BugMobile Questions & Answers
Where can you find ladybirds? Ladybirds live where their food lives. They feed on aphids and aphids feed on plants, so you will find ladybirds mainly on plants. Question from Florida.
How do Centipedes breathe? Centipedes breathe through tiny holes in the sides of their bodies called spiracles. Question from Maine.
What do lightening bugs eat? Lightening beetles are predatory. They eat other insects. Question from California.
What do grasshoppers eat and drink? Grasshoppers eat plants. They get most of their water from the plants while they are eating. Question from Val Caron.
Can a cockroach bite a humanbeing and then lay eggs in the humans skin? Or can a flea do it? What kind of bugs can do that? Cockroaches have been know to bite humans, but very rarely. They do not lay eggs on humans. Most leave egg capsules in their environment to hatch later. Fleas lay eggs in places where the larvae will feed such as a carpet. A type of 'bug' that lays eggs in humans would be the scabies mite. Question from Indiana.
Do you know of any animals that eat both flies and grass? Many animals such as cows and sheep eat grass. When they eat grass they also eat any insects that are on the grass, so they do eat both flies and other insects when they eat the grass. Question from Singapore.
Where can you find caterpillars? Caterpillars eat plants, so you will find them on the plants that they like to eat. Question from Liverpool.
Do black ants bite? Black ants are able to bite, but they only bite humans if they are picked up. In addition, their bite is usually harmless. Question from Rhode Island.
Do grasshoppers drink water? Grasshoppers get most of the water they need from plants while they are eating. Question from Chile.
How do you tell a female grasshopper from a male? The best way to distinguish male from female grasshoppers is to compare the tips of their abdomens. Females lay eggs in the ground so their abdomens will have shovel-like structures. Male will have rounded abdomens. Question from Canada
What happens if I accidently eat a fly's egg? Nothing will happen to you if you eat a fly egg. The fly egg will die. Question from North Carolina.
Do caterpillars like honey? Typically caterpillars do not eat honey. They eat leaves. Question from Mastic.
What do caterpillars like to eat most, and what is their favorite leaf to feed on? There are thousand of species of caterpillars. Most feed on leaves, and most have a certain type of plant they like to feed on. For instance, the Monarch butterfly only feeds on milkweed leaves. The gypsy moth feeds on may different types of tree leaves in the forest. The hornworm in your garden likes to feed on tomatoes. Question from Mastic.
Why do flies have hairs on their legs? Flies have hairs on their legs for several reasons. The hairs may act as tiny 'feelers.' If the hair is touched the fly will feel it. Hairs are used to dissipate heat. Hairs provide more surface area to get rid of heat. Small hairs near the base of the leg let the fly know what position his leg is in. These are some of the functions. Question from Scotland.
What invasive species is in the Bronx? Is it possible to get rid of them? There are many invasive species in the Bronx. These include plants and animals. For instance, a plant called the tree of heaven often grows in vacant lots. Another plant called purple loosestrife grows near water and crowds out the native plants. An animal that is invasive in the Bronx is the Norway rat. It came from ships that arrived from Europe. The way we get rid of any pest including invasive species is to use integrated pest management or IPM. To learn about IPM visit this web site paipm.org. Question from the Bronx.
Do Grasshoppers get along with Crickets? Grasshoppers and crickets eat different things and generally live in different places. They are not know to be enemies, so they get along pretty well. Question from Rapid City, South Dakota.
Are there any types of ants that can fly? Most ant colonies have members that can fly. Most ants in the colony are workers. They never have wings, so they cannot fly. Once or twice a year the colony produces reproductives that have wings and can fly. Question from California.
I'd like to know how fleas protect themselves? Fleas mainly protect themselves by hopping away from their enemies and hiding in the carpet. Question from St.Benedict, Saskatchewan
I'm doing a school project on fleas and I need to know how do they see, smell, tasteand hear? Fleas have eyes for sight. They smell with their antennae. They taste with their palps. Fleas can probably hear by sensing vibrations through the ground with their legs. Question from St. Benedict, Saskatchewan
How many legs does a fly have? A fly has six legs when it is an adult, but no legs when it is a larva. Question from Texas.
Do ants have blood? Yes, ants do have blood. It is called haemolymph. Question from IL.
Do Grasshoppers or Locus bite? Grasshoppers and locusts can bite their food which are plants. I suppose you mean do grasshoppers bite people. Not usually, but during locust swarms in Africa people are bitten. Question from Groveville, IL.
