The Bug Collector Game

Learn More About Insects in "The Bug Collector" Game

Did you know that while it's always correct to call bugs "insects," it's not always correct to call insects "bugs"? One order of insects is called "Hemiptera," which is Latin for "half wing." Members of the order Hemiptera are also called "true bugs," and technically are the only insects that should be called "bugs." Many people – and even entomologists (scientists who study insects) – use the term "bugs" as a nickname for all insects, even though it's not officially correct. You'll notice that we've done it ourselves in naming "The Bug Collector" game.

Information about the eight insects in "The Bug Collector" virtual insect collection follows. If you'd like to learn more about these and other insects, and how to make your own real insect collection, see the "Do, Reflect and Apply" activities.

Katydids are the best-known members of the long-horned grasshoppers (family Tettigoniidae). They "sing" their name from treetops on summer nights. True katydids live in trees, but many of their relatives, such as the bush katydid (shown here), live in fields, wet meadows, shrubs or weeds. Nymphs and adults generally feed on plants, but some also prey on other insects. They do little damage to cultivated plants.

Cicadas (family Cicadidae) are best known for the loud, sometimes pulsating buzz produced by the males and for their unusual life cycles. Their appearance is also unique, but because they typically rest high in trees, you are more likely to hear than see them. The droning, mechanical buzz of the males during July and August is made by vibrating a system of plates and membranes in a resonating chamber on the underside of the abdomen. Cicadas lay their eggs in twigs and plant stems. The nymphs drop to the ground and burrow into the soil, where they feed on roots for two to five years. Because different broods overlap, some adults appear every year. The mature nymphs crawl out onto tree trunks, and the black and green adults emerge to begin their short lives in trees. Periodical cicadas have red eyes and wing veins and emerge in great masses every 17 years in the northern United States and every 13 years in the southern United States.

Many members of this large and well-known group (family Pentatomidae) are very common bugs. The common name of these insects, "green stink bug," refers to the disagreeable odor they produce when disturbed. Stink bugs have a large, triangular area between the leathery part of the wings. Most species feed on plants, but some prey on moth larvae and other insects. (Incidentally, this is the only insect in "The Bug Collector" game that can truly be called a "bug.")

Honey bees (family Apidae) are very common, widely distributed and well-known insects. Most honey bees nest in human-made hives; escaped swarms usually nest in hollow trees. Colonies contain three castes: workers (the most abundant and most often seen), drones (a little larger than workers), and the queen (queens have longer abdomens than workers do). Honey bees have great economic importance, not only because of the honey and beeswax they produce, but also because of their pollinating activities. Unlike most social bees and wasps, all of the castes in honey bee colonies survive through the winter. In fact, new hives cannot be started by the queen alone. A hive normally contains only a single queen.

Honey bees have an interesting "language." A worker that discovers a flower with a good flow of nectar returns to the hive and "tells" the other workers in a dance what direction the flower lies from the hive and how far away it is. The other bees learn what kind of flower the worker found by the flower scent on the worker's body or in the nectar it is carrying.

This beetle belongs to the scarab beetle family (Scarabaeidae), which is one of the largest families of beetles with nearly 1300 North American species. Many beetles do a great deal of damage as larvae or adults. The Japanese beetle is a serious pest that was accidentally introduced into the eastern United States in about 1916. It has since spread over much of the country and severely damages lawns, golf courses, pastures, shrubbery and fruits. Larvae in the soil feed on the roots of various plants. Adults feed on the foliage, fruits and flowers of more than 200 kinds of plants.

The red admiral is a type of brush-footed butterfly (family Nymphalidae). The name "brush-footed" refers to their front legs, which are very short and hairy and useless for walking. The red admiral is found worldwide in northern temperate regions. It is a swift, erratic flier that is often seen in open woodlands and around butterfly bushes. The larva lives and feeds on leaves of nettles. Adults hibernate. The red admiral is double-brooded (that means one female can produce two batches of offspring during a single summer); butterflies from the second brood tend to be larger and darker than the offspring from the first one.

Skimmers (family Libellulidae) are the dragonflies that you are most likely to see around ponds and marshes in Michigan. One distinct characteristic of dragonflies is that they hold their wings out flat when at rest. Dragonfly nymphs live in water and are among the most active predators of the aquatic world. Adults feed mostly on flying insects. Some species of dragonflies eat large numbers of mosquitoes.

Tachinid flies make up one of the largest and most common families of flies (Tachinidae). Most species resemble the house fly, but many are larger and bristly or hairy. Tachinid fly larvae are parasites of other insects, and many help keep noxious insect species under control. Adult tachinids commonly visit flowers. They do not bite.

References

Information about these insects was compiled from the following sources:

• Leahy, C. (1987). Insects: The concise field guide to 200 common insects of North America [Peterson First Guides]. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.
• Mitchell, R. T. & Zim, H. S. (1964). Butterflies and moths: A guide to the more common American species [A Golden Guide].. New York: Golden Press.
• Borror, D. J. & White, R. E. (1970). A field guide to insects: America north of Mexico [The Peterson Field Guide Series]. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.

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