DK - Everything You Need To Know About - Bugs 9781465428943

Table of contents :
3 Contents
4 Introduction
6 Arthropod
8 How many legs?
10 Meet the family
12 Who rules the world?
14 How arthropods conquered the world…
16 What is an insect?
18 Wings & things
20 Upside down
22 What’s inside an insect?
24 Eye see things
26 The hunger bug
28 Now you see me...
30 What makes a beetle a beetle?
32 Glow-in-the-dark
34 Growing up
36 Who’s the daddy?
38 Once in a blue moon
40 Butterfly or moth?
42 Meet the monarchs
44 A silkworm’s story
46 Locust plague
48 Who’s for dinner?
50 All work and no play
52 Army ants
54 Who is in the hive?
56 How did this produce this honey?
58 Skyscraper
60 Spot the fake
62 Arachnophobia
64 A spider’s web
66 Webmasters
68 Centipede or millipede?
70 Danger! Chemical warfare
72 Friend or foe?
74 What is the deadliest animal in the world?
76 Record breakers
78 Glossary and Index
80 Credits

Citation preview

s m i t h s o n i a n

Everything you need to know about

BUGS

Written and edited by Caroline Bingham, Ben Morgan, Matthew Robertson Designed by Tory Gordon-Harris, Karen Hood Editorial assistance Fleur Star Design assistance Gemma Fletcher, Sadie Thomas DTP design Ben Hung Illustrator Mark Beech Production Claire Pearson Picture research Liz Moore Jacket designer Hedi Gutt Publishing manager Susan Leonard Art director Rachael Foster Category publisher Mary Ling Creative director Jane Bull Consultant Matthew Robertson THIS EDITION Senior editor Shaila Brown Senior art editor Smiljka Surla Jacket design development manager Sophia M. T. T. Jacket designer Laura Brim Jacket editor Maud Whatley Producer, Pre-production Adam Stoneham Producer Mary Slater Managing editor Paula Regan Managing art editor Owen Peyton Jones Publisher Sarah Larter Associate publishing director Liz Wheeler Art director Phil Ormerod Publishing director Jonathan Metcalf DK Delhi Senior editor Anita Kakar Senior art editor Mahua Sharma Project art editor Vaibhav Rastogi Art editor Parul Gambhir DTP designer Jaypal Chauhan Managing editor Rohan Sinha Managing art editor Sudakshina Basu Production manager Pankaj Sharma DTP manager Balwant Singh Previously published in 2007 as Buzz This abridged American edition, 2015 Published in the United States by DK Publishing, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

Smithsonian Institution This trademark is owned by the Smithsonian Institution and is registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Consultant: Smithsonian’s National Zoo Alan Peters, Curator Mike Henley, Biologist Tamsen DeWitt, Animal Keeper Pamela Baker-Masson, Director, Communications Jennifer Zoon, Communications Assistant Established in 1846, the Smithsonian Institution—the world’s largest museum and research complex—includes 19 museums and galleries and the National Zoological Park. The total number of objects, works of art, and specimens in the Smithsonian’s collection is estimated at 137 million. The Smithsonian is a renowned research center, dedicated to public education, national service, and scholarship in the arts, sciences, and history.

15 16 17 18 19 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 000–258623–February/2015 Copyright © 2007, 2015 Dorling Kindersley Limited All rights reserved Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-1-4654-2894-3 DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact: DK Publishing Special Markets, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 or [email protected]. Printed and bound in China by Hung Hing

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Buzzz

CONTENTS 4 Introduction

44

A silkworm’s story

6 Arthropod

46

Locust plague

8 How many legs?

48

Who’s for dinner?

10

Meet the family

50

All work and no play

12

Who rules the world?

52

Army ants

14

How arthropods conquered the world…

54

Who is in the hive?

56

How did this produce this honey?

16

What is an insect?

18

Wings & things

58

Skyscraper

20

Upside down

60

Spot the fake

22

What’s inside an insect?

62

Arachnophobia

24

Eye see things

64

A spider’s web

26

The hunger bug

66

Webmasters

28

Now you see me...

68

Centipede or millipede?

30

What makes a beetle a beetle?

70

Danger! Chemical warfare

72

Friend or foe?

32

Glow-in-the-dark

74

34

Growing up

What is the deadliest animal in the world?

36

Who’s the daddy?

76

Record breakers

38

Once in a blue moon

78

40

Butterfly or moth?

Glossary and Index

42

Meet the monarchs

80

Credits

400 million years ago (or thereabouts), the ancient ancestors of today’s

insects, millipedes, and

spiders were at home on land rather than among life in the sea. They were the FIRST on land. Another

to pass before

ANIMALS to walk

399 million years were

humans arrived. If all the world’s

humans and all other large animals were to

disappear,

the tiny creepy-crawlies that share our planet would get on with life without a second thought.

4

they disappeared, our world would collapse. With no bees and bugs to pollinate f lowers , crops would fail and we would starve. With NO beetles and flies But if

recycle our waste, dead bodies and dung would pile up all over the place. The creatures that crawl around our gardens, creep across our ceilings, and buzz around

to

little

our lives are MORE than

important. They are

essential. Without them, the world would be a very nasty place indeed.

5

ARTHROPOD = “jointed foot ”

,

Black widow spider

,

and other make up a group of animals known as THE

.

The word arthropod d means

,

and that’s what all these

have: tiny legs made

of

Arthropods can also have… • two brains (one for seeing and one for eating) • blood that looks green • ears on their knees • tasters on their feet • a life span of just a few weeks to well over a hundred years • bodies as small as a grain of salt or as big as a shark (… fortunately that one is extinct!)

little struts with joints.

Ladybug

6

The most important feature that all arthropods share is this: their bodies are inside out. Most big animals, such as cats and dogs and human beings, have a skeleton on the inside. An arthropod has hard skin that is like a skeleton on the outside. Like a suit of armor, the external skeleton (or exoskeleton) is made of stiff plates linked together. Between the plates are flexible joints that let the body move. The exoskeleton is the secret of the arthropod’s success because it holds all the animal’s organs and keeps its insides from drying out. In addition, all sorts of different structures have evolved—from claws and jaws to wings and stings. But there’s a catch! External skeletons cannot grow with the body, so arthropods have to shed them and make new ones to grow bigger.

Hoverfly

Suit of armor

Flower beetle

7

Long legs, short legs, fat legs, thin legs, hairy legs, smooth legs, prickly legs, soft legs, strong

HOW MANY Weevil

C

ra

ne fly

6 legs Probably an insect. Insects are the most successful land animals on Earth. Most have six legs, a pair of antennae (feelers) at the front, two pairs of wings, and a body divided into three segments: a head, a thorax (chest), and an abdomen (belly).

8 legs Probably an arachnid. Spiders, scorpions, ticks, and mites are all arachnids. Unlike insects, arachnids never have wings or antennae, and their bodies are divided into only two segments. Most of them are flesh eaters.

antula Tar

8

legs, weak legs, real legs, fake legs, elegant legs, ugly legs, clever legs, silly legs, broken legs

LEGS ?

There are millions of different arthropods, so how do you tell them apart? Here’s a clue: count the legs. Most arthropods belong to one of four major categories, and the number of legs is a good clue to the right category.

ed tip n Ce

M

10 legs Probably a crustacean. Crabs, lobsters, crayfish, and shrimp are all crustaceans. Most crustaceans live in water and breathe through gills. Not all have 10 legs though—they can have dozens or none at all. Wood lice are crustaceans that live on land, and they have 14 legs each.

Crab

ill

ip e

de

e

Lots of legs Probably a centipede or a millipede. These arthropods have long thin bodies divided into lots of segments, with legs on each segment. Centipede means “a hundred feet” and millipede means “a thousand feet,” but, in fact, the number of legs can be anything from 30 to 750.

legs No legs Probably a slug or a snail or a worm. These slippery creatures aren’t arthropods. They have no jointed legs and no external skeleton. Slugs and snails do have feet though, but only one—a single giant foot all the way along the body.

S lu g

9

10

family Meet the

AL FR O M LE WO VOLVED ES! R R ML U IKE CREAT

W

E

c o c k ro a c h e s

stick insects

grasshoppers and c r i c k e t s

ear wigs

dragonf lies

THE “-PEDES”

mayf lies

ish silverf

spring tails

millipedes

centipedes

water bears

rs

men

sea spide

har vest

scorpions

spiders

ARACHNIDS INSECTS…

The branches on this tree show how closely related different types of arthropod are. Termites and cockroaches are close relatives, so they sit on closely connected branches. In contrast, centipedes and millipedes are actually distant relatives and so have long branches of their own.

crabs and lobsters

barnacles

water f leas

tadpole shrimp

brine shrimp

l ies and moths

but ter f

caddis f lies

f lies

f leas

s

scorpion f lie

ees

CRUSTACEANS

w a s p s , a n t s , and b

lacewings

dobsonf lies

INSECTS

snake f lies

beetles

bugs

lice

m antises

t e rm i t e s

… AND MORE

Arthropods evolved from wormlike creatures about half a billion years ago. Since then, thousands of different varieties have evolved. This family tree shows how the four main categories (arachnids, the “-pedes,” insects, and crustaceans) evolved into dozens of different branches. In reality, each small branch at the top should have millions of twigs (one twig for each species) but there wouldn’t be room for every species even if this page were ten thousand times bigger.

11

I am ong f you sh t wo uld he nu ared t he m get eve ber of worl d’s r y sp exc ept conti ecies, land ev Sou nen a th A t an rthrop enly d o me rica island ds .

At least

90

%

Arthropods are the most successful animals on Earth. They’ve conquered land, sea, and air and live everywhere from the depths of the oceans to the tops of mountains. Scientists have so far discovered and named about 1.2 million different types, or species, of animal. About 12

of animal species on Earth are ARTHROPODS

nine out of 10 of these—more than

of newly discovered species waiting to

According to one expert, the total

a million in total—are arthropods.

be officially named and described. So

number of individual insects alive

the true number of arthropod species

on Earth is 120 million billion.

have been cataloged. There are

alive is anybody’s guess, but it’s

In other words…

countless more waiting to be

probably

But those are just the species that

discovered. Around 25 new arthropod species are discovered every

day,

and there’s currently a 15-year backlog

millions. Insects are the biggest

group of arthropods by far, with more than 900,000 named species.

…for every person alive today, there are 200 million insects. 13

conquered

How

MYA 358

8–408 MYA 43

520 MYA

05 5

600

CAMBRIAN

million years ago (MYA)

ORDOVICIAN

500

MYA 350 By 350 million years ago, land arthropods had evolved into giants, too. Millipedes grew to 7 ft (2 m) long and scorpions were 3 ft (1 m) long—as big as a dog.

428 M YA 428 million years ago, arthropods began to conquer the land. Millipedes about ½ in (1 cm) long became the first animals ever to walk on our planet.

32 0

M

The first flying animals were insects. They looked like a cross between mayflies and cockroaches and had either four or six beautifully patterned wings. Insects remained the only flying animals on Earth until 100 million years later, when pterosaurs evolved. 300

M Y

Silverfish— slithering silvery insects with no wings—appeared 300 million years ago and have barely changed since.