What does a fly eat? There many hundreds of species of flies. Each species has different feeding habits. For instance, mosquitoes, a type of fly feeds on detritus in the water when it is a larva and suck blood when it is an adult. Another fly, the tachinid eats other insects when it is a larva and feeds on flower nectar when it is an adult. The fly you may see in your home, the housefly, feeds on rotting garbage when it is a larva and various liquids and sweet substances when it is an adult. Question from New York City
What do Grasshoppers eat? There are many hundreds of different species of grasshoppers. The vast majority eat plants. One type of grasshopper, the swarming African locust has been known to eat paper, leather and even bite people. Question from County Down, Ireland
How do Grasshoppers hop? Grasshoppers can hop because they have very large hind legs that contain large muscles. Question from St. Petersburg, FL.
How does a magnifying glass work? A magnifying glass bends light using the curvature of the glass. A magnifying glass has two convex sides, so it bends the light to make objects look larger. Question from St. Petersburg, FL.
How does radar find you? Radar emits radiation. When the radiation strikes some objects it is reflected back to the radar antenna. Calculating the time of the process gives the distance of the object. Question from St. Petersburg, FL.
Why doesn't food stick to a non-stick pan? A non-stick pan is coated with Teflon, a very slippery chemical. Question from St. Petersburg, FL.
Why do ants like sweets? Ants like sweets because sweets contain the carbohydrate, sugar. Carbohydrates provide energy for the ants to walk and perform other behaviors. In nature they get the carbohydrates from flower nectar or aphid honeydew.
Do ants drink water? Ants do drink water either from small puddles or from dew or raindrops on leaves. Question from New Orleans.
Do Crickets bite people? Crickets would only try to bite a person in self defense. For instance if you picked one up and squeezed it. However, the bite would not break the skin. Question from North Carolina.
How did Ladybirds get their name? Ladybird is a name that has been used in England for more than 600 years for the European beetle Coccinella septempunctata. As knowledge about insects increased, the name became extended to all its relatives, members of the beetle family Coccinellidae. The lady for whom they were named was "the Virgin Mary", and common names in other European languages have the same association (the German name Marienkafer translates to "Marybeetle" or ladybeetle). During the Middle Ages the Virgin Mary was often shown wearing a red cloak. The 'beetle of Our Lady' has seven-spots to symbolize seven joys and seven sorrows. In the USA, the name ladybird was popularly americanized to ladybug, although these insects are beetles (Coleoptera), not bugs (Hemiptera).Question from Merton Park
Do Ladybugs have tongues? Ladybugs do not have tongues, but they have other mouthparts that perform the functions of a tongue, except for speaking of course! Question from Springfield, VA.
Does a beetle have a circulatory system? Beetles have a very simple circulatory system. They have a heart, but they do not have all of the arteries and veins that you do. The beetle heart slowly moves blood. The internal organs are surrounded by the blood. Question from Florida.
Do ants eat clothes? Ants do not eat clothes. Most ants eat other insects. Some eat seeds. Question from Barbados.
What type of bugs live in and carry plastic in which you only see the plastic fluffed out or bitten off of. These bugs breath and live in clothes, fabrics, and carpets I see black fine hair when I use a magnifing glass. No one else seems to notice what I see and believes there is something mentally wrong with me. These bugs leave a white and brown stain, and also leave something in which looks like tissue, or magnets. They also crawl and leave a smear like on glass or mirrors. I'm not quite sure from your description, but it sounds like you are describing carpet beetles. These beetles eat fabrics and animal hair, so you find them in clothing and wool carpets.To find out more go to this web site http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/blk_carpet_beetle.htm
Question from Memphis, TN.
Do centipedes have predators? Centipedes do have predators. These include other centipedes, spiders, birds and reptiles. Question from Ohio.
Can a Cockroach bite cause a person to get ill or have a reaction to the bite? Cockroaches sometimes bite humans, but not very often. Their bite by itself will not cause disease, but if the cockroach came into contact with disease-causing organisms before biting then a disease may be transmitted. The bite marks should appear as small, scabby areas. Sometimes sleeping infants are bitten around the mouth by cockroaches that are attracted to spilled milk or food in that area. Biting the skin is incidental to this. Question from Denver.
What do ladybirds drink? How do I get aphids-also, how do you find ladybugs?Ladybird beetles obtain moisture while they are eating their favorite food, aphids. In addition, they drink the dew that forms on plants. You can find aphids on many types of plants in the spring and summer. Look at the parts of the plant that are succulent and actively growing. If you can collect the whole plant. If the plant starts to wilt, the aphids will die or leave. The best place to find ladybirds is among the aphids. Usually you will find the ladybird larva feeding on the aphids. The ladybird larva looks like a tiny alligator. Question from England.
