- Insects are arthropods and there are over 1 million species, representing over 90% of all living things on the earth. They may be found in nearly all environments on the planet.
- Insects are divided into 32 groups and the largest group is the beetle. 1 out of every 4 insects is a beetle.
Insects have three body parts. A head, a chest or thorax, and a stomach or abdomen. They also have six jointed legs, two antennae, and an exoskeleton which has sense organs for sensing light, sound, temperature, wind, pressure, and smell. - Most insects can fly.
- Bugs do not have lungs, most have compound eyes and they are cold-blooded.
- Insects were the earliest organisms to produce sounds and to sense them.
- Bugs are the only group of invertebrates to have developed flight.
- Insects eat more plants than any animal on earth. They eat dead plants and animals and they themselves are a main source of food for many other animals.
- Bugs are useful because they produce honey, wax, silk and other products. They pollenate flowers and crops. They are a problem to farmers because they destroy crops. They also carry disease and are a major pest to animals and people.
- Some insects, like ants and bees, live in colonies but most insects live independently. Most insects also lead short lives as adults, and rarely interact with one another except to mate, or compete for mates.
- Most insects hatch from eggs.
- 160 insect species are either presumed extinct or missing.
- Insects usually go through four separate life stages: egg, larva or nymph, pupa, and adult. The eggs are laid one at a time or in masses, in or on plants, or even inside another insect. Eventually, a larva, or nymph emerges from the egg.
- In many species of wasps, unfertilized eggs become males, while fertilized eggs become females.
- Insects may reproduce by laying eggs, or in some species, the eggs hatch inside the female and are born a short time later.
- Most species of insects have males and females that mate and reproduce sexually. When there aren’t any males, females of some species may still reproduce.
Bug Facts
Bugs, also known as insects, can often be seen as an annoyance to humans, but they play a huge part in our world and 90% of all living things are insects, so they're very important. Below are some interesting facts on the many bugs and insects found on Earth.
