Pest Questions & Answers
Questions from Fairfield Elementary students
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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 fleas have wings? Fleas do not have wings, but they can jump long distances using their powerful hind legs.
- Is a bee an insect? Yes, bees have six legs and three body segments as all insects do.
- Why are insects here? Insects are animals that are part of nature just like birds and mammals. Each species lives in a specific way in a specific place.
- Where did they come from? Insects come from other insects. Typically, female insects lay eggs and young insects hatch from the eggs and grow to be adults.
- Why do bees sting? Bees sting to defend themselves and their nest.
- How many pounds do ants carry? If a second grader was as strong as an ant, she would be able to pick up a car.
- Why are some plants considered weeds even though they are pretty to look at?How many bees are there in a bees nest? In a honey bee nest there are about 60,000 bees. In a bumble bee nest there are about 100 bees.
- How many different kinds of bees are there? There are about 20,000 different kinds (species) of bees.
- Is a tick an insect? No, a tick has 2 body segments and eight legs. It is an arachnid.
- Can bees kill? A small percentage of humans are allergic to bee venom. Sometimes the allergic reaction is severe enough to cause death, but this is rare.
- Why do mosquitoes like blood? Mosquitoes need nutrients (proteins) to grow their eggs. Female mosquitoes get protein from blood.
- Why do stink bugs stink? Stink bugs stink as a defense against animals that would like to eat them.
- Why are there so many flies? A female fly can lay hundreds of eggs. Each egg can develop into a fly in only a few days. If there is the right kind of food for the flies to eat, millions of flies can appear in a short time.
- How long to flies live? An adult fly lives about 2 weeks.
- Do all flies lay eggs? Most flies lay eggs, but some give birth to live maggots.
- What insects can you eat? You can eat just about any kind of insect except the poisonous ones. In different parts of the world people typically eat grasshoppers, crickets, termites, beetle grubs and other tasty morsels.
- Why do crickets and grasshoppers jump? These insects jump primarily to escape their enemies.
- Can insects live in the ocean? No, the ocean is the only place where you will not find insects. However, some insects live on the beach and venture on to the water close to shore.
- Can they go under water? Many insects live under water. They breathe through gills like fish do.
- How many legs do centipedes have? There are many species of centipedes. Typically, centipedes have about 40 legs.
- Why do mosquitoes bite? Mosquitoes bite to get blood. They need blood to grow their eggs.
- Why do butterflies fly? Butterflies fly to find food, find mates and places to lay eggs. The Monarch butterfly flies south for the winter like many birds do.
- Why do butterflies have colored wings? Butterflies have colorful wings for several reasons. Sometimes the colors allow them to hide from their enemies better. Sometimes the colors warn birds not to eat them because they are poisonous.
- How do ants hear? Sounds make the ground vibrate. Ants can feel those vibrations through their feet.
- How do insects hear? Insects hear in many ways. Some sense vibrations from the ground through their legs. Other insects have ears on their thorax or legs.
- Do black bees sting? Just about all female bees can sting.
- Do pincher bugs really pinch? Earwigs try to pinch to defend themselves, but their pinchers are usually too weak to hurt people.
- Why don't cockroaches hurt you? Cockroaches do not have any way of hurting you. That is why they run away when they see people.
- Can they live without their heads? In addition to having a brain their head, insects also have small brains in other parts of their body. So, some insects are able to live and walk around without their heads.
- Why/ How did insects get their names? Insects are named by people. Their names often relate to the way they look, what they eat or what they do.
- Why do bees make honey? Bees make honey so they have something to eat during the winter.
- Why do red ants bite? Many ants bite and many ants sting also. They do this to defend themselves.
- Why do fleas bite? Fleas bite to suck blood so they can grow their eggs.
- How do fleas hop so far? Fleas can hop several feet.
- Do stick bugs communicate? They probably communicate by releasing chemicals into the air.
- How many bugs are there? There are probably more than 7 million species of insects.
- Why don't ants leave tracks? Ants do leave chemical tracks.
- Do queen ants have wings? Yes, but they shed them before they start a new nest.
- Why are spiders not insects? Spiders have eight legs and 2 body segments. Insects have six legs and three body segments.
- Why are ants so small? Some ants are very small. Others are quite large up to about one inch in length. The size of an ant species in determined by where they live and what they do.
- How did ladybugs get their spots? Ladybugs have spots when they emerge as adults from the pupa.
- Do roaches like mud? There are hundreds of species of roaches. Some of them really like mud. Others do not.
- Are caterpillars insects? Yes, caterpillars are the larvae of butterflies and moths.
- How many babies do queen ants have? Some queen ants can live for many years and have millions of babies.
- Can bees see color? Yes, bees see color so they can find flowers.
- Do bees like Vanilla? I don't know.
- If you were stranded in the desert what insects would live there and what ones could you eat? There are many species of insects that live in the desert. These insects are adapted to dry conditions. Many of them are edible, some are not.If you have questions about anything above, please E-mail The BugMobile!