How do grasshoppers use their body parts to survive? Grasshoppers use their body parts to survive. For instance, wings allow the grasshopper to fly to find food or escape enemies. Special mouthparts allow the grasshopper to chew tough plant parts. The antennae allow the grasshopper to sense the environment. There are no wasted parts of a grasshopper. All of the parts help it survive.
Do fleas have brains? Fleas do have brains, but they are tiny and not as sophisticated as a human's. Question from England.
How do crickets spend their time in the winter? There are many different kinds of crickets. Most spend the winter as an egg. Some overwintering eggs are laid on the ground or in the soil. However, the tree cricket lays eggs under tree bark.
How many eyes does a spider have? Legs? Major body parts? What kind of skeleton does it have? Tell at least one more interesting spider fact. Spiders usually have 8 eyes, 8 legs and 2 body segments, the cephalothorax and abdomen. In agriculture, spiders are beneficial because they eat the pest insects that eat the crops. Question from Sacramento, CA.
Explain the habitat of a typical grasshopper. What parts of the world would you find grasshoppers? Why do they live where they live? Grasshoppers are a group of insects comprised of many hundreds of species. The vast majority are plant feeders and may be found wherever plants are growing. Question from Hastings, MI.
Do earwigs hurt you when they pinch you? Most earwig 'pincers' are too weak to hurt a human. They use the pincers in self defense, mating and sometimes to help fold their wings. Question from Dublin, Ireland.
Do centipedes only eat meat, or do they also eat plants? Centipedes are predators, so they only eat meat. Question from California.
Insects breathe by spiracles (air holes) and trachea.not have lungs". Is this true. You are correct. Insects breathe through spiracles and tracheae. Oxygen is brought directly to the tissues by the tracheae. Therefore there is no need to transfer oxygen to the blood for distribution, which is the function of lungs. Question from Australia.
A ladybug laid an egg, then ate it. Why? The ladybug may have eaten her own egg because she had not mated yet so the egg was unfertilized. Question from Georgia.
How do female insects deposit their eggs? Does it go through something? Female insects deposit eggs in a number of ways. The egg laying apparatus of a female insect is called an ovipositor. Some just lay eggs on the ground, some bury their eggs, some in the water, some lay eggs on the leaves of the plant that their young will eat. Some parasitic insects poke a hole in the host insect and lay an egg inside. Question from Ventura, CA.
Do ladybirds have ears? Ladybirds do not have 'ears' like we do, but they can probably perceive sound vibrations with their antennae or through their legs. Question from Ipswich, England.
How does weather affect ants? Weather affects ants, but not as severely as most other insects. All insects are 'cold blooded' meaning their bodies do not produce and retain heat as mammals' bodies do. Therefore, if the temperature is low the insect's metabolism slows, and it cannot move or grow very quickly. Ants, because many species live together in nests, are able to regulate the temperature of the nest. This allows them to survive cold periods, and it allows them to raise their young in colder weather. Question from PA.
How many legs does a fly have? The number of legs a fly has depends on its age. When it is a larva or maggot it has no legs. When it becomes an adult fly it has six legs. Question from the USA.
Does a ladybird beetle have and internal or external skeleton? Ladybird beetles, like all insects, have their skeleton on the outside. This is the opposite of humans which have their skeleton on the inside. Question from Stockport.
What happens to insects or their eggs during the winter? I know some survive, but how? Different species of insects live through the winter in different ways. Some fly south (Monarch butterfly) to escape the winter. Some go through the winter as an egg, some as a larva, some as a pupa and some as an adult. Insects that live through the winter on land produce glycerol, a chemical that prevents ice crystals from forming in their cells. Aquatic insects survive in the water under the ice in streams and ponds. Question from Brockton, MA.
Can a cockroach bite cause disease? If so, what does the bite look like and what diseases should my infant be tested for? Cockroaches sometimes bite humans, but not often. Their bite by itself will not cause disease, but if the cockroach came into contact with disease-causing organisms before biting then a disease may be transmitted. The bite marks should appear as small, scabby areas. Sometimes sleeping infants are bitten around the mouth by cockroaches that are attracted to spilled milk or food in that area. Biting the skin is incidental to this. Question from West Virginia.
What do Ladybugs eat? Ladybugs eat other insects. They especially like to eat aphids. Many times aphids feed on and injury plants in our garden, so we say that ladybugs are 'good' bugs because they eat the pest aphids. Question from Lakewood, OH
How do ants bite? Ants have mouthparts called mandibles. They use the mandibles to handle food and defend themselves by biting. Question from Temora.
