Insects

By Mrs.Ferrera’s

Second Grade Class

Questions and Answers about Insects

• How insects are different from all other animals. How insects are different from centipedes and spiders.

• The main parts of an insect.

• Characteristics that distinguish the principal families and orders of insects.

Maren

• Tarantula• It lives in the desert• Mean • Eats insects, reptiles

and small rodents

Nick• Scorpion Anatomy: As part of the arachnid class,

scorpions have two main body segments and four pairs of legs. The most distinctive characteristics of the scorpion are its long, clawlike pedipalps, which look like miniature lobster claws, and their stinging tail. The tail is mainly used for defense as opposed to capturing prey.

• Diminutive But Deadly: One of the smallest scorpions, the buthid, which rarely reach more than 5 inches in length, is actually one of the most lethal scorpions. One shot of venom from its stinging tail can paralyze the heart and respiratory system of its victim.

• The Larger Variety: The scorpionid family includes the world's largest scorpions, which can measure up to 8-½ inches long. These larger species tend to be less venomous and use their size to overpower victims instead.

• Scorpion Survivors: Scorpions are hardy survivors. Scientists have frozen them solid, only to watch them thaw out and keep on crawling. One thing scorpions can't survive without is loose soil in which to burrow.

Rilee• Monarch• Female monarch butterflies have

hundreds of eggs to lay during there short life in the spring time.

• Male monarchs have a black spot on each of the hind wings over 2 veins.

• Female monarch butterflies do not have a spot.

Jayden• Facts about Black Widow Spider

Black widow spiders are considered to be one of the world's most poisonous spiders and are the most venomous spiders across North America. They are distinguished by their shiny black color, and the red hourglass-shaped mark on their abdomen. Sometimes these spiders are also found to be brown in color. Despite their average weight being only 1 gram, these spiders make one of the largest webs among spiders. I wonder, where all the thread for the web comes from!

Hayley

• Ladybugs • If two ladybugs have

the same amount of spots they are in the same family.

• Ladybugs are also known as ladybirds.

• In the United States, ladybugs usually appear in the fall.

Sammy

• Tropical ant• Found commonly

indoors• Need warm

temperatures • They carry germs from

dirty places to clean food

Alison• One of Nature’s most intriguing and

fascinating insects, and the subject of mankind’s most sublime and ridiculous myths and mythologies, the dragonfly darts around going about its business as usual, blissfully unaware and oblivious to the interest it has generated in us. And perhaps thankfully for us because if the dragonfly were to understand that we have called it the “Devils darning needle” and “gwas-y-neidr” or the Adder’s Servant, it could laugh long and hard at us…and considering the dragonfly has been around for over 300 million years, it could be a really, really long laugh.

Carson

• Tropical Ant• They are small reddish

and brown in color• They live in groups• They search out for

water

Ryan

• Caterpillars• They eat constantly• Out grow their skin,

shedding it several times• They go through a process

known as metamorphosis • Mostly eat leaves, though

some eat all plant parts, fungi and dead animal matter including other caterpillars

JD• Wood ants are usually found where

there is plenty of dead wood for nest building. However, some of the 200 species do like to live on open grassland. Their conspicuous mounds offer protection from predators and the weather, and are also a stable and comfortable place to incubate eggs. Wood ants are very social insects living in colonies of up to half a million individuals, most of which are female workers. This genus of ants is widely distributed throughout Europe, Asia and North America.

Kate• Adult beetles have two sets of

wings. • Female beetles usually lay dozens

or hundreds of eggs. • Most beetles only live for a year. • Beetles cannot see very well, so

they communicate using pheromones , sounds or vibrations.

• Some beetles are not considered pests. "Ladybugs" are beetles and are considered to be good luck in many cultures. "Fireflies" and "Lightning bugs" are also beetles. They glow in the dark to communicate.

Liesel• This spider emerges in darkness

to produce webs beneath ceilings or in window frames, taking advantage of every angle to set sticky strands where insects may get caught. Then the spider lies in wait on a part of the web that has an extra layer of silk. If large prey, such as a cricket, gets ensnarled, the spider throws more silk on it and then pulls it up into the web.