A

PRECAMBRIAN

A MY

Millions of years before sharks evolved, arthropods were the top predators in the sea. The trilobites’ number one enemy was probably Anomalocaris, a monstrous, shrimplike creature that was bigger than a man and had gigantic claws at the front for snatching trilobites. It was the great white shark of its day.

LK ON

YA

Within a few million years, arthropods were scuttling all over the seafloor like huge wood lice. These were trilobites—the most successful animals of their day. They ruled the seas for nearly 300 million years. Their tough skeletons formed millions of fossils that are easy to find, even today.

Prehistoric arthropods grew to gigantic sizes. The biggest were probably Eurypterids—scorpion-like sea creatures that reached 13 ft (4 m) long (as big as a crocodile). Their tails were tipped with a vicious spike that may have been used to inject venom.

1

A

ND

A

SE

E E TH

st

W

UL

Lush forests spread across the land during the Carboniferous Period. Towering trees provided new habitats for animals, but only for those that could reach them. So having conquered land and sea, the arthropods took to the air…

TO

1

st

R

years ago (mya), when there was little life on Earth besides microbes and worms on the seabed. Some of the worms evolved external skeletons, and their segments sprouted legs—they became arthropods. Soon, these new creatures would conquer the world.

TO

Our story starts 540 million

LA

540 MYA

SILURIAN DEVONIAN CARBONIFEROUS

400

300

How do we know?

the world…

1

Everything we know about the history of arthropods comes from fossils—the remains of ancient animals preserved in rock. The best insect fossils are found in amber, a honey-colored rock formed from the sticky sap of pine trees. Even insects trapped in amber 100 million years ago look as if they died only yesterday, with legs and wings perfectly intact. Thanks to amber, we know that all the main types of insect were here on Earth 90 million years ago.

I

N

T H E AI

By 280 million years ago, even the flying insects had become giants. The skies were ruled by dragonfly-like creatures called griffen flies, which swooped about on 30 in (75 cm) wingspans.

0–209 MYA 22

The first fleas probably sucked the blood of dinosaurs. Later, they adapted to live off of birds and mammals as well.

1 4

Wasps appeared in the late Triassic Period. The first wasps were small, solitary insects. Later, wasps began to form colonies.

0 MYA 23

Dinosaurs first appeared about now.

Beetles appeared in the Triassic, after the first dinosaurs.

3 MYA 13 – 5 Ants appeared about 140 million years ago. They evolved from social wasps that had given up flying.

YA 3M –7 2 Butterflies appeared in the late Cretaceous. They evolved from moths.

7–188 20 M

TRIASSIC

JURASSIC

200

And finally… Modern human beings didn’t show up on Earth until about 100,000 years ago. That means arthropods have been here five thousand times longer than us.

YA

Moths appeared in the early Jurassic Period.

PERMIAN

40-million-year-old fossilized fly in amber

140 MYA

9

280 MYA

R

st

CRETACEOUS

100

CENOZOIC

NOW

insect? What is an

Insects are the most successful and common of all the arthropods.

In fact, they are so common that lots of people say “insect” when they actually mean “arthropod.” The secret of the insects’ Hoverfly success is their ability to fly, which allowed the very earliest insects to flee from enemies and conquer new habitats. Today’s insects all share certain key features that were passed down from those distant ancestors. Typically, adult insects have six legs, two pairs of wings, and a body divided into three main sections: the head, the thorax (chest), and the abdomen (belly).

Velvety tree ant (Liometopum occidentale)

Compound eye

Antenna (feeler)

Mandible (jaw) Leg

16

Walking Insects typically walk by moving three legs forward at once, then the other three, and so on. As a result, there are always at least three legs touching the ground at once, forming a triangle—the most stable type of shape. Six is the minimum number of legs needed to keep arthropod bodies stable. The arrangement works so well that it is copied in robots.

Big mouth Unlike most other arthropods, insects have mouthparts that are outside their heads. The large jaws (called mandibles) of this ant work sideways like shears—the opposite of how human jaws work. The ant also has a single pair of compound eyes and a single pair of feelers (called antennae). These are typical features of insects, too.

Flight muscles In some insects the flight muscles pull on the base of the wings, but in others, such as this wasp, they pull on the wall of the thorax. This produces a faster wing beat.

Head

As with most animals, an insect’s head is where the main sense organs, mouth, and brain are. The antennae not only feel objects but smell and taste them, too. The compound eyes are made of hundreds of separate eyes packed together.

Thorax

The thorax is where all the legs and wings attach. Inside it are powerful flight muscles. Most insects have two pairs of wings that beat together, but dragonflies beat theirs alternately. Flies use only one pair of wings, giving superb maneuverability—they can fly backward or even upside down.

Abdomen

The back end of an insect contains the main parts of its digestive system, the heart (which is tube-shaped), and the sex organs. Some female insects have an egg-laying tube at the rear; in bees and wasps this tube is also the stinger. There are no true legs on the abdomen, but caterpillar abdomens have false legs.

German wasp (Vespula germanica) Compound eye

Hairy body Antenna

Claw

Seen close-up, many insects are surprisingly hairy. The hairs help keep the flight muscles warm. Hairs on the legs also double as sense organs that can feel and taste whatever they touch.

17

& s g n i W

s g n i th Vein

s g n i w Insectugely th are hortant, bo ople. imp cts and to pe cts to

e p inse l e to ins h y d find The n ? a y , h d W foo help d y n e fi , e ate. Th nt escap m a t c iffere ttra d a e d t n a a separ o t e l ps. p u o peo r g s into insect

Membrane

Let’as wing thin at ade up of ork of OK

LO

em etw gs ar d by a n o many n i w s e t nsec support here are pes of i l l A es r, t t ty bran weve differen sts use o m e H i m n s. olog vein twee oups tiny ences be at entom some gr r h diffe t wing t to name t. c es ec inse renc ged ins e ff i in ed of w thes

THAT’S AMAZING! 18

Hoverflies beat their wings up to 1,000 times per second! They can also hover (a feat not many insects can achieve).

g? n i w d of

en .” Wh r t e h t a ps, bu “fe u r o o r ” g , wing s, nsect insect fur,” “ ts of i “ o ” l s d e n e r a g ere a ra, -win n me g.” Th heath Dipte ptero s n “ e i d r h r w t o o “ , eans sects tera, atin w ed” The L insects, it m the Coleop -winged” in scale-wing and or are ous , or “ ings,” used f argest mbran pidoptera w l e t e h m h g “ t of strai e Le a, or some with “ nd th opter a , n , a e s r t e c m t y thop ” inse the H inged he Or e wings.” t w e r o a re rv or “tw en the h their “ne erfly Th . Hov s t t i c e w s a n i ter europ y the N tterfl

“So, what am I?”

n i k t a Wh

g

win

Lace

“You’re a Hymenopteran.”

ee ey b

Hon le

eet ier b

Sold

Bu

st

Locu

ERA OPT E L CO etles), e A (the b ladybugs R E T P as I ) h s ave D e suc ies, h ue fli A r fl t e R r e E fi h t e t T ( n and gs tha nly o DOP es and n I o i P e w v E t a — L h fron rotective ings tterfli p ir of w d are he bu ave tiny ERA t a ( T p P act as . Their on s) h HO c s h e r T t s s e g o R g e p h p m O th casin ings overin , whic assho have s c r e s g r e w e l e t a (th hal flying atly for kets) ings. sc ir wings. c d i r e s c u ne the and t outer w are tuck eath. and e h c g n i rn stra bala unde al n o i t c dire ue ol. Tr the r t n o c e , nclud flies i y, hoverfly fl crane rse fly. o and h

A TER ROP s) U E N wing e lace pairs A h R t ( E PT two ENO ees) have l-sized HYM sps and b a a of equ each (the w n their two , e s g i win bly delicat can jo f wings i d o incre ed with pairs r in flight ll e h ame and fi toget ny hooks, The n eans . s n i s i e t g v era m with g the win ir. uropt ngs.” a e n i p N w e l o all ing e wi as a s ht “nerv to act es their flig k It ma table and er s e r bett mo m far e h t s give r the ol ove y take. r t n o e c ion th direct

s Vein

e ectiv Prot g n i cas

es

ight Stra s g n i w

scal Tiny

eres

Halt

Insects have to warm up their flight muscles before they take off. A beetle will often open and shut its wing cases a few times to do this.

Tiny

ks

hoo

19

Walking on the ceiling,

But every time I try

I get a funny feeling,

The ceiling is so high

But every time I try…

I wish I were a fly

I just fall to the ground,

DOWN

ground,

Walking on the

Oh tell me Mr. Fly

I wish I were a fly

How to walk upside down.

How to walk upside down.

I wish I were a fly

Have you ever watched a fly or another insect walking up the wall and then along the ceiling? Don’t you wish you could do that too? Just how do they manage to defeat the laws of gravity?

Oh tell me Mr. Fly

Walking on the ceiling,

UPSIDE

ceiling,

But every time I try

I get a funny feeling,

The ceiling is so high

I just fall to the

20

x

A housefly has two claws on the end of each foot. Under these are two sticky pads, each covered with minute hairs. The hairs produce a gluelike substance.

00 1,0

So a fly effectively “glues” itself to the ceiling. The claws help it to push its leg off the ceiling. (It is because of these sticky pads and its hairy legs that the housefly is a carrier of all kinds of nasty diseases and germs.)

So how does a fly LAND on the ceiling? The fly does not fly upside down. Just before it lands the fly stretches its front legs over its head to reach the surface. It then hauls its body around in a kind of somersault to bring the remaining four legs into contact with the ceiling. Touchdown!

21

1

“unglue” itself? Give a little twist... give a little push… and it takes to the air! As a fly walks across the ceiling, it leaves behind

x

Did you know? Houseflies spend their whole lives in the same area; they don’t move far from their place of birth.

00

a trail of sticky footprints. Can it get stuck to the ceiling? No. It uses its tiny claws to push itself

free. Watch closely and you may see a fly twist as it “unglues” itself before moving on. A fly always keeps four feet on the ceiling.

One, two, three, four, five, six. All feet are in position, and this fly is on the ceiling! How does it

An insect’s skeleton is on the outside of its body rather than the inside. If we looked inside our own bodies, we would find our organs surrounded and held together by our bones. So what happens inside an insect’s body?

What’s an Let’s look at a locust

Brainbox The brain is the insect’s control center. It lies behind the eye.

Like people, insects have to eat, process food, breathe, carry blood, and sense the surrounding world with their organs. It’s a lot to fit inside a tiny body!

Nervous system Nerve centers are attached to the nerve cord. They send messages to the muscles.

Ganglion A ganglion is a dense collection of nerve cells. Insects have several. This one controls the mouth.

Crop Food is stored in a stretchy bag called a crop.

Gizzard In some insects, the gizzard grinds up the food a little more than the stomach does.

Heart An insect’s heart is at the center of its body. The heart pumps blood around the body.