How many eggs does a queen ant lay? There are thousands of different species of ants. Some species' queens only law a few eggs. However the African driver ant queen can lay 3 million eggs per month.
How many eggs does a black widow spider lay? The blackwidow spider lays between 200-800 eggs each time she lays eggs. Question from Walnut Creek, California.
Does an ant have a tongue? Ants do not have much of a tongue. Ants taste things using their feet and palps. Palps are finger-like appendages around the mouth. Question from Philadelphia.
Do flies see color? Most flies can see color. Seeing color helps them find food and places to lay eggs. Question from Bohol, Phillipines. Where are queen ants legs? The queen ant has six legs. The legs are attached to the body at the thorax. Question from Indiana.
What is the process in which an insect uses its excretory system? An insects excretory system performs many of the same functions as our own. It removes impurities from the blood. However, a difference is that the impurities are moved into the gut to be mixed with the feces.
Question from Georgia.
Does a ladybird beetle have a symbiosis with anything? What about an ant? Firefly? The large majority of ladybird beetles are predators that eat other insects. I don't know of any symbiotic relationships. Question from Georgia.
How do Monarch butterflies see, hear and feel? Monarch butter flies see using their eyes. There eyes are quite different than ours, but they can see just fine. Monarchs probably do not hear very well. They may perceive sound as ground vibrations through their legs, or very loud sounds may vibrate their wings. Monarchs can feel in many ways. They can 'feel' with their antennae and legs, and they also have sensitive hairs on their bodies that can feel something touching them. Question from Georgia.
How do butterflies move around? Butterflies move around several ways. When the butterfly is a larva (caterpillar) it mainly moves by walking. Although some caterpillars can let a long thread of silk carry them up into the air. When a butterfly is an adult it is able to walk and fly. Question from New Orleans.
In what parts of the world to ladybugs live? There are thousands of species of ladybird beetles. They live in all parts of the world except the oceans.Question from Virginia.
How do fleas breathe? Do they have spiracles? Like most insects, fleas have spiracles. Spiracles are holes on the sides of the body that admit air into the trachea which are tubes inside the body that distribute air to the internal organs.Question from South Africa.
Do bees have ancestors? Yes, bees do have ancestors. For instance when the honey bee queen lays an egg and a daughter bee hatches from the egg. The queen is the ancestor of the daughter. Of course that queen bee also had a mother who had a mother, who had a mother, and so on. They are all ancestors of the daughter bee.
I am doing a biology project combining three bugs, ant head, ladybug thorax, and lightening bug abdomen? Are there any good qualities about these three differnet bug parts? I'll bet your project is due tomorrow, isn't it?
The qualities of an ant's head would include powerful jaws for obtaining prey or defending itself, capable eyes that allow it to see fairly well, and antennae that can feel the terrain and sense odors that come from other ants as a form of communication.
A ladybug thorax provides the structure and muscles for locomotion. The thorax is where the legs and wings are attached.
The abdomen of a lightening bug can produce a chemical light that is used for communication with other lightening bugs. Question from Georgia.
Does a lightening beetle have an excretory system? If so how does it work? A lightening beetle is an insect. The primary excretory organ in insects is the Malphigian tubules. These tubules are connected to the digestive system at one end while the other end floats freely in the hemocoel (the cavity inside the insect where the internal organs are floating in blood). The tubules take impurities out of the blood and put them in the digestive system where they leave the body with the feces. Question from Georgia.
Do Mosquitos have brains? Mosquitoes do have brains, but they are very tiny and not too complicated. This means that mosquitoes do a few things extremely well such as finding a host to suck blood from or finding a place to lay eggs. But outside of these few behaviors mosquitoes don't do very well at all. For instance they cannot drive a car! Question from West Palm Beach FL.
How do ants see, hear, touch, taste and smell? Ants have all of the senses that humans have, but they use different parts of their bodies sometimes.
Sight- Ants have two types of eyes and they are quite different from ours. Human eyes have one lens whereas most ant eyes have many lenses. In addition ants have another set of eyes called 'simple eyes' or ocelli that allow the ant to judge light levels in the environment.
Sound- Ants do not have ears, but they can perceive sound by feeling the vibrations with different body parts such as the legs and antennae
Smell- Ants' antennae have pits and other structures that perceive scents in the air.
Taste- Ants do not have a tongue, but they have finger-like palps around the mouth that have the ability to taste.
