Kids Encyclopedia

Firefly — Lampyridae is a family in the beetle order Coleoptera, members of which are commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs or (ambiguously) “glow worms” due to their conspicuous nocturnal (or, more accurately, crepuscular) use of bioluminescence to attract mates or prey. Fireflies are capable of producing a “cold light” containing no ultraviolet or infrared rays, with a wavelength from 510 …

Earwig — Earwig is the common name given to the insect order Dermaptera characterized by membranous wings folded underneath short leathery forewings (hence the literal name of the order—“skin wings”). The abdomen extends well beyond the wings, and frequently, though not always, ends in a pair of forceps-like cerci. With about 1,800 recorded species in 10 families, the order is …

Dragonfly — A dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, and an elongated body. Dragonflies typically eat mosquitoes, midges and other small insects like flies, bees, and butterflies. They are usually found around lakes, …

Deerfly — Deer flies (Chrysops spp.) are flies of the family Tabanidae that can be pests of cattle, horses, and humans. Deer flies are similar to horse-flies, being smaller, having coloured eyes, and with dark bands across their wings. While female deer flies feed on blood, males instead collect pollen. When feeding, females use their knife-like mandibles and maxillae to …

Cricket — Crickets, family Gryllidae (also known as “true crickets”), are insects somewhat related to grasshoppers and more closely related to katydids or bush crickets (family Tettigoniidae). They have somewhat flattened bodies and long antennae. There are about 900 species of crickets. They tend to be nocturnal and are often confused with grasshoppers because they have a similar body structure …

Cockroaches — Cockroaches (or simply “roaches”) are insects of the order Blattodea. This name derives from the Latin word for “cockroach”, blatta. Among the most well-known species are the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, which is about 3 cm long, the German cockroach, Blattella germanica, about 1½ cm long, the Asian cockroach, Blattella asahinai, also about 1½ cm in length, and …

Cicada — A Cicada is an insect of the order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha, in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with large eyes wide apart on the head and usually transparent, well-veined wings. There are about 2,500 species of cicada around the globe, and many remain unclassified. Cicadas live in temperate to tropical climates where they are among the most widely recognized of …

Beetle — Beetles are a group of insects which have the largest number of species. They are placed in the order Coleoptera, means “sheathed wing”, and contains more described species than in any other order in the animal kingdom and constitute about twenty-five percent of all known life-forms. Forty percent of all described insect species are beetles (about 350,000 species), …

Butterflies and Moths — Butterflies and moths can be difficult to find, but looking for known food plants makes the task easier. Different swallowtail caterpillars eat parsley, dill, citrus leaves and sometimes carrot greens. If milkweed grows in your area, monarch caterpillars will be on the plants in the spring or summer. Locate many large moth caterpillars like the tomato …

Bees — Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila. There are slightly fewer than 20,000 known species of bee, in 9 recognized families, though many are undescribed and the actual number is probably higher. They are found on every continent …