Ovaries Fertilized eggs pass through an egg-laying tube and are laid in soft, damp soil.

Grasshoppers, crickets, and locusts are grouped in the same order of insects: Orthoptera. There are thousands of different species—at least 20,000 different grasshoppers and crickets alone. Below is just a small selection! Grasshopper Locust Locust

22

Grasshopper

Grasshopper

Grasshopper

The locust’s back legs are powerful enough to propel it 50 times its body length. Gut The gut separates the waste from the food that needs to be absorbed into the insect’s body.

Spiracle

Anus An insect gets rid of its waste through the anus, in the form of small droppings.

Magnified, you can see an insect’s exoskeleton contains lots of tiny holes. These are the spiracles.

What’s a spiracle? Mammals use lungs to inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Insects do not have lungs. Instead they take in oxygen through tubes called tracheae. Spiracles are the “breathing holes” that connect to the tracheae, allowing air in and out. Tracheae

Nerve Signals from the brain travel to and from the rest of the body through nerves.

Air enters the tracheae through the exoskeleton’s spiracles.

Orthoptera have long hind legs. Some have spines. Some use these for grooming, but others use them for defense. If you are ever stabbed by an Orthopteran’s leg, you’ll know that it can hurt!

Cricket

Locust

Grasshopper

Grasshopper Grasshopper

23

eye SEE

things

you wouldn’t believe! How many eyes does an insect have?

Insects’ compound eyes aren’t as good as ours. If we had compound eyes, they’d need to be 50 times bigger than human eyes to produce our normal quality of vision.

24

Many insects have two eyes, but believe it or not, a lot of insects have five! A honeybee, for example, has two multi-surface, compound eyes as well as three simple eyes (or “ocelli”). So do a grasshopper and a dragonfly. The simple eyes help these insects detect light and movement. The compound eyes allow them to see the world in detail.

Insects don’t have eyelids. they rub their

WHAT DO THEY SEE?

Compound sight

So how do insects see the world? No one really knows, but we know a lot about the way an insect’s eye is made up, and that suggests they see differently from the way people do. Human beings see objects through two eyes, each with one lens. Most insects have compound eyes, which are made up of many thousands of lenses. Each sends a slightly different image to the insect’s brain.

Compound eyes contain hundreds (or even thousands) of tiny units, called facets. Each facet is at a slightly different angle to the next, which makes an insect good at detecting movement, but not so good at detail.

sha forms Each pe: a s fac a h ix-sid et exa ed gon .

Predatory insects cannot see their prey unless it moves—even if it is right in front of them!

Mine are hairy! The honeybee’s eyes are hairy. If its eyes get dirty, it has to comb them!

Mine are the biggest! Dragonflies need their large eyes to give good all-around vision for hunting while on the wing.

Mine are on stalks! The Malaysian stalk-eyed fly (Cyrtodiopsis dalmanni ) has eyes on narrow stalks, each roughly ¼ in (5 mm) long.

forelimbs across their eyes to keep them clean.

25

THE HUNGER BUG Most people in the world will tuck into all sorts of invertebrates given the chance: perhaps you’ve tried lobster, shrimp, oysters, crayfish, crab, or a particular shellfish? They are all popular. Many people will happily eat cooked insects and spiders as well. There is actually little difference. The eating of insects even has a name: ENTOMOPHAGY.

ak

re GS FO U B

M E!

26

. T ha t one’s for YO

o n e f or

R

b

dinn er

U . Save

f a st,

l

ch, and n u

In Bogotá, COLOMBIA, moviegoers happily munch on roasted atta ant abdomens instead of popcorn.

What is eaten where?

Native Americans used to eat various insects, including caterpillars, but entomophagy is no longer widely practiced in North America (or in Europe). In GHANA, winged termites are fried, roasted, or crushed and made into bread.

In SOUTH AFRICA, a huge industry has been created around the mopane worm, a large edible caterpillar—it reaches about 4 in (10 cm) in length. In LATIN AMERICA, people enjoy cicadas, fire-roasted tarantulas, red-legged grasshoppers, edible ants, and beetle larvae.

In parts of AFRICA, termites are eaten with cornmeal porridge, adding valuable protein.

In CHINA, silkworm pupae (after the silk has been removed) are considered a delicacy.

In JAPAN, aquatic fly larvae are sautéed in sugar and soy sauce.

Some outdoor markets in THAILAND sell fried insects by the bag.

In BALI, you may find a dish consisting of dragonflies boiled in coconut milk and flavored with ginger and garlic.

In NEW GUINEA and AUSTRALIA, grubs have long been traditional “bush tucker.” Another favorite bush food is live ants.

Why? PEOPLE EAT INSECTS AND SPIDERS because they like the taste. (Some people compare the taste of fried insects to that of crispy bacon.) They are also a good source of vitamins and minerals. And they are everywhere! 27

NOW YOU

28

see ME…

… AND NOW YOU DON’T! INSECTS ARE MASTERS OF DISGUISE. AFTER ALL, THEY DON’T WANT TO BE EATEN. TAKE A LOOK AT JUST HOW GOOD THEY ARE AT DISGUISING THEMSELVES.

?

TOP ROW:

leaf bug, mantis, looper moth, stick insect, spiny bugs

MIDDLE ROW:

ha katydid, katydid,

BOTTOM ROW:

orchid mantis,

wk

moth,

af insect

le

geometrid moths, stick insect

katydid, thorn bugs,

90%

of all animal species are

insects.

One-third of these are

beetles

There are more species of beetle than there are species of plant.

What makes a beetle a beetle? A beetle is an insect, which means it has six legs and three body parts. Most beetles have two pairs of wings, but one pair is not used for flying—they are hard cases that protect the flying wings. There are more than 300,000 species of beetle described and many more yet to be discovered.

30

A person who studies beetles is called a coleopterist.

Beetles live everywhere on Earth, except in the oceans and around the freezing polar regions.

31

-IN-THE-DARK

2

1

IT TAKES

70,000

FIREFLIES TO MAKE AS MUCH LIGHT AS ONE LIGHTBULB

!

The twinkling lights that flit magically through woodlands on midsummer nights are FIREFLIES (2). They are not really flies but flying beetles, and their flashes are coded signals to mates. There are hundreds of firefly species, each with its own secret code of flashes. Some predatory fireflies even use trick codes to lure other species to their death. The glow comes from within a firefly’s abdomen, where a chemical reaction releases light with near-perfect efficiency. A lightbulb wastes 90% of its energy as heat, but a firefly stays cold and releases almost 100% of the energy as light. GLOWWORMS (1) are the larvae of fireflies or the wingless females. The larvae can also produce light, not to attract mates but to warn predators that they taste nasty.

Where does the light come from? Fireflies, squids, and mushrooms all make light in a similar way: by making a substance called luciferin react with oxygen. Scientists have found the genes that control this chemical reaction and have figured out how to insert the genes into cancer cells to make them glow. The research could lead to important new discoveries about the way cancer spreads.

What other animals glow? Besides fireflies, there are glowing gnats, glowing springtails, and many glowing sea animals. About 90% of deep-sea creatures produce light for one reason or another. Some, such as anglerfish, use light as a lure to catch prey. Others, including this glowing squid, spew out a cloud of glowing liquid to startle an enemy before making a quick getaway.

Do plants glow in the dark? Organisms that produce light are described as “bioluminescent.” There are no bioluminescent plants, but some mushrooms produce light, perhaps to attract tiny gnats that help spread the mushrooms’ spores. The eerie glow from these mushrooms is called “foxfire” and was used for portable lighting in the world’s first submarines.

How do scorpions glow? Scorpions can’t produce light, but they do glow with a striking blue-green light when lit up with an ultraviolet lamp (a blacklight). The glow comes from fluorescent minerals in the skin, and nobody knows if it has a purpose. One advantage is that scorpions are very easy to find at night if you have a UV lamp!

33

Southern hawker dragonfly (Aeshna cyanea)

Growing up The way insects grow up is nothing like the way humans do. Most insects go through a dramatic transformation as they turn into adults. Often, the change is so great that the adult looks totally different from the young insect. The changing process is called metamorphosis. I’m a dragonfly nymph about to change into an adult. First I climb out of my pond and up a reed, where I cling on tightly...

1

2

I split my skin for the final time and start to wriggle out.

3

4

5

My new skin has already formed, but at first it is very soft so I can squeeze out of the old skin. The new skin will harden after an hour or so.

6

Complete metamorphosis Swallowtail butterfly

Simple growth

Adult (butterfly)

Pupa (chrysalis)

Silverfish

Larva (caterpillar)

In about 90% of insects, the young form is called a larva and looks nothing like the adult. It has no wings, no antennae, and no compound eyes. Caterpillars are the larvae of butterflies. A larva’s job is simply to eat and grow. Then it forms a resting stage called a pupa. Inside the pupa, its body is broken down and rebuilt as an adult.

In a few insect species, metamorphosis doesn’t happen. The youngsters are miniature replicas of the adult. They simply grow bigger, shedding their skin a few times to give room for growth.

Incomplete metamorphosis

Damselflies, cockroaches, and various other insects grow up in stages. The youngsters, or nymphs, look like adults but have no wings. With each molt they get more like an adult, acquiring wings at the last stage. Dragonflies and damselflies live underwater as nymphs and change the most on their final molt.

Gills Nymph

7

8

9

10

11

12

Ho

w

My wings are shriveled for now but will slowly expand. Then I’ll fly for the first time.

1 HR 15 MINS lo n

Just over an hour after leaving the water, I fly away to begin my adult life.

e?

Damselfly

ta g does it

k

35

36

All the arthropods on the blue page are adults. On the white page are their younger forms (larvae), before metamorphosis. See if you can match the adults to the babies. Write down the numbers and letters you think go together, then check the answers on the next page.

Who’s the daddy? 1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10

11

12

1l

Damselfly and damselfly nymph

Housefly and maggots

Ladybug and ladybug larva

6c

5d

4i

Crane fly and crane fly larvae

Mosquito and mosquito larva

Crab and crab larva

9h

8a

7b

Mexican bean beetles and larvae

Rhinoceros beetle and grub

Great diving beetle and its larva

12g Lobster moth and caterpillar

11f

10e Postman butterflies and caterpillar

ANSWERS 2k

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

j

k

l

Wasp and wasp grubs

3j

Match the parent to the child

37

OUCH!

You’re stepping on my wing!

Different groups (broods) of cicada emerge nearly every year somewhere in North America, but the biggest and most spectacular is called “brood ten.” It is next due in late spring 2021.

Yawn...

DAY

1

After 17 years I’ve nearly grown up and it’s time to escape from my underground hiding place. In the middle of the night, I dig an escape tunnel and crawl out into the open. Millions of young cicadas all come out at the same time. We all clamber up trees and plants to find a safe place for an amazing transformation…

It’s time to molt. I shed my skin and crawl out with my adult body.

I’m a young cicada—a “nymph.” I live underground and feed on the root of a plant. I spend 17 years here, in the dark, without moving. It’s kind of boring…

GET OUT OF MY WAY!