Touch- Ants mainly use their antennae to explore their environment by touch. However, they have sensory structures all over their bodies that allow them to detect is something is touching them. Question from Georgia, USA.
How many legs do butterflies have? Most butterflies have six legs when they are adults. However, when they are larvae (caterpillars) they have six true legs and up to 10 prolegs. Question from California.
We have really big black roaches in my house and I don't know how to kill them. They flatten out and run away. What can I do? Many people have roaches in their house. They are often very difficult to get rid of, but if you are diligent and practice Integrated Pest Management, you can reduce their populations substantially. The secret is to use many different activities against the roaches instead of just relying on one solution. The first thing to realize is that the roaches are in your house for 3 things--food, water and shelter. You can make your house unattractive to roaches by preventing access to these resources:
-put food away in sealed containers or in refrigerators. (Roaches don't like cold)
-If food spills, clean it up immediately. Even one little breadcrumb is a large meal for a roach.
-Remove sources of water, by repairing leaking pipes and cleaning spills.
-Prevent the movement of roaches from room to room and neighborsby sealing cracks in the walls and around pipes, etc.The next thing to do is to find out exactly where are the roaches in your house.You can do this using non-toxic 'sticky traps' that you can buy at the hardware store. Roaches like to run along the edges of walls and behind objects such as refrigerators and furniture. Place the traps in these places. By checking the traps every few days you can determine where the problem is. If you only have a few roaches, these traps can sometimes reduce their numbers.
Once you have isolated the problem areas try to use all of the following tactics to reduce the roach population (adapted from: "Keeping Cockroaches Out of Your House" Central Costa County Sanitation District)
-Use sticky traps for small infestations. If you only have a few roaches, you may be able to control the problem with sticky traps.
-Use a strong vacuum with a crevice attachment to pull roaches from their hiding places. Dispose of the vacuum cleaner bag immediately after use outside of the house.
-Use insecticidal dusts such as diatomaceous earth (DE)
-Use cockroach baits because they use minimal amounts of insecticide and confine the poison to a very small area.
Once your have the roaches under control, keep using the sticky traps so you can find out quickly if they are re-invading.
For more details on managing roaches visit our web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/ProblemSolvers/PHealthProblSolv.htm#roaches. Question from NY.
Do flies eat both plants and animals? There are thousands of different species of flies. Some eat plants. Some eat animals. Some eat dead things they find on the ground. For instance, mosquitoes suck blood, hessian flies eat grass, bot flies eat animal tissue, blackfly larvae live under water and the water for their food and tachinid flies eat other insects. Question from Deer Park, Washington.
Do ants think? Ants can think to a certain extent. They have brains and they can react to events around them as long as those events are not extraordinary. If they are faced with events that they are not genetically programmed for they will not be able to behave correctly. Humans, when faced with new situations are able to reason and come up with novel solutions. Ants and most other insects cannot do this. Question from Australia
How do centipedes breathe? Centipedes do not have lungs like humans do. Instead, they breathe by taking air in through several holes along the sides of their bodies. Inside the body are many tiny tubes that deliver the air to all of the internal organs. Question from California.
If I ate a fly would it make me sick? Accidentally swallowing a fly probably would not make you sick. Flies themselves are fairly clean. However, flies walk on and feed on some awful things. A fly may pick up some microorganisms from these places and pass them on to you. Question from Miami, FL.
What kind of food do ants prefer, bacon fat, sugar, or meat? The types of food that ants prefer depends on the type of ant. Some ants like sweet things, and some are attracted to grease and meat. Question from Miami, FL.
How do Crickets, Bees and Rattlesnakes make sounds? Crickets, bees and rattlesnakes all have different ways of making sounds. Crickets rub their wings together. Structures on the wings cause the 'chirp' sound. Bees move the muscles in their thorax very quickly making a buzzing sound. Rattlesnakes shake their tales to make a rattling sound. Question from Nova Scotia.
How many legs does a Cockroach have? A roach has six legs as do most other insects. Question from Boutte, LA.
What do Crickets eat? Crickets eat many thing they find while they are walking around. This can include dead and decaying plant material, dead insects and sometimes live plant material. I have pet crickets that I feed dogfood!
What do grasshoppers eat? Grasshoppers are vegetarian. They eat many different types of plants. Question from Portland Australia
Do Centipedes have skin? Centipedes do not have skin like humans. Instead their skeleton is on the outside of their bodies and forms the 'skin.' Centipedes and insects are the opposite of humans. Humans' skeleton is on the inside. Insects' (and centipedes) skeleton is on the outside. Question from Ontario CA. Do spiders usually hurt people? There are thousands of different kinds of spiders. Only a few can hurt people. These include the black widow and brown recluse spiders.