Alene• The female Black Widow Spider

waits upside down on her ragged web, guarding her egg sac and flashing her red warning mark. Black Widows are shy creatures and they usually retire quickly to a dark corner or some other shelter when their web Is disturbed. The bite of a black widow is dangerous, but rarely fatal to a healthy person. The male does not bite.

Emilee

• Butterfly• Butterflies cannot fly if

their body temperature is less than 86 degrees

• There are about 24,000 species of butterflies

• Butterflies can see red, green and yellow.

Bobby

• Leaf bugs can be seen eating leaves during the day, but more often eat at night. During the day they pretend they are a stick or a dried leaf. When frightened, they may move their bodies to and fro like a dry leaf in a breeze. Females that are laying eggs eat a tremendous amount, and may eat baby leaf bugs

Dallas• Cockroaches have been around

since the time of dinosaurs! • A cockroach can live almost a month

without food. • A cockroach can live about two

weeks without water. • Some female cockroaches only mate

once and stay pregnant for life! • A cockroach can live for up to one

week without its head! • Cockroaches can hold their breath

for up to 40 minutes! • Cockroaches can run up to 3 miles

an hour.

Jadyn

• Dragon Fly• It can fly• It has two sets of wings• It flies around ponds

Belle

• Butterfly• The four stages of a

butterflies life are egg, larva, pupa, adult

• A butterfly eats nectar that it sucks from a flower

• The four wings are not connected to help it fly gracefully.

Bella

• Ladybug• It can fly• It lives in the grass• It lives outside

Faith

• Blue Morpho Butterfly • Blue morpho butterfly

can fly and it eats nectar from flowers. When it was born it is a caterpillar and then it turns into a butterfly.

Ethan

• Next time you're served a meal you're not crazy about, just be thankful you're not a dung beetle. If you were, you'd be eating dung, or animal waste, instead of that plate of whatever you thought was the ickiest food on Earth.

Samantha

• Owl Butterflies• Owl butterflies fly only

short distances at a time.• Owl butterflies are large

and when their wings are spread out they can be up to 8 inches across

• Owl butterflies have eye spots on their wings that scare away other bugs

Braden• Bumblebee queens are huge; they

are most often seen visiting flowers in early spring, before they have raised their first brood of workers. After the workers hatch, they do all of the nectar and pollen gathering while the queen stays in the nest. Bumblebee nests are usually underground in old squirrel or gopher holes, but sometimes they are inside walls or hollow trees. Each nest dies out at the end of summer.

Lincoln

• Moth• In colder climates some

moths can have a two year cycle

• Moths heat up their light muscles by vibrating their wings

• The luna moth is born without a mouth…it never eats or drinks

Donovan

• Yellow Jacket Wasp• Yellow jackets fly• When they shoot their

stinger they won’t die• They eat smaller bugs

Sage

• Blue Morpho • The blue morpho

butterfly can also be considered to be one of the biggest butterflies

• This butterfly is a tropical butterfly found in Central and South America

• Blur morpho caterpillars don’t like being disturbed.

Emma• leaf bugs are also known as phasmids

and are among the most successful camouflagers known to exist in the animal kingdom. Bearing slender and delicate bodies, these bugs are also termed as 'true plant bugs'. There are more then one thousand species of these insects, out of which nearly 1/4th of the population resides in the United States. Although, known as 'true plant bugs', not all of them are true plant feeders. Some of them are also known to prey on other types of insects. Leaf bugs are also a favorite choice among many pet owners and they do make good pets. Now let's have a quick sneak peek at the various aspects of leaf bug facts

Drew• Grasshopper• Diet and predator facts: Grasshoppers

eat plants. There predators include birds, beetles, rodents, reptiles and spiders. Some flies also eat grasshopper eggs.

• Grasshoppers are long slender winged insects with powerful hind legs and strong mandibles or mouth parts, adapted for chewing. They range from ½ to 4 inches in length.

• Grasshoppers can jump up 20 times their body length. In most species the singing or stridulating is performed only by males. Males make noise by rubbing their back legs together.

