
collecting nectar,
pollen from one flower
sticks to our legs
and then falls off
in another flower.
Bumblebees
fly at much
slower speeds
than honeybees.
Hairs on my antenna
pick up the smells
of flowers.
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24
things to know
about us...
Should I be
scared of bugs?
Respect us rather than
fear us. For those of us
that could harm you,
find out about our
habits and follow advice
on what to check to keep
from being hurt.
25
things to know
about us...
How do you
eat a fly?
First, I bite to poison the
fly, which paralyzes it
(stops it from moving) and
slowly turns its insides to
liquid. Next, I wrap the fly
in silk and crush it with
my jaws. Finally, I suck
up the liquid.
Do all spiders
make webs?
No. Some of us do,
but others catch their
food by lying in wait,
jumping, or chasing.
A jumping spider
can leap 40 times
its body length.
It jumps with
speed and
accuracy onto
its prey.
A wolf spider
is an excellent
nighttime
hunter, speedily
chasing its prey
to catch it.
27
North
America
Bugs make
tasty snacks.
South
America
In Ecuador, palm
weevil larvae are eaten.
28
In Bogota, Colombia,
people eat roasted atta
ant abdomens instead of
popcorn at the movies.
In Japan, sushi is
topped with insects.
Europe
Asia
Africa
In Thailand,
insects are
delicacies, such
as locusts,
cicadas, and
cockroaches.
In Africa, termites
are eaten with
cornmeal cereal and
are an ingredient
in bread.
Cricket lollipops
29
Whats the
loudest?
Brevisana brevis
makes a mating
sound of 106
decibels. This is
louder than the
noise made by
a jackhammer
breaking concrete.
30
This is the
actual size
of the Great
Owlet moth.
Which flaps
the fastest?
A midge fly flaps
its wings 1,046
beats a second.
Which is
the heaviest?
A pregnant giant weta found in
New Zealand holds the record for
being the worlds heaviest insect.
In Maori, our name means god
of ugly things.
31
Glossary
Abdomen The bottom part
of an insects body.
Colony A group of the
same type of animal,
living together.
Compound eye A bugs eye
that is made up of many
tiny eyes.
Exoskeleton A skeleton,
or hard shell, on the
outside of an animal that
protects and supports its
soft body parts.
Head The top part of
an insects body.
Larvae The newly-hatched
wingless young that will
become an insect.
Mandibles A pair of
mouthparts, or jaws, that
an insect uses to bite, cut,
or carry food.
Mate A pair of animals
that have young together.
Molt To shed old tight
skin to leave new bigger
skin underneath. Bugs
molt as they grow.
Nectar A sweet liquid
made by flowers and eaten
by some insects and birds.
Nocturnal Awake and
active during the night.
Nymph A larva of an
insect with undeveloped
wings.
Pollen
A yellow
powder on the
male parts of a
flower.
Predator An animal
that hunts and kills
other animals.
Prey An animal hunted
and killed for food.
Seasonal From an area
that has four different
seasons in a year
spring, summer, fall,
and winter.
Species A type of plant
or animal that shares
the same features and
can have young together.
Thorax The middle part
of an insects body.
Tropical From an area
that is hot and humid
and where it rains all
year round.
Praying mantis
Index
ants 2021, 29
leafcutter ants 20, 21
aphids 8, 9
bed bug 25
bees 2223, 24
bumblebee 2223
honeybee 22, 23
long-horned bee 22
beetles 4, 6
diving beetle 1011
goliath beetle 4
horned dung beetle 31
jewel scarab beetles 7
ladybugs 89
stag beetles 6-7
tiger beetles 30
butterflies 1819
Queen Alexandras
birdwing 19
centipedes 5
cicadas 29
Brevisana brevis 30
cockroaches 29
crickets 1213, 29
dragonflies 1415
flies 4
fruit fly 29
house fly 4, 27
midges 14, 31
giant weta 31
locusts 29
mealy bugs 8
millipedes 4, 5
mites 8
mosquitoes 14, 29
moth 30
Great Owlet (White Witch)
30
palm weevil 28
praying mantis 1617
ghost mantis 16
scorpions 4, 5, 2425
shield bug 4
spiders 5, 14, 25, 2627
Goliath bird-eating spider
27
jumping spider 27
trapdoor spider 27
wolf spider 27
stick insect 31
termites 29
ticks 5
wasps 22
water boatmen 11
water striders 11
whirligigs 11
woodlice 4, 5
Acknowledgments
The publisher would like to thank the following for their
kind permission to reproduce their photographs:
(Key: a-above; b-below/bottom; c-center; l-left; r-right; t-top)
Alamy Images: blickwinkel/Hartl 11bl; Daniel Borzynski
11c; Nigel Cattlin 29tr; Andrew Darrington 27tr;
Redmond Durrell 20-21c; imagebroker 31tl; Tom Koene/
Picture Contact BV 28bl; Ivan Kuzmin 24cl; Tony Mcnicol
29ca; Natureonline 16-17c; Jonathan Plant 4bl; Malcolm
Schuyl 30-31c; James Scott 25tr; Sergey Toronto 27tl;
Ardea: Bob Gibbons 22cl; Steve Hopkin 23br; Corbis: Gene
Blevins / LA Daily News 6-7; Michael Freeman 29bl;
Patrick Honan/Steve Parrish Publishing 27cra; Jason
Hosking 2-3, 8-9, 14-15, 18-19; Michael Maconachie;
Papilio 14bl; Fritz Rauschenbach 15tr; Dorling
Kindersley: Frank Greenaway (c) Dorling Kindersley,
Courtesy of the Natural History Museum, London 19tl;
Stephen Oliver (c) Dorling Kindersley 5tl; Barrie Watts
20-21b; Dorling Kindersley (c) Jerry Young 3, 8-9; FLPA:
Cisca Castelijns / FN / Minden 15br; ImageBroker/
Imagebroker 22-23; Mitsuhiko Imamori/Minden Pictures
31bl; Jeff Meul/FN/Minden Pictures 31tr; Getty Images:
Tony Bennett/Taxi 26-27; Nina Buesing 30-31; John
Cooke/Photolibrary 29br; Stephen Dalton/Minden Pictures
21bl; George Diebold/Photographers Choice 4-5; Don
Farrell/Digital Vision 24-25t; Tim Flach/Stone 25br, 29cr;
Flickr / Andreas Levers 3c, 8-9c; George Grall 30br;