What does the outside temperature have to be for a grasshopper to hop? Grasshoppers usually like hot weather. However, even if the temperature was cool the grasshopper would hop if it was disturbed. I would guess that a grasshopper would need a lot of provocation to hop if the temperature was below 50 degrees F. Question from Ohio.
What kind of household pests are there? There are many types of household pests including cockroaches, ants, rats, mice and moths.
Which insects have poison in them? Several insects have poison. These include ants, bees, wasps and some caterpillars. Insect relatives that have poison include spiders and centipedes. Question from Canada.
What do Cockroaches Harm? Most cockroaches do not do much harm. There are many hundreds of species of cockroaches. Most live in the fields and forests. A few species can infest houses where they eat our food. Question from Bruno,SK.
Where do centipedes live? Most centipedes live on the ground among the dead leaves, or under rocks or tree bark.
We want to know if fleas make a niose like a buzz or a squeek. Fleas do not make a sound that we can hear. Question from The Sage School.
What kinds of animals do centipedes eat? Centipedes are predators. They eat small insects.Question from Houston Texas.
Do Ants bite? Ants have jaws called mandibles that allow them to bite. They bite mainly to capture food and defend themselves. Question from Otatara children's centre New Zealand.
Why do Ants like sugar? Ants like sugar because sugar contains nutrients that ants need. Sugar contains carbohydrates that provide energy for muscle movement. Without the sugar the ants muscles would run out of energy.
Do Ants have brains? Ants do have brains. That's how they process sensory information like things that they see and hear. The brain also tells the muscles what to do. Question from Herne Bay.
How do Earwigs communicate? Earwigs can communicate in several ways. Since they usually live in dark places of the most important ways is chemical communication. Earwigs like most insects produce chemicals that are on the surface of their bodies or given off into the air. Another earwig can sense these chemicals using its antennae. Earwigs also have eyes, so certain body movements of the earwig may communicate to another earwig.
How do invertebrates move? Invertebrates can move in several ways. Invertebrates species are adapted to move in the environment in which they live. For instance, invertebrates that live in water may be able to swim or walk on the bottom of ponds. Invertebrates that live on land may be able to crawl, walk or run. If they have wings they can fly. Question from the UK.
Why do ants carry leaves? Ants that cut and carry leaves back to their nests are called leaf-cutting ants. When the leaves are brought into the nest they are chopped up and added to a 'garden' where the ants grow a 'crop' of fungus. The fungus produces structures that the ants eat.
What do crickets eat? Crickets eat many types of food including some plants, parts of dead insects and other things they might find on the ground. If you want to raise crickets you can use some vegetable table scraps and dry dog or cat food.
Could you please tell me the what the pest control method is for dealing with what appears to be very small ants. These ants can be found in my kitchen, and I have seen them crawling all over my bed linen. I am wondering what is the best and safest way to get rid of them for once
and for all? Thank you.
Ants enter houses usually looking for food. In addition, ants follow chemical trails that are laid down by scout ants. So, one way to discourage these ants would be to remove any food that they might find and disrupt the chemical trails. This can be accomplished by frequent cleaning of surfaces in the kitchen, bathroom,etc. Also cleaning counters and mopping floors will disrupt the chemical trails that the ants use for navigation. If the cleaning doesn't do a complete job, consider buying ant bait stations. Ant bait stations are small plastic chambers that have small holes in the sides. Ant are attracted to enter the station and collect its contents that is composed of food and an insecticide. This mixture is transported back to the colony (that is usually outside) and begins to kill the nest. Question from Australia.
Do butterflies bite? Butterflies cannot bite because they do not have 'jaws.' Instead, butterflies have a long tube that sucks up nectar from flowers. Question from Knaresborough.
Do crickets see or sense color? Most insects (including crickets) have limited color vision. Crickets can see many colors that humans can, but not red. In addition, crickets can see ultraviolate light that humans cannot see. Question from Kansas.
How many legs does a bug have? Most insects have 6 legs. Question from Glen Rock.
How does a butterflies reproduce? A butterfly reproduces by laying eggs, usually on the leaves of the plant that the larva will eat.
What kinds of sugars do ants eat? I'm doing a science fair project on it, and no one can tell me the answer. Ants eat sugar from many sources. They can get sugar from flower nectar and other plant structures called extra-floral nectaries. They can also obtain sugar by collecting honeydew from plant-feeding insects such as aphids. Another source of sugar may be the spilled jam on the kitchen counter. The types of sugar depends on the source. Plant sugars usually contain fructose and glucose. Table sugar is sucrose. Question from Memphi,s TN.