DAY

5

38

There are millions of us in the forest now. Predators will catch a lot of us, but there are far too many for the predators to eat. Most of us will survive.

DAY

DAY

8

10

I’m a female cicada and I need to find a male. I listen for their songs. Males sing by clicking the wall of their thorax in and out. It clicks very quickly, making a loud buzzing.

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON E DIARY A DATE FOR TH

MAY 20 (ish)

The amazing periodical cicada spends precisely 13 or 17 years of its life hidden underground as a youngster. Then it crawls out in the dead of night to grow up and lead its short adult life. Every 13 or 17 years, vast numbers of cicadas emerge at once in the forests of North America. They cover the trees and fill the air with sound, creating one of the wonders of the natural world.

At first I’m white, with a soft body and shriveled wings.

DAY

2

As I sit through the night, my wings expand and my skin hardens and turns black. By morning I’m fully grown up.

I’ve found a male! We mate, then my partner falls to the ground exhausted and dies.

After mating, I laid eggs on a tree. To keep them safe, I pushed them deep into slits that I’d cut in the bark of a twig. I laid hundreds of them, using all my reserves and all my energy to do the best job I could. Then I, too, fell exhausted to the ground to die.

By the end of summer, there are millions of our bodies and molted skins all over the forest. As our remains decay, they will nourish the trees. Their roots, in turn, will feed our offspring.

DAY

60

DAY

14 About eight weeks after my eggs were laid, baby cicadas will hatch. They’ll drop to the ground and burrow into the soil to begin their 17-year spell underground…

Small copper (Lycaena phlaeas) Orange sulfur (Colias eurytheme)

Butterf ly Day flight Most butterflies fly during the day, but some fly at dusk. None fly at night. The sun warms their flight muscles.

Small white (Pieris rapae) Tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)

Antennae Most butterflies have thin antennae. All have a small, rounded club at the tip. Body Butterflies tend to have smooth, thin bodies.

Feeding Butterflies use a proboscis (which is sort of like a coiled drinking straw) to feed on nectar. Small postman (Heliconius erato) At rest Most butterflies rest with their wings upright and together.

Common blue (Polyommatus icarus)

Pupa A butterfly pupa, also called a chrysalis, has a protective hard shell and often hangs from a leaf.

Camberwell beauty (Nymphalis antiopa) Common green birdwing (Ornithoptera priamus) Orange tip butterfly (Anthocharis cardamines)

Queen Alexandra’s birdwing (Ornithoptera alexandrae)

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus)

40

Blue morpho (Morpho menelaus)

Both butterflies and moths belong to the same insect group: the Lepidoptera,

or Moth? Fly by night Most moths are active at night, although there are many that fly in daylight. They vibrate their flight muscles to warm them up.

Large emerald moth (Geometra papilionaria)

Butterflies evolved from moths, and they share many features. But here are some signs to help you spot the difference...

Puss moth (Cerura vinula)

Sable moth (Rheumaptera hastata)

Antennae Many moths have feathery, brushlike antennae, which help them to sense their way at night by smell. Body Moths tend to be rounder than butterflies, with fuzzy bodies. The fuzz helps to keep them warm at night. Feeding It is hard for moths to find food at night. Many adult moths have no mouthparts and do not feed at all.

Six-spot burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae)

Female ghost moth (Hepialus humuli) Promethea silkmoth (Callosamia prometheae)

Male ghost moth (Hepialus humuli)

At rest Moths usually rest with their wings open and flat, or angled slightly downward.

Australian regent skipper (Euschemon rafflesia)

Pupa Moths pupate inside a silk cocoon, which is usually on or under the ground. (However, not all moths form a cocoon.) Garden tiger moth (Arctia caja)

Verdant sphinx hawk moth (Euchloron megaera) Buff-tip moth (Phalera bucephala)

Owl moth (Brahmaea wallichii)

European goat moth (Cossus cossus)

Snout moth (Vitessa suradeva)

which means “scale-winged.” They both have wings covered in tiny scales.

41

meet the

Monarchs The extraordinary story of the monarch butterfly.

For such a small creature, the colorful monarch butterfly undergoes a remarkable journey. As the first fall leaves start to fall, thousands of these butterflies gather in southern Canada and other parts of North America to migrate south. Some will travel almost 3,000 miles (4,800 km), heading for the warmer climates of California and Mexico.

ONE OF SEVERAL FLIGHT PATHS OF THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY IN NORTH AMERICA

3

2

Caterpillar

Butterfly

Chrysalis

4

Life patterns 1

1

MARCH–APRIL: The first generation of monarchs is born. They undergo full metamorphosis, from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to adult butterfly. They mate, lay eggs, and then die.

2

MAY–JUNE: The second generation is born. Their lives follow the pattern of the first generation.

3

JULY–AUGUST: The third generation is born, undergoes metamorphosis, and dies. SEPTEMBER–NOVEMBER: The fourth generation does not die so soon. They MIGRATE south on an incredibly long journey and then hibernate in a winter roost for five to seven months in Mexico or southern California. They awaken and begin mating in February and March of the NEXT SPRING, and then start the long journey north, and lay their eggs. They finally die. Young monarchs find their way back to the breeding grounds of the first generation on instinct; older butterflies don’t show them the way!

Monarchs are poisonous and they taste awful. Predators soon learn to avoid them.

It ta

k

o es f

e

th

g r u

g

r at

i

credible journey. n i s i th e k a MOST of the work. s m e to on do s on erati en

ur

ne

4

At one sanctuary in Mexico, near Angangueo, it is estimated that every winter some 100 million monarch butterflies arrive from North America. The air is filled with the sound of their fluttering wings.

ef Th

o

43

The first thing you need to know is that I am not a worm. I am the caterpillar of a Chinese moth, and the single thread I spin for my cocoon has been harvested by people to use as silk for at least 4,000 years.

Females cannot fly, while males cannot fly very well. So a male needs a female to be close by, or he will not find her. The adult males die soon after mating. The females die after laying eggs.

My species no longer lives in the wild. In fact, we are entirely dependent on human beings for reproduction. I’m a male, and my feathery antennae help me to pick up the scent of a female.

Jaws

Antenna Eyes

Spinneret

44

The thread is spun from a small tube just beneath my mouth.

As caterpillars, all we do is eat. We only eat Chinese mulberry leaves, but we need plenty of them. As a caterpillar I will moult, shedding my skin, four times over 26 days. I have to molt because my outer skin cannot grow.

Cocoons can be yellow or white. Can you think why?

I am nearly ready to spin a cocoon. I’ll do this by spinning a silk thread from a tube below my mouth. Twisting my body around allows me to throw this around myself.

It’s simple. Different varieties produce different colors.

We have to be softened in hot water.

You’ll need 1,000 of us to make a silk shirt.

The cocoons have to be sorted. The finer ones will be used for silk cloth. Some are rejected because of imperfections such as staining or holes.

It’s the only way to release the strand of silk from the cocoon.

And here is the result of our labors.

Today silk is manufactured in large factories—but the cocoons still have to be placed in hot water and the threads fed into the spinning machine.

Between six and 10 threads are twisted together to make one strand of silk. This is done on huge machines. Each cocoon produces about 1 mile (1.6 km) of thread.

LOCUST A locust attack can be devastating. ING W O L L O F JUST D... W O R C E H T

, but solitary lives ormally lead n s st cu gh food lo ou t Deser ange. If en amazing ch an o rg crowding de er they can un tch. The ov e able to ha ar s st cu look: lo the way they grows, lots of ely change et pl m r. co fferent colo makes them and turn a di r te or sh e they becom

Y Y A LONEL WILL I STA ME O C BE R LOCUST O NIMAL? A PARTY A

WANTED

FROM THE IN FAMOUS LOCUST GAN G—HE’S DES TRUCTIVE!

African desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria)

Huge REWARD

main Locusts will re ere are th ss le un y solitar around. sts cu lo lots of other d cause an n They stay gree damage. tle lit y el tiv rela

custs also Swarming lo they act: ay w e th ge chan arious, eg gr e m co they be acts as at th m ar forming a sw crops. g tin sta one unit, deva

…if you can find a means of stopping the desert locu st from wreak ing h

What’s the solution? Unfortunately, once the African desert locust descends, there is nothing a farmer can do but watch as crops are hungrily devoured. Scientists are trying to help by predicting where a swarm may break out, but the swarms are so big, they quickly take control.

46

avoc.

I just need to eat. What’s the problem?

A cloud appears Locust swarms first appear as a dark cloud on the horizon. They can travel 80 miles (130 km) a day, so when they settle, they are hungry! They will strip a field in minutes, leaving it bare, and they are widespread. Swarms have been reported in at least 60 of the world’s countries.

Above: Lo cust eating Right: Sw arm of locu sts on crop

s

What’s for l

unch?

Locusts hav e taste and touch sensors all o ver their bo dies. They can qu ickly assess w hether or not a cro p is good to eat.

85¢

r e p a P l a n o i The Internat

October 10, 1996

Plague returnof sEastern Africa have

rts Farmers in large pa locust easing numbers of cr in been reporting rmers have been feared by fa swarms. These insects nds ou a and Asia for th sa in many parts of Afric ht in n eat its own weig of years—a locust ca km) sq a square mile (1 a day. A third of while ion of the creatures, ill m 80 ain nt co ay m miles. ver hundreds of a swarm can co custs in Somalia, the lo During one plague 0,000 food to feed 40 devoured enough ar. people for a whole ye

s over. A locust swarm passe

47

Who’s for dinner? What’s the most disgusting substance you can think of? Whatever it is, it’s delicious to arthropods. Arthropods can eat and digest nearly every kind of organic substance on our planet. All kinds of arthropods dine on live humans. The head louse clambers through your hair and snacks on blood by biting your skin. Mosquitos land for one bite The poor silkmoth doesn’t eat anything during its whole adult life. It can’t—it doesn’t have a working mouth. It lives for only a few days and then dies of starvation and thirst.

and fly away full of blood. Scabies mites dig tunnels inside your skin and make you itch. Botfly maggots burrow into muscles and sit there for weeks, eating your flesh.

Fruit flies like the taste of rotting fruit—the natural source of alcohol. Just like humans, they get drunk and pass out if they have too much. But they never get addicted.

Not many animals can digest wood, but termites can. If they get into your house, they can eat their way through floorboards and beams until the whole building collapses.

Silverfish

are fond of books, but rather than reading them they eat the glue that holds the pages together. Failing that, they eat the pages themselves. They aren’t greedy—they survive on tiny amounts and can live for a year without eating anything.

Clothes moths eat fabrics made of animal hairs. Wool socks, fur coats, and carpets are all ideal. In the wild, these moths feed on the pelts of dead animals.

Check out the menu... THE MENU 1. One sumptuously smelly sock 2. A lovely, sweet, fleshy ba by 3. A delectable dollop of du ng 4. A crunchy coil of cardbo ard 5. Your very own mother 6. A tower of tasty tomes 7. Nothing at all, not a cr umb! A stinking ball of excrement is the perfect meal for a dung beetle. Dung beetle larvae chew their way through dung from the inside, but adults prefer to squeeze fresh dollops and suck out the delicious juices.