Cayson• Agriculture depends greatly on the honeybee for pollination. Honeybees account for

80% of all insect pollination. Without such pollination, we would see a significant decrease in the yield of fruits and vegetables.

• PollenBees collect 66 lbs of pollen per year, per hive. Pollen is the male germ cells produced by all flowering plants for fertilization and plant embryo formation. The Honeybee uses pollen as a food. Pollen is one of the richest and purest natural foods, consisting of up to 35% protein, 10% sugars, carbohydrates, enzymes, minerals, and vitamins A (carotenes), B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinic acid), B5 (panothenic acid), C (ascorbic acid), H (biotin), and R (rutine).

• HoneyHoney is used by the bees for food all year round. There are many types, colors and flavors of honey, depending upon its nectar source. The bees make honey from the nectar they collect from flowering trees and plants. Honey is an easily digestible, pure food. Honey is hydroscopic and has antibacterial qualities. Eating local honey can fend off allergies.

• BeeswaxSecreted from glands, beeswax is used by the honeybee to build honey comb. It is used by humans in drugs, cosmetics, artists' materials, furniture polish and candles.

• PropolisCollected by honeybees from trees, the sticky resin is mixed with wax to make a sticky glue. The bees use this to seal cracks and repair their hive. It is used by humans as a health aid, and as the basis for fine wood varnishes.

• Royal JellyThe powerful, milky substance that turns an ordinary bee into a Queen Bee. It is made of digested pollen and honey or nectar mixed with a chemical secreted from a gland in a nursing bee's head. It commands premium prices rivaling imported caviar, and is used by some as a dietary supplement and fertility stimulant. It is loaded with all of the B vitamins.

• Bee VenomThe "ouch" part of the honeybee. Although sharp pain and some swelling and itching are natural reactions to a honeybee sting, a small percentage of individuals are highly allergic to bee venom. "Bee venom therapy" is widely practiced overseas and by some in the USA to address health problems such as arthritis, neuralgia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even MS.

Mara• the difference between the myths and the facts about dragonflies?• A bee flaps its wings about 300 times per second, but a dragonfly flaps its wings at only

about 30 beats per second. (fact, dragonflies have two sets of wings so they don’t have to beat them as much to fly.)

• A dragonfly is a very strong and good flyer, and can fly at speeds of up to 36 miles per hour. (fact, but not all dragonflies are that fast – one was clocked at this speed in Australia)

• Dragonflies are known as snake doctors because they can bring dead snakes back to life. (myth)

• There were huge dinosaur dragonflies that lived 300 million years ago. (fact – the largest fossil found had a 2 ½ foot wingspan, and currently there are dragonflies in Costa Rica that measure 7 ½ inches across the wings.)

• Dragonflies have huge stingers and some people are allergic to their stings and can die. (myth – the thing that looks like a stinger on a dragonfly is actually called a clasper and the male dragonfly uses it to hold onto the female when they are mating.)

• There are about 5,000 different species of dragonflies all over the world except in Antarctica. 450 of the species can be found in the United States and about 80 species in British Columbia. (fact, most of the 5,000 species are found in remote, tropical areas.)

• A dragonfly’s eyes have about 30,000 lenses and a dragonfly can see all the way around it, but they don’t see details very well. (fact, a human eye only has one lens and sees better than a dragonfly, but only to the front and side of them.)

• From the time a dragonfly egg hatches, it can live anywhere from six months to six years, but only about two months as an actual dragonfly. (fact, most of the time spent is as a nymph in the water before the dragonfly’s metamorphosis into a full grown dragonfly.)

• In the old days, dragonflies would seek out bad kids and sew their mouths together with their claspers while they slept. Dragonflies were known as the devil’s darning needles. (myth – dragonflies don’t have pockets to carry the thread to the beds of sleeping wicked children.)

• A dragonfly’s scientific name is Odonta, which comes from the words “tooth-jawed” because the entomologist (insect scientist), Johann Christian Fabricius, who named them studied the dragonflies’ mouths in order to distinguish the different species. Now their wings are studied as well to classify dragonflies. (fact – other names for dragonflies around the world are water dipper in England, old glassy in China, and the ancient Celts called dragonflies big needle of wings.)