What are aphids? I know that ants collect sugar from them in the form of glucose, but WHAT are they? please let me know. Aphids are insects that feed on plants. Their mouthparts pierce the plant to suck the sap. The sap contains too much sugar, so the aphids excrete it. Ants and other insects often collect this extra sugar. Question from Memphis, TN.
I was wondering if lyme disease can kill you? I had a tick bite me once in 4th grade and now I'm in 7th grade and I'm still wondering if I can die from it? Tick bites usually cause slight swelling and redness, and they may itch for a while. If the symptoms are any more severe than this then a physician should be consulted.
Can you sell a large living centipede to a hospital? I don't think that anyone in a hospital would be interested in buying a large, living centipede. However, a museum or university laboratory may be interested.
Do crickets eat ants, if so what kinda of ants? I mean the very small crickets? If not what do they eat? Most species of crickets are not predatory and would not eat live ants. Crickets eat a variety of foods including plant material, dead insects, and other detritus. There are some species of predatory crickets, but I don't think that they occur in Texas.
Why did I get hurt by a cockroach when I was sitting on the sofa? Cockroaches rarely bite people. However, they have been known to bite sleeping children. Cockroaches are omnivores meaning they eat many different types of food. If they sense that your skin tastes good they may take a bite, but their mouthparts are usually not large enough to break the skin.
I know eggs come from females, but were did the first insect come from? I know flies come out of dead things. Is that were they come from? You ask several questions about where insects come from. Basically, insects come from other insects. Typically, a female insect lays an egg. The egg hatches and a new insect is borne. Even in your example of flies coming from dead things-- that still required a female insect to lay an egg in the dead thing first. As far as where insects came from originally, we have fossils that document the presence of insects more than 300 million years ago. The ancestors of insects were probably primitive ringed worms. Descendents of these worms evolved into insects. Thanks for the great question.
How do stink bugs reproduce? Stinkbugs reproduce by laying eggs usually on the leaves of plants.
Are grasshoppers poisonous? Grasshoppers do not have poison. However, if a grasshopper is disturbed it will regurgitate the contents of its stomach to discourage an intruder.
How many eggs can a household moth lay? Anna, There are many types of household moths. Some life in food in the kitchen. Some eat the clothes in your closet. The females usually lay about 40-50 eggs.
What kinds of sugar do ants prefer? Ants eat many different kinds of sugar. Sometimes they collect nectar from flowers. The typical sugars in nectar are glucose and fructose. Ants may also collect sugar from aphids in the form of honeydew. Some ants will eat sugar in your kitchen which is sucrose.
What does an IPM worker look like? An IPM worker looks like you or me. Anyone can become an IPM worker.
How are queen ants determined? Queen ants are determined by several factors. The first is whether the egg is fertilized or not. If an egg is not fertilized, a male ant will hatch from it. If it is fertilized a female ant emerges. Other factors that determine if a female will develop into a worker or queen include how the larva is fed and the age of the queen that laid the egg.
Where and how do honeybees live? Honey bees live in many parts of the world. They are social insects, so many individuals live together in a hive or colony. The colony has one queen and thousands of worker bees. Honey bees gather nectar and pollen from flowers to feed to their young larvae.
What kind of Chemicals are used for pest management? Several different kinds of chemicals are used for integrated pest management or IPM. The chemicals fall into two general categories; pesticides and behavior interference chemicals. Pesticides are used to kill pests. For instance, insecticides kill insects, fungicides kill fungi, herbicides kill weeds, etc. Behavior interference chemicals are used disrupt the behavior of the pest. These include pheromones; chemicals that attract one insect to another. If pheromones are put in a sticky trap. The pest insect will be attracted and get stuck in the trap. Other behavioral chemicals include repellents, kairomones and feeding deterrents. In IPM we try to use the chemicals that cause the least harm to people and the environment.
Do Bees eat Black Ants? Bees do not eat black ants. Bees are vegetarians and eat nectar and pollen.
What is the job of the Ant Colony Queen? Ants are social insects meaning that certain ants perform certain jobs in the colony. Some gather food, some take care of the young and some defend the colony. The job of the queen is to lay eggs that will develop into larvae and eventually adult ants. All of the other ants do their jobs to protect the queen and larvae.
Other things that the queen does are:
-Mates with a male
-Flies away from where she was born to found a new colony
-Give off chemicals from her body that direct the behavior of the worker ants.