Australian social spiders start life by eating their mother. Having fattened herself up deliberately, the mother lets her newly hatched babies suck her blood. When she’s too weak to move, they attack her with venomous bites and devour her body completely.

The jewel wasp (below) stings a cockroach in the brain to stop it from running around. Then the wasp lays an egg on the cockroach. The egg hatches and the larva burrows into the cockroach and eats it.

I LOVE M

UM

Cockroaches

will dig into almost any kind of garbage, from cardboard and soap to stale dog food and fingernail clippings. Yum!

49

All work and no play Leaf-cutter ants live in enormous colonies. The colonies work because each member has a particular job to do. It’s hard and they stick to it day and night. So what do they do? They are farmers. I am a leaf cutter. I fetch and carry leaves back to the nest. I cut them to size if necessary.

Some of us make sure the pathways to and from the nest are kept free of debris. You could call me a street sweeper.

How do we know where to go to find the best leaves? We leave a scent trail.

There aren’t many of us, the males. Our job is to mate with females from other colonies. So, do you want to know what happens to all those leaves? Well, millions of ants use them to create subterranean fungus gardens by licking and chewing them to a pulp. The fungus “eats” the pulp and we eat the fungus.

50

Only a third of the ants

I am the queen and the workers are all my daughters. If I die, the nest dies.

i s t he

Major

Leafcutter

W ho

Wh o i s

Soldier

sm allest?

t?

biggesth

e

Winged Male

Minion

Queen

Queen!

Media

Male

Guard Maxima

Chef

I’m a cleaner. I check the leaf for parasites or uninvited fungus that might compete with the fungus being grown underground.

I’m a phorid fly. If I can, I’ll lay an egg on an ant’s head. The hatchling maggots will find the head an easy meal!

I’m a soldier. Don’t poke a finger into our nest or I’ll slice into you with my strong jaws.

The fungus gardens are located underground, and they can be huge! That’s because to cultivate enough fungus, the ants must collect massive quantities of leaves, bit by tiny bit. The chambers are stacked above each other, sometimes to a depth of 20 feet (6 meters).

in a nest come out to collect leaves. The others work away in darkness.

51

ARMY ANTS

On the move

NEWS FL ASH > THEY ’R E COMING!

I’m a winged male driver ant. Look at my sausage-shaped abdomen.

52

W i An nge Ni t n d ma o Sa ckn . 24 le us am 0 30 ag 0 e f e: ly

You turn at a rustle on the forest floor. Looking closely, you notice that a surprisingly large number of small insects are scrambling to escape. The rustle grows louder, now accompanied by a distinct hissing, and you begin to notice ants. Thousands of ants. These are killers, and they will overcome and eat whatever lies in their path, cutting it apart and taking it back to their nest. They can quickly subdue centipedes, scorpions, tarantulas, and even vertebrates such as lizards and geckos.

The marching column is made up of female ants, none of whom can lay eggs. They are the workers and there may be 20 million of them. There are very few males.

Large prey such as a scorpion is no obstacle to army ants. A single ant may discover it, and will then release chemicals to draw other ants toward it. The scorpion will soon be buried under a mass of ants.

So who are the killers? …1,000s of army ants.

Army ants are social insects, working together to form colonies that are highly efficient at tasks such as rearing young and subduing prey. They frequently move from place to place, otherwise they would run out of food. They can even build living bridges to cross obstacles on the forest floor.

There are two main types of ant that forage in armies: the army ants of North, South, and Central America, and the driver ants of Africa. There are some differences. Army ants have a powerful sting. Driver ants use sharp mandibles (jaws) to slice away at their victims. Army ants can’t kill large vertebrates, but driver ants can—they may overpower a chicken, or an injured pig. Most large creatures can move out of the way, but arthropods can’t move quickly enough. In Africa, driver ants have been known to raid villages, which can be helpful. The inhabitants simply move out while the ants clean out the cockroaches and mice that may have seen it as a safe home. All army ants form temporary homes, called bivouacs, constructing them by hooking themselves together. I protect the worker ants with my powerful jaws. Above is our home, a bivouac of living ants.

53

zz

z zz

Who is in the hive? buzzzzzzzzzzzz

Som e bees are solitary, but not h Ho neybees live in hives con

tai

nin g

up t

oneybees Each of

o8

z z zz bu

zzz

z z z zz

0,000 individuals

zz

zzz

buzzzz

zzzz z

zz z zz

The

Queen A hive has just one queen and her job is to lay eggs. Lots of eggs. In fact, she will lay up to 2,000 eggs each day! Most of these will be fertilized and develop into female worker bees. Those that are unfertilized become male bees (drones). What happens if she dies or stops laying eggs? The workers feed a larva on royal jelly, a food so rich that the chosen larva will develop into a new queen.

54

z zz

Queen honeybees reach between 1 ⁄2 and 3⁄4 in (15–20 mm).

1 honey beehive =

1 of these

+

b uz

ific job t

o d o

zz zzz

e th

es has a sp e b ec se

zzzzzzz z z zz

The

Most of the bees in a hive are female workers. From their first appearance to their last breath, they work, work, and work. For the first 12 days, they clean the cells that store honey, nurse the larvae, and tend to the queen. Those between 12 and 20 days old build and repair cells, collect and store the nectar and pollen brought into the hive, and act as guards, checking the identity of returning workers. After 20 days, workers begin to forage, leaving the hive to return laden with nectar and pollen.

bu z

zz

Worker zzzzzzzzzz

Workers reach up to 1⁄2 in (15 mm) in length.

79,450 of these

zz

The

Drone

A hive contains between 300 and 3,000 drones (male bees), but only in the summer months. In the fall the drones are thrown out because they are not needed. In the summer, it’s a different story: male bees are kept on standby for mating with queens in other hives. They are well looked after, but it’s not all easy—if they do mate, they die. Unlike the workers, the drone does not have a stinger.

Drones reach about 3⁄4 in (18 mm).

+

549 of these

55

How did

this

Light honey

There are lots of different flavored honeys. Flavor depends on the flowers the bees visited when collecting the nectar.

Beeswax crayons last longer than other crayons and the colors can be mixed. Blue and yellow will make green.

Beeswax is a perfect material for candlemaking. Beeswax candles smell of honey— and they don’t drip.

Clear honey

produce

this honey?

Comb honey

In addition to so many other things that we find useful?

Honeybees are incredibly useful to us. We not only steal their honey, but we also use beeswax for an almost endless list of items, from crayons and creams to polishes and soaps. Of course, bees don’t actually make the honey or wax for human use. Honey is a product of nectar, which is collected by worker bees from flowers and thickened in the hive for use as bee food. Wax is produced by young bees when they are building and repairing their hive. Each bee will produce a tiny flake of wax and some 500,000 of these go into every 1 lb (0.5 kg) of beeswax. The bees use the flakes to shape honeycomb cells into which the eggs are laid. Humans find hundreds of additional uses for the wax. 56

Dark honey

Spun honey

Honeybees provide us with an amazing amount of products, including honey (which we use to spread on bread and as sweetener for baking goodies such as biscuits and cookies and bread), wax, candles, polish, varnish, crayons, well as all sorts of lotions and potions and creams. It’s amazing when you think that each honeybee will probab produce just 1 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. Honeybees provide us with an amazing amount of produc including honey (which we use to spread on bread and as a sweetener for baking goodi such as biscuits and cookies and bread), wax, candles, polish, varnish, crayons, as well as sorts of lotions and potions and creams. It’s amazing when you think that each honeybee will proba produce just 1 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. Honeybees provide us with an amazing amount of products, includ honey (which we use to spread on bread and as a sweetener for baking goodies such as biscuits and cookies a bread), wax, candles, polish, varnish, crayons, as well as all sorts of lotions and potions and creams. amazing when you think that each honeybee will probably produce just 1 teaspoon of honey in lifetime. Honeybees provide us with an amazing amount of products, including honey (which we to spread on bread and as a sweetener for baking goodies such as biscuits and cookies and bread), w candles, polish, varnish, crayons, as well as all sorts of lotions and potions and creams. It’s amazing when you think t each honeybee will probably produce just 1 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. Honeybees provide us with amazing amount of products, including honey (which we use to spread on bread and as a sweete for baking goodies such as biscuits and cookies and bread), wax, candles, p o l i s varnish, crayons, as well as all sorts of lotions and potions and creams. It’s amazi when you think that each honeybee will probably produce just 1 teaspoon honey in its lifetime. Honeybees provide us with an amazing amount products, including honey (which we use to spread on bread and a sweetener for baking goodies such as biscuits and cookies a bread), wax, candles, polish, varnish, crayons, well as all sorts of lotions and potions and creams. amazing when you think that each honeyb w i l l probably produce just 1 teaspo of honey in its lifetime. Honeybees prov us with an amazing amount of produ including honey (which we use to spre on bread and as a sweetener for bak goodies such as biscu a n d cookies a n bread), w a x , candl polish, varnish, crayo as well as all sorts of lotions and potio and creams. It’s amazing when you think t each honeybee will probably produce just teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. Honeybees provide with an amazing amount of products, including honey (wh we use to spread on bread and as a sweetener for baking good such as biscuits and cookies and bread), wax, candles, polish, varn crayons, as well as all sorts of lotions and potions and creams. It’s amaz when you think that each honeybee will probably produce just 1 teaspoon honey in its lifetime. Honeybees provide us with an amazing amount of produ including honey (which we use to spread on bread and as a sweetener baking goodies such as biscuits and cookies and bread), w a x candles, polish, varnish, crayons, as well as all sorts of lotions and potio and creams. It’s amazing when you think that each honeybee will probably produce jus teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. Honeybees provide us with an amazing amount of products, including hon (which we use to spread on bread and as a sweetener for baking goodies such as biscuits and cookies and bread), w candles, polish, varnish, crayons, as well as all sorts of lotions and potions and creams. It’s amazing when you think that each honeybee will proba produce just 1 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. Honeybees provide us with an amazing amount of products, including honey (which we use to spre on bread and as a sweetener for baking goodies such as biscuits and cookies and bread), wax, candles, polish, varnish, crayons, as well as all so of lotions and potions and creams. It’s amazing when you think that each honeybee will probably produce just 1 teaspoon of honey in its lifetim Honeybees provide us with an amazing amount of products, including honey (which we use to spread on bread and as a sweetener for bak goodies such as biscuits and cookies and bread), wax, candles, polish, varnish, crayons, as well as all sorts of lotio and potions and creams. It’s amazing when you think that each honeybee will probably produce just 1 teaspoon honey in its lifetime. Honeybees provide us with an amazing amount of products, including honey (which we use spread on bread and as a sweetener for baking goodies such as biscuits and cookies and bread), wax, candle polish, varnish, crayons, as well as all sorts of lotions and potions and creams. It’s amazing when you think that e a c honeybee will probably produce just 1 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. Honeybees provide us with an amazing amount of products, including honey (which we use to spread on bread and as a sweetener for baking goodies such as biscuits and 57 cookies and bread), wax, candles, polish, varnish, crayons, as well as all sorts of lotions and potions and creams. It’s amazing when you think that each honeybee will probably produce just 1 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime. Honeybees provide us with an amazing amount

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r e p a r c s y k S How can this tiny insect build an air-conditioned, multiroomed tower with walls as hard as concrete? For a start, he needs a lot of friends, and it can still take up to 50 years to complete. Yet for their size, termites build the largest structures of any living creature! Termites live in huge colonies. Their mounds are built to help them survive the hot and dry climates they inhabit and to protect them from predators. Different types of termite build mounds of different shapes and sizes.

