4-H Entomology (Insects)

Take some time to learn about our small, successful insect neighbors. After all, there are many more of them than there are of us!

You can do service-learning projects related to insects; observe, photograph and collect insects (either by using catch-and-release methods or by making a specimen collection); and more! Read on, and have fun going “buggy!”

Service Learning

• Emerald Ash Borer Eradication – Get involved with the effort to wipe out the emerald ash borer! You and other Michigan 4-H’ers can help spread the word about the importance of not moving firewood from quarantined areas. You can also help others identify this invasive species and help identify infested ash trees. To learn more visit http://www.emeraldashborer.info/. You can also download a "Help Stop the Emerald Ash Borer" informational Flier in Adobe PDF format.
• Purple Loosestrife Eradication – Rear the beetles that love to munch on purple loosestrife, an invasive species that is crowding native plants out of Michigan wetlands. Visit the Michigan Sea Grant “Purple Pages” at http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/pp/index.html to find out how.

Online Games and Activities

Visit the 4-H Enviro-Stew Fun and Games pages to have some online fun playing "The Bug Collector." Assemble a virtual insect collection, then find out how you can create your own real collection. After you've played the games, visit the "Do, Reflect, Apply" page and try the "Catch and Release Collecting," "Starting My Insect Collection" and "Making a Spreading Board for Pinning Insect Wings" entomology activities.

Grants, Contests, Training & Other Opportunities

For 4-H environmental and outdoor education-related grants, contests, training and other opportunities check the 4-H EOE Grants, Contests, Training & Other Opportunities Web site frequently.

For upcoming training and events in this area, check the 4-H Volunteer Workshops web site, the MSU Extension Calendar and the 4-H Exploration Days web site.

Learning Materials & Online Resources

Looking for insects gets you outdoors, enjoying and appreciating nature. Learning about them helps you build a number of life skills such as collecting and organizing information, thinking critically and using identification keys and reference books.

Many insect identification books are available through your local library or bookstore. Browse below for Michigan 4-H publications, National 4-H publications and other resources available online.

• Michigan 4-H Publications
  • 4-H 1231 4-H Entomology Labels
  • 4-H 1331 Entomology Class & Order Labels
  • 4-H 1335 Basic Entomology
  • 4-H 1336 Advanced Entomological Techniques
  • 4-H 1393 Entomology Record and Report
  • 4-H 1406 Insect Life Cycle Studies Member's Manual 3
  • 4-H 1479 4-H Entomology Leader's Guide
• National 4-H Publications
  • Entomology - Insectaganza of Excitement
• Other Resources

Michigan 4-H Publications

Insect class and order labels, specimen identification labels, and the books in the Michigan 4-H Entomology Series are available online as pdf (portable document format) files. You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files.

• 4-H Entomology Labels (4H1231) – This sheet of collecting labels is designed to simplify the task of hand labeling insect collections. You can also download an MS Word version of the 4-H Entomology Labels for filling in and printing from your computer.
• Entomology Class & Order Labels (4H1331) – This sheet of class and order labels is designed to be used with the 4-H Entomology Labels to simplify the task of labeling insect collections.
• 4-H Entomology Record & Report (4H1393) – This bulletin includes sections for collection and field notes, special entomology projects, special beekeeping projects, entomological studies, entomology experiments, and records of beekeeping purchases and sales.

The books in the 4-H entomology series were written in the 1980s so their design is somewhat dated, but the information in them is still accurate and will be helpful to 4-H entomologists. (PDF's have been divided into sections for faster downloading):

• Basic Entomology (4H1335) – This member's manual discusses what insects are, how they live and develop, and how to make an insect collection.
  • Cover through page 12
  • Page 13 through back cover
• Advanced Entomological Techniques (4H1336) – This member's manual acquaints the reader with unique collecting methods, advanced specimen preparation, specialty collections and ways to interact with other entomologists.
  • Cover through page 12
  • Page 13 through back cover
• Insect Life Cycle Studies Member's Manual 3 (4H1406) – This bulletin is the third in a series of 4-H entomology manuals. It is designed to introduce 4-H members to rearing live insects and studying insects in their natural environments. The manual helps members observe the behavior of insects, raise insects for profit or fun, or learn about insect life cycles under both artificial and natural conditions.
  • Cover through page 7
  • Page 8 through 22
  • Page 23 back cover
• 4-H Entomology Leader's Guide (4H1479) – This bulletin is designed to help 4-H volunteers teach the key concepts covered in the 4-H entomology member's guides. It offers many ideas to help volunteers, including suggestions for group lessons, extra information on techniques, possibilities for field trips and demonstrations, and a list of resources.
  • Cover through page 9
  • Page 10 through 20
  • Page 21 through 30
  • Page 31 through back cover