What do ants like to eat the most? Ants eat a variety of things for different purposes. An adult ant needs carbohydrates for energy, so it eats sweet things such as flower nectar. However, if an ant is gathering food to bring back to the nest to feed the young, then it concentrates on proteins mainly from eating other insects. The protein is fed to the larvae so they can grow into adults.
Do flies have blood? Flies do have blood. It is called haemolymph.
When you are bitten by a tick, what does the wound look like? Tick bites usually cause slight swelling and redness, and they may itch for a while. If the symptoms are any more severe than this then a physician should be consulted.
Do ants have blood? Ants do have blood. It is called haemolymph.
What do invertebrates get eaten by? Invertebrates (animals without backbones) are eaten by many animals including birds, lizards, other invertebrates and even humans.
What types of insects do people eat most? Many different kinds of insects are eaten by people around the world. I suppose the most popular are grasshoppers, beetle grubs, aquatic insects and cicadas.
Are ticks considered insects? The tick is not an insect, but is somewhat related to them. In general insects have 3 body segments and six legs. Ticks have 2 body segments and eight legs. They are classified as part of the Arachnida that also includes spiders and mites.
How do fish reproduce? There are many kinds of fish. Most reproduce by laying eggs. Some species give birth to live young (some shark species).
What is the role of the mother Ladybug? The role of the mother ladybug is to find a good place to lay her eggs. She will choose a place that has food for the larvae when they emerge from the eggs. The food that larvae like to eat is aphids.
How do centipedes reproduce? Centipedes reproduce by laying eggs, usually in the soil. There are many different kinds (species) of centipedes. In some species the mother just leaves the eggs where they are laid. In other species the mother stays and protects the eggs.
How do centipedes move around? Centipedes move by walking and running. They are kind of flat, so they can move well under rocks and logs.
What kind of food does a centipede eat? Centipedes are predators. Their first pair of legs are modified into poisonous pincers. They run after prey and pierce them with their pincers to kill them.
How many legs do flies have? Well, it depends on how old the fly is. If the fly is an adult it has six legs. However, if the fly is a larva or a maggot it has no legs. Thanks for your question.
How do Centipedes breath? Centipedes breathe through small holes along the sides of their body. These holes are called spiracles and connect to tubes inside the body that carry air to the internal organs.
Do Turtles hibernate? Many turtles hibernate to avoid the winter.
How many species of insects are there? Nobody knows exactly how many species of insects there are, but we think there are about 10 million species.
Do Centipedes have ears? I don't think centipedes have ears, but they can probably 'hear' by feel vibrations in the ground through their legs, or through the air using their antennae.
Do Black Caterpillars sting? Most caterpillars do not sting. Some have hairs on their bodies that can pierce your skin if you touch them. These hairs can irritate your skin and may cause a rash. In a few species these hairs do have a small amount of poison in them which may feel like a mild bee sting. Thanks for the question.
Why are insects important? Insect are very important because they help to maintain the balance in nature.
What damage can insects cause? A few types of insects can cause problems for people. These are called pests. Pests can eat crops, infest houses, spread disease or are just annoying.
How can we control insect pests? We control insect pests using Integrated Pest Management (IPM). To learn more about Integrated Pest Management visit this web site http://paipm.cas.psu.edu/.
How do Grasshoppers relate to other bugs? Grasshoppers are in the Family Acrididae of the Order Orthoptera. Other members of the Orthoptera include crickets and katydids.
What is the behavior of a Grasshopper? Grasshoppers have to perform many behaviors to live. They have to eat (plants), move (walk, hop and fly), find a mate ('singing' and 'chirping') and stay the proper temperature (move in and out of the sunshine). Thank you for your interesting question.
Where does the Stink Bug come from? Stinkbugs are in the family Pentatomidae. Many feed on plant, and some feed eat other insects. A few species suck blood. Thanks for the question.
Can Queen Ants fly? Most queen ants have wings when they emerge from the pupa, and they can fly to mate and find new nests. Shortly after they begin the new nest they shed their wings.
What is the world wide distribution of Grasshoppers? Grasshoppers live all over the world except for the ocean and some parts of the arctic and antarctic.
Do Caterpillars like water? Also, what do they eat? Caterpillars like to drink water sometimes, but they get most of the water they need from the leaves of the plants that they feed on.
Do all Macro-Invertebrates live under water? Macroinvertebrates are animals without backbones that are large enough to see with the naked eye. Not all of them live in water. In fact, most do not. Those that live in water are called aquatic macroinvertebrates.
