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Ants, Bees, Wasps 150K 4 If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos. ~ Edward O. Wilson Insects 400 million years Rhyniognatha hirsti oldest known insect For every human on earth, it is estimated that there are 200 million insects. (including 17 million flies) It is estimated that there are 300 pounds of insects for every human pound. Source: Smithsonian, https://www.si.edu/spotlight/buginfo/bugnos # OF LIVING SPECIES IDENTIFIED* 925,000 MOST DIVERSE INSECT ORDERS+ 1. Beetles 350K 2. Butterflies & Moths 178K 3. Ants, Bees, Wasps 150K 4. Flies 124K + Entomologists sort insects into 25-35 distinct groups. # OF LIVING SPECIES IDENTIFIED IN U.S. 91,000 *Most authorities agree that there are more insect species that have NOT been described than have been described. Source: Smithsonian, https://www.si.edu/spotlight/buginfo/bugnos WHAT MAKES AN INSECT AN INSECT? Kingdom Animalia Phylum Arthropoda* “arthro” joint, “poda” foot *Other Arthropods crustaceans, millipedes, centipedes, spiders, mites, ticks, scorpions Class Insecta • 3 pairs of legs • segmented body head, thorax, abdomen • 1 pair of antennae • wings (usually) Habitat soil, rock, water, air stems, leaves, flowers, fruit, bark, galls on other animals BEETLES - Coleoptera “koleos" sheath, "ptera" wing CLAIM TO FAME: One out of every four animals is a beetle. .325 mm 6.6 inch featherwing beetle Titan beetle – mandibles can snap a pencil BEETLES 1. Have horny or leathery forewings that meet in a straight line 2. Chew their food 3. Build soil fertility (3-25 million larvae per acre) 4. Can make noises by rubbing parts together &/or tapping 5. Can emit a protective spray to repel predators 6. Can glow in the dark (oxygen, calcium, ATP, luciferin) BONUS: Humans eat 300 species of beetle (mostly larvae). BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS - Lepidoptera “lepido" scale, "ptera" wing 178K species 8.8 K species wrapped in silk CHRYSALIS hard & smooth feathery or saw-edged ANTENNAE club shaped stout & fuzzy BODY slender & smooth filament joins fore & hind WINGS wings not joined wings folded AT REST wings spread nocturnal diurnal Butterfly wing membranes are transparent and covered in a dust- like layer of tiny colored scales. Each scale arises from a single cell on the wing surface. There can be as many as 600 individual scales per square millimeter of wing surface. AM I A BUTTERFLY OR MOTH? Pipevine swallowtail Ceanothus silk moth Anise swallowtail California sister butterfly butterfly butterfly California oak moth Mourning cloak butterfly White-lined sphinx moth Polyphemus moth BUTTERFLIES Taste via chemoreceptors on their feet Can see 314˚ around themselves Go from egg to larvae to pupa to adult https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocWgSgMGxOc Gather at puddles to drink salt & minerals See colors in the ultraviolet range Live on a liquid diet & have to assemble proboscis immediately Can migrate 3,000 miles in four generations (monarchs) Many are toxic to eat ANTS, BEES, WASPS - Hymenoptera “hymen" membrane, "ptera" wings ANTS 1. Are the longest living of all insects (up to 30 years) 2. Can carry fifty times their own weight 3. Can enslave other insects 4. Can survive up to 24 hours underwater 5. Can move fifty tons of soil per year in one square mile 6. All worker, soldier, and queen ants are female BONUS: Ants & ant eggs are a delicacy in Mexico, India, Burma, Thailand, Australia. BEES 1. Most species are solitary; only 5% are social 2. Fly an average of 15 MPH 3. Can perceive movement 6x faster than humans 4. Pollinate 30% of food consumed in N. America (plus cotton) 5. Reverse brain aging when they take on nest responsibilities usually handled by younger bees 6. All worker bees are sterile females BONUS: Honey never goes bad. WASPS 1. Most are solitary & many are parasitic or predatory https://youtu.be/vMG-LWyNcAs?t=1m47s 2. Build nests made from chewed wood fibers 3. In social wasps, only newly fertilized queens survive winter 4. Only female