N E

W S

Compass termite mounds are found in northern Australia. They are always orientated a certain way. This umbrella mound was built by African termites to withstand heavy rain.

The London landmark known as the Gherkin is built to take advantage of natural air-conditioning, drawing in air like a termite mound.

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Termite queens can grow to more than 6 in (15 cm)!

A feat of engineering

This Australian cathedral mound may be around 100 years old.

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EEN

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Soldiers like me can squirt venom over an attacker. It can be very painful, so watch out!

THE TE

Termites are just under 1 ⁄2 in (1 cm) in length, but they can build mounds that are taller than 20 ft (6 m).

Outside, the temperature may reach 104°F (40°C), but inside, a termite mound maintains a constant, comfortable temperature. It’s a perfect environment for food pantries, gardens, and, of course, nurseries for all those baby termites. Dedicated chambers for these purposes are placed at specific points inside the mound, and they usually have arched ceilings (for strength). There’s even a royal chamber for the king and queen. A clever system of tunnels and chimneys ensures that air flows around the nest, and the mound even has foundations so it doesn’t collapse, just like a brick-built house. And all this is achieved without teams of architects and engineers poring over plans and drawings.

Warm air rises through the chimneys.

You would need a pickax to break in. There’s even space for a food pantry.

Ground level

I’m an average height, but just look at how BIG this tower is!

The fungus gardens are perfect for growing edible fungi. Nurseries for the eggs. A royal chamber houses the king and queen.

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SPOTthe FAKE

The caterpillar of a Costa Rican hawkmoth can inflate its body to imitate the head of a venomous viper. Glaring eyespots complete the disguise.

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Viceroy (top) and monarch (bottom) butterflies mimic each other. Both species are foul tasting to birds, and the similar patterns reinforce the message.

The owl butterfly mimics an owl.

Whoo-whoo

Bushy antennae and outspread wings are clues that the top “bee” here is really just a harmless moth. The disguise scares off birds that have learned to avoid bees.

A cunning way to defend yourself from attack is to pretend to be something nasty. All the creatures on the top row here are mimicking the dangerous animals below. The disguises aren’t perfect, but they are good enough to fool a predator for the few seconds it takes to make a getaway.

Look closely at the wingtips of the Atlas moth. Some people think they resemble the head of a deadly cobra poised to spit out venom.

Count the legs on the top “ant.” It’s actually a jumping spider disguised as an ant so it can lurk near the ants’ colony for protection.

The hoverfly’s wasplike stripes are there to fool birds, but even humans are sometimes afraid of these harmless insects.

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Leg (1 of 8)

Giant house spider

Opisthosoma (rear segment)

Prosoma (front segment)

Spiders have small, armlike pedipalps that are used as feelers to handle food.

Chelicerae (contain fangs)

Arachnophobia Scared of spiders? Arachnids make up the second biggest branch of the arthropod family tree after insects. They aren’t just spiders. Scorpions belong to this class of arthropod, as do ticks and mites, which are the most common arachnid. All these creatures have certain key things in common. They are best known for having eight legs, but they also have four other appendages (called chelicerae and pedipalps) that flank the mouth and work as fangs, feelers, or claws. Unlike insects, arachnids don’t have compound eyes or antennae, and their bodies have only two main segments. All are flesh-eaters, and most are ruthlessly efficient killing machines. Harvestman Often mistaken for a spider, the harvestman (daddy longlegs) belongs to a separate branch of the arachnid family tree. Unlike a spider, it has no silk glands or venom glands. Its amazingly long legs make it a very good climber, and they twitch if snapped off, perhaps to distract predators.

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Tailless whip scorpion This peculiar arachnid walks sideways on six of its legs while using its extraordinarily long front legs (called whips) to feel around for prey. Once found, prey is grasped in huge, folding claws and ripped apart.

Imperial scorpion

Scorpions have huge pedipalps that are used as claws for catching food.

Scorpion Large claws and sting-tipped tails make scorpions unmistakeable. The most ancient of arachnids, they live only in hot countries and hunt by night. As a rule of thumb, the more menacing a scorpion looks, the less dangerous it is. The deadliest kinds are small, with spindly pincers but fat tails packed with venom.

House spider The house spider is often found trapped in a bathtub after falling from the ceiling. A member of the funnel-web family, it builds a messy, sheetlike web with a funnel-shaped den. Other members of this family are deadly (see page 71), but the house spider’s bite isn’t dangerous or particularly painful.

al tu e ac siz

Dust mite Mite Mites are found in vast numbers everywhere. A bed can contain two million dust mites, which eat dead human skin. Most mites are smaller than periods, so we seldom see them.

Tick After feeding Ticks are bloodsucking parasites. They lurk in forests and meadows waiting for animals to brush past and pick them up. Then they stab their harpoon-shaped mouth into the skin and swell up like balloons as they fill with blood.

Before feeding

Garden spider Members of the orb spider family, such as this garden spider, trap prey in circular webs made from spirals of silk. Prey are killed by a venomous bite and sucked dry.

Trapdoor spider Rather than trapping prey in a web, trapdoor spiders hide in a burrow with a camouflaged trapdoor and leap out when they feel prey walking on top.

Huntsman spider Agile and quick-footed, this spider hunts on foot. It can sprint up walls and across ceilings, and can even dart sideways like a crab. If you pick one up it is likely to cling on and may bite in self-defense.

Red-kneed tarantula

Tarantula With legspans of up to 12 in (30 cm) and fangs up to 1 in (2.5 cm) long, tarantulas are the giants of the spider world and can kill birds, bats, and mice. In captivity they can live for 30 years. Jumping spider Bulbous eyes give the tiny jumping spiders the best vision in the spider world. Instead of spinning webs they hunt on foot, carefully sneaking up on victims when they aren’t looking.

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This magnified length of spider’s silk shows just why it stretches so well.

The same silk s t r e t c h e d by five times its length. The silk has been stretched 20 times its original length.

A spider’s web is a feat of engineering, orb web is built in a particular way and usually at night. It takes the spider about ONE HOUR to and a spiral

build. Easily damaged by wind and rain, a spider may have to

repair its web two or three times a day.

1 A spider has spun and attached draglines to anchor its new web. These radiate from a central point. It now begins to work around the center.

64

2 As the spider works, the threads that touch will stick together, strengthening the web. A web called a spiral orb is beginning to emerge.

3 The spider now waits at the center of the finished web. It will respond rapidly to any vibrations, since these are caused when an insect is caught.

Web-spinning spiders are born with the skill; no spider is taught how to make a web. Scientists discovered this by isolating baby spiders.

65

Different types of spider build different types of web. Funnel

Tangle

Spiral

Funnel webs These webs are often built in hidden corners; in cracks in fences or holes in a tree. The spider retreats into the funnel and waits for an insect to get caught before pouncing.

Orb webs These flat, spiral webs are perhaps the most common of all spider webs. The spider lays draglines, and then completes the web by working around and around and around.

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Wolf spider Ground spiders don’t, and crab spiders don’t. Instead, they hide in leaves and flowers waiting to pounce. Wolf spiders do this, choosing to hunt at night.

67

I have at least 15 pairs of legs. My name suggests I have 100 legs (centi means a hundred in Latin), but most centipedes have far fewer. I am most active at night: it’s a good time to hunt!

Centipede

Centipedes float—if they fall into water, they can swim to safety. Centipedes are carnivores that feed on small invertebrates. Centipedes run away if attacked. Centipedes have one

pair of legs per segment. Centipedes are fast runners. Centipedes generally have flattened bodies.

For its size, a centipede is faster than a cheetah.

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Many centipedes have venomous claws located under their heads that are used to kill their prey.

or Millipede? Feeling threatened, a pill millipede rolls into a tight ball.

Millipedes sink. If they fall into water, they will drown. Most millipedes are vegetarians. They feed on decaying vegetation. Millipedes roll into a ball if attacked. Millipedes have two

pairs of legs per segment.

Millipedes are slow-moving. Millipedes generally have rounded bodies.

Some millipedes produce a bad smell when they sense a threat.

My name suggests I have 1,000 legs, but no millipede has 1,000 legs; most have around 60, although some have 750. There are a lot more species of millipede than centipede. You’ll usually find me burrowing through leaf litter, especially in damp conditions.

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DANGER! Suicide mission Honeybees kill more people than any other venomous animal. African honeybees are the deadliest. If you step too close to their nest, guard bees release an alarm scent that makes the colony attack as a swarm. They chase relentlessly, delivering hundreds of stings. Each bee dies after stinging, its abdomen ripped open as the stinger pulls out.

Beetle bomb The bombardier beetle stores explosive chemicals inside two chambers in its abdomen. If you upset this beetle, it will force the two chemicals together so they react and explode. Boiling, caustic chemicals blast out through a swiveling nozzle that the beetle can aim. If the spray hits a small animal in the face, it can blind or kill it.

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All these arthropods use chemical weapons to defend themselves.

warfare Stinging hairs

!

Stink bomb

!

In addition to using their venomous fangs for defense, tarantulas can flick a barrage of toxic hairs at attackers. Special urticating hairs grow on the abdomen and are flicked off with the legs. The hairs lodge in skin and release chemicals that cause a rash. If they get in your eyes, they can cause excruciating pain.

Stink bugs have special glands in the thorax that secrete a foul-smelling liquid when the bugs are handled. If you hold one in cupped hands and sniff it, you’ll smell the bitter, almondlike odor of cyanide. Some people can’t smell cyanide, but the bugs’ main enemies—birds—can. The bright colors are also a warning to birds to leave the bug alone.

Kiss of death

Prickly peril

The Sydney funnel-web spider is one of the few spiders whose bite can kill a human, although deaths are rare. It bites aggressively and repeatedly, and its fangs can pierce a fingernail or puncture a shoe. The venom contains a cocktail of nerve poisons that can cause unbearable pain, twitching, vomiting, coma, and death.

Never touch a spiked or hairy caterpillar. The spikes and hairs are designed to break into needle-sharp fragments that pierce your skin and inject a pain-inducing venom. Caterpillars can also steal chemical weapons from plants. They feed on poisonous plants and store the toxic chemicals in their bodies for protection.

A sting in the tail The fat-tailed scorpion of North Africa kills more people than any other scorpion. Its venom contains nerve poisons that spread from the wound to affect the whole body. This is what can happen if you get stung: rapid breathing, weakness, sweating, frothing at the mouth, blurred vision, rolling eyes, vomiting, diarrea, chest pain, seizures, and death.