National 4-H Publications

The following 4-H publication is available from the National 4-H Curriculum System at http://www.4-hcurriculum.org/

Entomology — Insectaganza of Excitement
Three entomology activity guides explore the amazing world of insects and their arthropod relatives. Youth use hands-on activities to learn valuable life skills through insects found in the soil, on plants, in homes, on pets and in other secret places! The Group Activity Helper’s Guide provides practical tips, group activities and supplementary information.
1 – Creepy Crawlies (4HCCS BU-06853; grades 3-5)
2 – What’s Bugging You? (4HCCS BU-06854; grades 6-8)
3 – Dragons, Houses and Other Flies (4HCCS BU-06855; grades 9-12)
Group Activity Helper’s Guide (4HCCS BU-06856)
Set of 4 (4HCCS PC-06883)

Other Resources

The organizations and web sites listed below may provide more information in this project area.

Alien Empire
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/alienempire/
This special multimedia web companion to the three-week NATURE mini-series takes you into the bizarre, fascinating world of insects, with amazing graphics, sound and animation, enhanced video, and activities for kids. Read the articles to learn more about how insects reproduce, live together in society, migrate and battle for survival.

Amateur Entomologists’ Society Bug Club
http://www.ex.ac.uk/bugclub/
The Bug Club is a club devoted to young people and the “young at heart” who find insects and other creepy crawlies interesting and even fascinating.

AntBoy’s Bugworld
http://www.heatersworld.com/bugworld/
There are more than 1,000,000 different known species of insects in the world, and some experts estimate that there might be as many as 10,000,000. This site contains basic facts about common insects and links to sites about them.

Bio-Quip Products
http://www.bioquip.com
2321 Gladwick St.
Rancho Dominguez, CA 90220
Phone: 310-667-8800
This company offers equipment, supplies and books for entomology and related sciences.

Bugfood II: Insects as Food!?!
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/ythfacts/bugfood/bugfood2.htm
Activities from this unit from the University of Kentucky Department of Entomology would make a very interesting 4-H talk or demonstration to spark interest in a classroom setting.

Carolina Biological Supply Co.
http://www.carolina.com
This company offers many different types of science education equipment that can be used to make your bug collection or teach others about bugs.

Citybugs
http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/citybugs/
Entomologists and teachers are working together to create this web site and curriculum using insects to teach about science. Identify bugs you find by searching the insect database (guided and direct methods available).

Colorado Water Knowledge
http://waterknowledge.colostate.edu/
This Colorado State University site provides a description and some illustrations of the fish and aquatic insects present in Colorado’s waters. It gives details about the state’s wetlands and water quality and provides links to environmental laws.

Emerald Ash Borer
http://www.emeraldashborer.info/
This web site is part of a multistate effort in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana to bring you the latest information about the emerald ash borer. Get involved with the effort to wipe out the emerald ash borer! You can help spread the word about the importance of not moving firewood from quarantined areas. You can also help others identify this invasive species and help identify infested ash trees.

Iowa State University Entomology Image Gallery
http://www.ent.iastate.edu/imagegallery/
Insects and plant disease pictures, many of them full-color photographs, are divided into these categories: lice, beetles, butterflies, moths and caterpillars, cicadas and leafhoppers, flies and mosquitoes, grasshoppers and crickets, true bugs, ticks, plants and plant diseases.

Iowa State University Entomology Index of Internet Resources
http://www.ent.iastate.edu/list/
This is a directory and search engine of insect-related resources on the Internet.

Kids in the Creek
http://www.bpa.gov/corporate/kr/ed/kidsinthecreek/
The Kids in the Creek program provides students with a simple method of assessing the long-term health of a stream by viewing and identifying the aquatic insects and observing the world they inhabit. The site is produced by the Bonneville Power Administration of Portland, Oregon, a federal agency under the U.S. Department of Energy.