wasps can sting 5. In distress, wasps emit a pheromone that sends nearby colony Bald-faced hornet nest members into a defensive, stinging frenzy BONUS: Nearly every pest insect on Earth is preyed upon by a wasp species, either for food or as a host for its parasitic larvae. Western yellow- Tarantula hawk wasp California oak gall wasp Velvet ant, aka cow killer jacket queen FLIES - Diptera “di" two, "ptera" wings flies, crane flies, fruit flies, mosquitoes, midges, gnats Bluebottle fly maggot CLAIM TO FAME: Without flies, there would be no chocolate. chocolate midge FLIES 1. Have 1 pair of wings & 1 pair of halteres (gyroscopes) 2. Can hover & fly forward & backward 3. Flap wings 200x/second (mosquitos – 500x/sec) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQl4OP2XdYA 4. Are liquid feeders via their proboscis 5. Are superstar decomposers https://youtu.be/saswW8A5FVo?t=58s 6. Are highly efficient parasites 7. Are excellent mimics; check out this bee fly BONUS: Housefly populations are projected to increase 250% by 2080 due to climate change. TRUE BUGS – Hemiptera CICADAS, APHIDS, SCALE INSECTS – Homiptera “hemi" half, "ptera" wings “homo" same, "ptera" wings (front wing is half leathery & (some are wingless) half membranous) Now classified with True Bugs 1. Have a pronounced “beak” rising at the back of the head Boxelder bug 1. Wings have a leathery 2. Feed on a particular part of a very few base that serves as species of plants protective wing covers 2. Wings often form an X when folded 3. Have hypodermic-needle- Aphid Stink bug like mouthparts that allow them to extract subsurface fluids from plants and animals Cicada Water strider Treehopper DRAGONFLIES & DAMSELFLIES - Odonata “odon" tooth (refers to toothed mandibles) CLAIM TO FAME: 300 million years ago, dragonflies with the wingspan of a seagull were the only flying animals DRAGONFLIES DAMSELFLIES flame skimmer sooty dancer heavy, larger BODY slender, smaller very close together EYES far apart wings held open AT REST wings folded back strong flyer https://youtu.be/cJJowVxiaRU weak flyer BOTH: predatory, strong jaws & teeth, powerful claws, aquatic larvae CRICKETS & GRASSHOPPERS - Orthoptera “ortho" straight, "ptera" wing Jerusalum cricket CA sulphur wing grasshopper Fall field cricket drums & hisses rub hind legs against wings chirp by rubbing wings together no ears ears at base of abdomen ears on front legs below knee eats dead organic matter eats plant material highly predacious not a true cricket can jump 10x its length chirp frequency is a thermometer # of chirps in 14 sec + 40 = degrees F ALL have powerful legs & biting chewing mouthparts EARWIGS/PINCHER BUGS – Dermaptera CRUSTACEAN, NOT INSECT “derm” skin, “ptera” wing PILL BUG/ROLYPOLY – Isopoda CLAIM TO FAME: Earwigs get their name from “iso” equal, “poda” leg the myth that they burrow into people’s brains CLAIM TO FAME: Triggered by vibrations or through the ear and lay their eggs there. pressure, defensively roll into a ball; this may also reduce respiratory water loss. • Use pincers to: capture prey, defend themselves, copulate, and fold their wings • Scavengers, omnivores, sometimes predators Feed on leaves, flowers, fruit, mold, insects SIMPLE Silverfish Springtails Lice GRADUAL egg, nymph, adult Grasshoppers/Crickets True Bugs Cicadas/Aphids Earwigs INCOMPLETE egg, naiad, adult Dragonflies COMPLETE egg, larva, pupa, adult Beetles Moths/Butterflies Flies Wasps/Bees IDEAS FOR DISCOVERING “BUGS” WITH YOUNG LEARNERS • Bring tools & teach learners how to use & care for them properly hand lenses, bug boxes, nets, close focus binoculars, trail cards • Pollinator Derby • Wee Beastie Safari • White handkerchief trick • MicroParks • ART OF THE QUESTION • Share facts sparingly “Ecosystem Services” Provided by Insects • decomposition • pollination • “pest” control • maintenance of biodiversity Conservation In Action • Keep housecats indoors • Be sparing in your use of pesticides – especially neonicotinoids • Put away the bug zapper.
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