DEADLY

Take the pain

!

CORROSIVE

!

The bullet ant of Central America has the most painful sting of any insect. The searing pain lasts 24 hours and is said to be like a bullet piercing the body. Rainforest tribes use the ants in a ceremony of manhood. Boys wear a woven sleeve in which the ants are trapped and must endure dozens of stings to prove their courage.

!

IRRITATING

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d n e i r F

OR

WARNING! Wasps can turn aggressive at the end of the year!

Wasps might have a nasty sting, but they are efficient predators and kill huge numbers of pests, such as caterpillars. Definitely friends.

Honeybees give us honey and wax, and they also carry pollen from flower to flower, helping crops to produce fruit and seeds. So they are mostly friends… except the dreaded African variety, which isn’t very friendly at all. Don’t panic! I’m gonna get that pesky fly!

Ladybugs are also friendly predators. They prey on the tiny greenflies that infest garden plants. Some people buy ladybugs and release them in greenhouses to control pests. Bumblebees are great pollinators, dutifully buzzing from flower to flower and so helping plants to fruit. They are especially good at pollinating greenhouse plants like tomatoes. 72

Spiders kill billions of pests and disease-carrying insects, especially flies, and they never lay a fang on our plants or buildings. I’m a foe because I spread disease, but I can also be a friend and help recycle things.

FOE ?

Many people think

insects and

spiders are just pests that

infest our homes and gardens. In fact, a lot of them actually help us. So who are our friends and who are our foes?

Carpenter ants dig hollows in wood for their nests, and they don’t care whether the wood is part of a tree or an important part of your home. At night they sneak out to raid your kitchen for sweet or greasy foods.

Cabbage white butterflies may be pretty, but their caterpillars aren’t popular with gardeners. They eat nearly all the same vegetables as us: cauliflowers, cabbages, sprouts, broccoli, radishes, kale, mustard…

Fee, fie, foe, fum…

Termites don’t just burrow into the wood in homes—they eat it. They do it all out of sight, so they can totally wreck a house before you discover them.

Greenflies suck the sap out of all kinds of plants and multiply at a phenomenal rate by giving birth to clones without having to mate. They also squirt out sugary excrement that causes mold.

Hmmm, moldy old flour—my favorite!

Colorado beetles once lived only in the Rocky Mountains, but they have now spread across the world as a pest of potato plants. The larvae devour the leaves and ruin the crop.

Flour beetles find their way into kitchen cupboards and feast on all kinds of dried food—from flour and pasta to crackers and powdered milk. Most definitely foes!

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What

is the

deadliest animal in the world? Areas where malaria transmission occurs Other areas where mosquitos live

Malaria used to be a global disease. The types of mosquito that can spread the malaria germs are found nearly everywhere, except deserts and very cold places. In the 20th century, many countries succeeded in wiping out the germs (though not the mosquitos). However, malaria is still common in tropical countries, as are the other mosquito-borne diseases listed below.

Before supper...

Female mosquitos suck human blood so that they can make eggs. Males don’t bite and are so small and insignificant that you’ve probably never seen one. You’re most likely to get bitten in the evening when the air is still—most mosquitos rest during daylight and they can’t stand moving air. As the female drinks, her abdomen swells up with blood and turns red. Her saliva contains a painkiller so you don’t feel the bite... until it’s too late.

Meet the humble female mosquito, the cause of nearly half of all human deaths in history. As she drives her piercing mouthparts deep into your skin to suck your blood, she can also inject microscopic germs that cause a fatal disease. Malaria is the most common—it kills about 2 million people a year. But it’s not the only one. Travel in a malaria zone and you run the risk of getting any of the nasty diseases below. ... after supper

What mosquitos can do to you 74

DENGUE FEVER causes a rash of red spots on your skin and terrible pains in your joints and bones. YELLOW FEVER turns your vomit black and your skin yellow. Then you go into a coma and may die. WEST NILE VIRUS spreads through your blood into your brain, which then swells up and often kills you. MALARIA produces a raging fever that flares up repeatedly every two or three days. Often fatal. ELEPHANTIASIS makes your legs swell up like elephants’ legs because of tiny worms, spread by mosquitos, that burrow into your skin.

Malaria germs breed inside red blood cells (shown here magnified).

10%

In 1790, of Philadelphia’s population was wiped out in a single summer by yellow fever.

500 million

Malaria can kill you in

1 day or can stay hidden in your body for

1in 17

of all people alive today will die because of a mosquito bite.

30 years.

1in 5

people catch malaria every year.

people who catch the most severe form of malaria die.

22,000 French workers died building the Panama Canal because of malaria and yellow fever.

More than

half of

the French emperor Napoleon’s army was killed by yellow fever when he invaded Haiti in 1802.

12

Every seconds a child dies of malaria.

Malaria doesn’t just make humans sick—it makes mosquitos sick too.

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RECORD on long journeys, called migrations, to find new homes. Arthropods Migration Some animals embark on the wind. The desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) of Africa regularly

can migrate thousands of miles by riding for food. In 1988, a swarm flew travels vast distances in windblown swarms across the Sahara Desert as it searches generated a hurricane. The all the way across the Atlantic Ocean by riding on powerful tropical winds that later Islands. Virgin the on and Guyana locusts landed in the South American countries of Suriname and

longest fastest tallest highest loudest smallest

Longest INSECT

Tallest

Phobaeticus chani, a stick insect from the jungles of Borneo, is a staggering 22 in (57 cm) long—wider than the pages of this book when open.

African termite mounds, at up to 42 ft (13 m) tall, are the tallest buildings made by any non-human animal. If we made buildings as big in proportion to our bodies, they would be 3 miles (4.5 km) tall.

HOME

Best

JUMPER The cat flea is the champion high-jumper of the insect world, capable of reaching 13 in (34 cm) high, which is 140 times a flea’s height and therefore equivalent to a human leaping on to a seven-story building in a single bound.

Philip McCabe stood for over 2 hours covered in 60 lb (27 kg) of bees and was stung only seven times.

Fastest on land The American cockroach is the official holder of this record, with a top speed of 3½ mph (5.4 kph). But scientific reports suggest an Australian tiger beetle may be capable of 51⁄2 mph (8.96 kph)— nearly twice as fast.

Largest BUTTERFLY Queen Alexandra’s birdwing of Papua New Guinea is the biggest butterfly, with a wingspan of 11 in (28 cm). The biggest moth is the Atlas moth from Malaysia, with a wingspan of 1 ft (30 cm).

Most babies

Social insects have more babies than any other arth for four years, so she can ropod. A queen honeyb produce 800,000 offsprin ee lays 200,000 eggs g in her lifetime. But the of 21 a minute, she pro a year and lives record holder is the que duces 30,000 eggs a day en term ite. Laying eggs at an ave . During her lifetime, she rage rate can have 100 million offs pring.

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la z ie s t yo u ng e s t o ld e s t s ma ll e s t lo u d e st

Shortest

LIFE

Mayflies have the shortest adult lives of insects, lasting only a day or so—enough time to mate. Aphids take the shortest time to reproduce—they can give birth  just seven days after being born.

LARGEST

Smallest

LONGEST

SPIDER

hibernation

WEB

Patu marplesi of Western Samoa is the world’s smallest spider, at only 0.017 in (0.43 mm) long. However, other arachnids, such as mites, are smaller. The smallest insect is a fairy wasp, just 0.005 in (0.14 mm) long.

Yucca moths have been known to spend 19 years hibernating as pupas before emerging as adult moths. Many insects are capable of entering a state of hibernation (called diapause) to avoid cold or dry weather.

Darwin’s bark spiders in Madagascar build giant orb webs up to 10 ft (3 m) wide, with draglines stretching 82 ft (25 m). They catch insects such as mayflies and dragonflies.

oldest youngest laziest smelliest

Fastest

FASTEST

BUG

wing beat

Hawkmoths are among the fastest fliers (along with botflies, horseflies, and some butterflies), able to maintain an airspeed of 24 mph (39 kph). Some dragonflies, however, can achieve 36 mph (58 kph) for short bursts.

Forcipomyia—a kind of midge—can beat its wings 1,046 times a second. The wings are powered by the fastest muscles known to exist.

Biggest BEE BEARD Philip McCabe of Ireland risked being stung to death when he covered himself with 200,000 honeybees in June 2005 in an attempt to beat the world record for having the “largest bee beard.” The current record is 350,000 bees, held by Mark Biancaniello of California.

LOUDEST insect Male cicadas can sing at volumes of up to 109 decibels, which is almost as loud as a jackhammer. The songs are audible from 1 ⁄2 mile (0.5 km) away.

Longest life

Wood-boring beetles can sur vive as larvae inside before emerging as adu wood for 35 to 50 yea lts. Queen termites hav rs e the longest lifespan of 60 years as head of the any insect, sur viving for ir colony. up to

h ig he s t fa s te s t lo n gest

77

al u t c A size

size... The bugs on this page are shown actual

Abdomen the part of an animal’s body that contains digestive and reproductive organs. An insect’s abdomen is at the rear of the body. Antennae (feelers) long sensory organs on the head of an arthropod. They feel, taste, and smell objects as well as sensing vibrations. Arachnid a member of the class Arachnida, a particular branch of the arthropod family tree. Arachnids have eight legs and include spiders, scorpions, ticks, and mites. Arthropod an animal with jointed legs (or appendages) and an exoskeleton. Caterpillar the wingless larva of a butterfly or moth. Chrysalis the pupa of a butterfly. Chysalises have a hard outer case for protection. Cocoon the protective silk case around the pupa of a moth. Colony a large group of animals living closely together. Social insects such as bees and ants live in colonies. Compound eye an eye made up of hundreds of tiny units, each of which makes a separate image. Crustacean a member of the superclass Crustacea, a particular branch of the arthropod family tree. Most crustaceans live in water. Crabs, shrimp, lobsters, and wood lice are crustaceans. Digestive system consists of organs of the body that break down food so that it can be absorbed.

GLOSSARY Exoskeleton the outer skeleton (cuticle) of an arthropod. Fang tooth that can deliver digestive juices or venom. Gill organ used to breathe underwater. Grub the larva of a beetle, wasp, or bee.

Pollen a powdery substance, made in flowers, that contains male sex cells. When pollen is transferred to the female part of a flower, the flower can produce a seed or fruit.

Haltere one of a pair of drumstickshaped structures on a fly’s body that beat with the wings to aid balance.

Pollination the transfer of pollen from male organs in flowers to female organs. Pollination is a very important stage in the reproduction of plants.

Hive a structure that houses a bee colony.

Predator an animal that kills and eats other animals.

Insect a member of the class Insecta, a particular branch of the arthropod family tree. Insects have three main body parts and six legs.

Prey an animal that is killed and eaten by a predator.

Invertebrate an animal without a backbone. All arthropods are invertebrates, as are worms, snails, slugs, and many sea creatures. Larva an immature form of an insect. Larvae look very different from the adults. Caterpillars, for example, are the larvae of butterflies.