Lady Beetles
http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/hyg-fact/2000/2002.html
This Ohio State University Extension Fact sheet is filled with facts about the lady beetle. Lady beetles, often called Ladybugs or coccinellids, are the most commonly known of all beneficial insects. In Europe, these beetles are called “ladybirds.” Both adults and larvae feed on many different soft-bodied insects with aphids being their main food source. Ohioans like lady beetles so much that the Convergent Lady Beetle became the official state insect in 1975.

Lady Beetles
http://insects.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/MES/notes/entnotes6.html
Did you ever see a little red and black beetle crawling along your window sill? It was probably a lady beetle. Most species of lady beetles are among our most beneficial insects as they consume huge numbers of plant feeding insects — mostly aphids. These notes from the Michigan Entomology Society give facts about these helpful creatures.

Michigan Beekeepers Association
http://www.michiganbees.org/
This site lists contact information for officers of the Michigan Beekeepers Association in case of a problem with bees. It offers general information and provides contact information to sign up for beekeeping classes.

Michigan State University Department of Entomology
MSU Bug House or Insect World Science Camp
http://www.ent.msu.edu/
243 Natural Sciences Bldg.
East Lansing, MI 48824-1115
Phone: 517-355-4662
Find out about participating in a tour at the MSU Bug House or attending the Insect World Science Camp.

Nature Songs
http://www.naturesongs.com/
This web site features a collection of sounds including birds, insects, weather and people.

O. Orkin Insect Zoo
http://www.mnh.si.edu/museum/VirtualTour/Tour/Second/InsectZoo/index.html
Live spiders, centipedes, millipedes, and insects reside year-round in the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History Insect Zoo. Learn how these fascinating animals are designed for survival and where they fit into the natural world.

Popular Classics in Entomology
http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/Entomology/readings.html
This is a bibliography of some of the best books about the natural history of insects and about the personal experiences of the entomologists who work on them.

Purple Loosestrife Eradication
http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/pp/index.html
Rear the beetles that love to munch on purple loosestrife, an invasive species that is crowding native plants out of Michigan wetlands.

Sci4Kids
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/
What would happen if you opened your cereal box and found insects where the raisins should be? Sci4Kids explores the science behind questions like these in a collection of informational stories written by ARS (Agricultural Research Service) Scientists.

Smart Stuff with Twig Walkingstick
http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~twig/browser.cgi
Ohio State University Extension brings you this weekly science column for kids. This searchable site answers kids’ questions on science, farming, nature and related topics.

Stein’s Virtual Insectary
http://www.virtualinsectary.com/
This site provides images of some common insects and information on the foods they eat and the habitats where they can be found.

Using Live Insects in Elementary Classrooms Information Sheets
http://insected.arizona.edu/info.htm
The University of Arizona Center for Insect Science and Education Outreach presents information sheets on various insects. Each insect’s information sheet includes a section on identifying features, natural history, impacts on the ecosystem and tips on collecting.

Virtual Fly Lab
http://bioweb.wku.edu/courses/Biol114/Vfly1.asp
The Western Kentucky University Department of Biology allows you to design flies though virtual mating.

WARD’s Natural Science Establishment Inc.
http://www.wardsci.com
P.O. Box 92912
Rochester, NY 14692-9012
Phone: 800-962-2660
This company provides college curriculum, lab experiments, science fairs and hobbies for the science education community.

Youth Entomology Resources
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/ythfacts/entyouth.htm
This University of Kentucky Entomology web site is designed for teachers, 4-H’ers, young people and anyone else who would like to pursue an interest in entomology. “Katerpillars,” Kentucky’s online source for insect fun and information, includes Mystery Bugs, an online insect game. At the “Kentucky Bug Connection,” students can find entomology facts in the Critter Case Files. Visit the 4-H entomology resource section for entomology curriculum.

Yucky Roach World
http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/flash/roaches/index.html
This kid’s site from Discovery Communications includes facts about roaches, roach anatomy, a day in the life of a roach, roach removal, a quiz, a glossary and pictures of various cockroaches.

More information on learning materials and Web resources available to support these activities can be found through the MSU Bulletin Office.

Contact Information

For more information on how to get involved as a youth or volunteer, contact your county MSU Extension office or:

E-mail: ratkos@msu.edu
Phone: 517-432-7613

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Last Updated: January 9, 2009
Last Reviewed: March 14, 2005