Proboscis a long, flexible snout or mouthpart. A butterfly uses a proboscis (also called a tongue) to suck nectar from flowers.

Sap a liquid that transports nutrients around plants. Silk a tough, stretchy fiber produced by spiders to make webs or by moth caterpillars to make cocoons. Solitary alone. Species a type of organism. The members of a species can breed with each other. Some species have successfully bred with other species. Spiracle a hole in the exoskeleton of an arthropod that lets air circulate through the body. Thorax the central body part of an insect, between the head and abdomen. Venom a poisonous substance in an animal’s bite or sting.

Pupa the resting stage in the life cycle of an insect, during which a larva is tranformed into an adult by the process of metamorphosis.

Metamorphosis the dramatic change that occurs when a larva (an immature insect) turns into an adult. Caterpillars metamorphose when they change into butterflies. Giant weta

Migration a long journey by an animal to find a new place to live. Some animals migrate regularly every year. Molt the shedding of an arthropod’s exoskeleton. Arthropods have to molt to grow. Nectar a sugary liquid made by flowers to attract pollinating insects. Nymph an immature form of an insect that looks similar to the adult. Nymphs grow into adults by molting several times.

Rhinoceros beetle grub

Pedipalps a pair of small armlike appendages on the head of an arachnid, on each side of the mouth.

Parasite a small organism that lives on or inside the body of a bigger organism, feeding on it while it is still alive.

Bluebottles

INDEX AB ants 15, 26, 27, 50–51, 71, 73 arachnids 8, 10, 62–67 army ants 52–53 arthropods 6–16 Atlas moth 61 bees 17, 19, 54–57, 72 beetles 15, 30–31, 73, 77 body 16–17, 22–23, 30, 40–41 bombardier beetle 70 breathing 23 bullet ant 71 bumblebee 72 butterflies 15, 19, 35, 40, 73, 76, 42–43

C camouflage 28–29 carpenter ants 73 caterpillars 27, 35, 43, 60 centipedes 9, 10, 68 chemical attack 70–71 chrysalis 35, 40 cicadas 27, 38–39, 77 cockroaches 35, 49, 76 cocoons 41, 44–45

Coleoptera 19 crickets 19, 23 crustaceans 9, 11

legs 8–9, 16, 23 Lepidoptera 19, 40 locusts 22–23, 46–47, 76

D

M

daddy longlegs 63 damselflies 35 defense 70–71 Diptera 19 diseases 74–75 dragonflies 15, 24, 25, 27, 34–35 driver ants 52, 53 dung beetle 49

maggots 48 mantis 28, 29 mayflies 77 metamorphosis 34–39 migration 76 millipedes 9, 14, 69 mimicry 60–61 mites 8, 48, 63 molting 7, 34–35, 39, 45 monarch butterfly 42–43, 60 mosquitos 74–75 moths 15, 28, 29, 41, 49, 61, 77

EFG edible insects 26–27 evolution 11, 14–15, 41 exoskeleton 7, 22, 23 eyes 16, 17, 24–25, 62 feeding 40, 41, 48–49 feet 21 fireflies 32–33 fleas 15, 76 flies 15, 19, 20–21 flight 14–15, 17, 40, 41 fossils 14–15 fruit flies 48 fungus gardens 50–51 grasshoppers 22–23, 24, 27 greenflies 73 griffen flies 15 grubs 27, 37

HI hairs 17, 21, 25, 71 harvestman 62 head lice 48 hibernation 77 honeybees 25, 54–57, 70, 72, 76, 77 hoverfly 18, 61 Hymenoptera 19 insects 8, 10–11, 13, 14–15, 16–17

JKL Wood ants

jewel wasp 49 jumping spiders 63 katydids 28, 29 lacewings 19 ladybugs 6, 19, 72 larvae 35, 37 leaf bugs 28, 29 leaf insects 29 leaf-cutter ants 50–51

NOPR Neuroptera 19 nymphs 34–35, 37 Orthoptera 19, 22–23 pests 73 pupae 35, 40, 41 record breakers 76–77

STW scorpions 8, 14, 33, 62, 71 shrimp 9, 11 silkworms 44–45 silverfish 14, 48 singing 77 species 11, 13 spiders 8, 49, 61, 62–67, 71, 72, 77 spines 23 spiny bugs 29 stick insects 29, 76 stingers 17, 70, 71 stink bugs 71 swarms 46–47 tarantulas 63, 71 termite mounds 58–59 termites 27, 48, 58–59, 73, 76 thorn bugs 29 ticks 8, 63 trilobites 14 walking 16 upside down 20–21 wasps 15, 17, 49, 61, 72 webs 64–67, 77 wings 17–19, 30, 40–41, 77 wood lice 9 worms 9, 10, 14

Longhorn beetle

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CREDITS The publisher would like to thank the following for their assistance in the preparation of this book: Sonia Yooshing for editorial assistance and Riti Sodhi for design assistance. Smithsonian Enterprises: Kealy Wilson, Product Development Manager Ellen Nanney, Licensing Manager Brigid Ferraro, Vice President, Education and Consumer Products Carol LeBlanc, Senior Vice President, Education and Consumer Products Chris Liedel, President Picture credits The publisher would like to thank the following for their kind permission to reproduce their photographs: (Key: a-above; b-below/bottom; c-center; f-far; l-left; r-right; t-top)

5 Corbis: Anthony Bannister; Gallo Images (bl). 6 Dreamstime.com: James Davidson (tr). 7 Dorling Kindersley: Wallace Collection, London (l). 11 NHPA / Photoshot: Stephen Dalton (tl). 14–15 Getty Images: National Geographic/Joel Sartore (b). 15 Dorling Kindersley: Gary Stabb—model-maker (ca); Natural History Museum, London (cb). 16 Getty Images: David Scharf (b). 18 FLPA: Michael Durham (tl). 19 NHPA / Photoshot: Stephen Dalton (cl, c, cr, cra, crb, bc, fcra, cr/Bee); Harold Palo Jr. (clb). 20 Corbis: (bc). 21 Science Photo Library: Andrew Syred (cl); Steve Gschmeissner (cr). 23 Science Photo Library: Dr. Jeremy Burgess (t); Andrew Syred (bl). 24–25 Science Photo Library: Eye of Science (c). 24 Science Photo Library: Eye of Science (cla); Stuart Wilson (clb). 25 Alamy Images: Phototake Inc. (cb). iStockphoto. com: Vasco Miokovic Photography (www. thephoto.ca) (tc). NHPA / Photoshot: Anthony Bannister (crb); Stephen Dalton (br); George Bernard (crb/Bee). 26 FLPA: Nigel Cattlin (crb). 27 Alamy Images: Emilio Ereza (cra/packaged). Egmont Strigl (c). Flickr.com: Will Luo (cra/can). FLPA: Nigel Cattlin (fcla); B. Borrell Casals (ca); David Hosking (cla). NHPA / Photoshot: Stephen Dalton (cl, fcra); Ivan Polunin (cr). Science Photo Library: Robert J. Erwin (cl/grasshopper). 28–29: Corbis: Ralph A. Clevenger (ca). Dorling Kindersley: Thomas Marent (c, bc). 28 Corbis: Michael & Patricia Fogden (cl, bc). Dorling Kindersley: Thomas Marent (cla, bl, cr). FLPA: Ingo Arndt/ Minden Pictures (ca). 29 Dorling Kindersley: Thomas Marent (c, br). FLPA: Michael & Patricia Fogden/Minden Pictures (cra). NHPA / Photoshot: Adrian Hepworth (bc). 30 Corbis: Gary Braasch (c). 31 Corbis: Gary Braasch. 32 Alamy Images: Phil Degginger (cra).

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Science Photo Library: Keith Kent. 33 Alamy Images: Brandon Cole Marine Photography (tl). Flickr.com: Jeremy Holden (cl). PunchStock: Photodisc Green (r). 34–35 Science Photo Library: Dr. Keith Wheeler. 37 Ardea: Pascal Goetcheluck (clb). FLPA: D. P. Wilson (crb). NHPA / Photoshot: Hellio & Van Ingen (cr). 38–39 Flickr.com: Janet Wasek (c, bc). 38 Corbis: Karen Kasmauski (tc, bl). Getty Images: Darlyne A. Murawski (cl, c). Janet Wasek (bc). 39 Flickr.com: Keith Gormley (bc); Janet Wasek (c, cr); Chuck Hughes (br). 40 Science Photo Library: Eye of Science (bl). 41 Science Photo Library: Mandred Kage (br). 43 Corbis: George D. Lepp (tl, tc, ftl). 44 Flickr.com: David Fuddland (tr). Science Photo Library: Eye of Science (b). 45 Alamy Images: Neil Cooper (bl). Corbis: Christine Kokot (tr); Karen Su (tl); Macduff Everton (cr). Flickr.com: David Fuddland (c, bc, cl). 46 NHPA / Photoshot: Stephen Dalton (c). 47 Alamy Images: Holt Studios International Ltd. (tc); Phillip Dalton (tr). Science Photo Library: Gianni Tortoli (br). 50 Corbis: (bl). FLPA: Mark Moffett / Minden Pictures 00000111524 (br). Getty Images: Tim Flach (cl, c, cr). NHPA / Photoshot: ANT. Photo Library (bc). 51 Corbis: (br). FLPA: Mark Moffett / Minden (cr, bl). Getty Images: Tim Flach (cla, cra). NHPA / Photoshot: George Bernard (ca). 52 NHPA / Photoshot: Adrian Hepworth (crb). 52–53 Science Photo Library: Sinclair Stammers. 53 naturepl.com: Martin Dohrn (tr, br); Prema Photos (cl). 58 Ardea: Chris Harvey (bc). NHPA / Photoshot: Patrick Fagot (clb). 58–59: Ardea: Masahiro Iijima (bc). 59 OSF: Photolibrary/ Alan Root (cra). 60–61 Alamy Images: Joe Tree. 60 naturepl.com: Ingo Arndt (clb). NHPA / Photoshot: Stephen Kraseman (cl). 61 Alamy Images: (tr). FLPA: Mark Moffett / Minden Pictures (c, cb). 63 Getty Images: (bl). Science Photo Library: Scott Camazine (ftr); Eye of Science (tl, tr). 64 OSF: (clb, c, crb). 65 Photoshot: NHPA. 66 FLPA: David Hosking (tr); Konrad Wothe / Minden (ftl). Getty Images: Bill Curtsinger (cb). naturepl. com: Niall Benvie (ftr). Science Photo Library: M. Lustbader (tl). 67 Ardea: Jim Frazier-Densey Clyne / Auscape (bc). Corbis: Nick Garbutt (cr). 71 NHPA / Photoshot: James Carmicheal Jr. (br). 73 Science Photo Library: Ted Clutter (cla); Andrew Syred (br); Science Source (clb). 74 Superstock: Roger Eritja / Age Fotostock (b). 75 Science Photo Library: Susumu Nishinaga. 76–77 Press Association Images: Haydn West (bc). All other images © Dorling Kindersley For further information see: www.dkimages.com