Insect Trivia

Group I

Cockroaches are believed to have been on the earth for 350 million years.
Cockroaches are among the fastest land animals. They are capable of moving 50 body lengths per second. If a human could do this, he could do a 100 yard dash in one second reaching speeds of 200 miles per hour.
There are over 3500 species of cockroaches worldwide.
There are 70 species of cockroaches found in the United States.
The German cockroach can survive 2 weeks without water and over a month without food.
Cockroaches are a major cause of asthma and allergies. This is especially important in inner city areas. In one subsidized living area, 45% of the children were allergic to cockroaches and many developed asthma as a result of the constant exposure.
In some inner city areas, over half of the foreign objects removed from children’s ears are roaches.
Cockroaches will feed on sleeping people, they eat protein materials like finger nails and eyebrows.
Cockroach infestations can be huge. In 1967 a treatment killed 133 pounds (yes pounds) of American Cockroaches in a Gorilla cage at the Chicago Zoo.

Group II

Termites contain a one celled protozoa in their digestive tract that allows them to convert cellulosic materials (wood) into useable substance.
Subteranean Termites live in underground colonies and surface for food.
The average size of the Eastern Subterranean Termite varies from 60,000 to 1 million workers
The average size of the Formosan Termite Colony is 350,000 to 2 million workers.
Termites communicate through a system called trophallaxis. This is the exchange of bodily fluids between termites.
Eastern Subterranean Termites will forage underground up to 260 linear feet from one spot and cover .5 acres
Formosan Termites will forage 330 feet from one spot 1.5 acres
Beagles have been and can be used in the detection of termites, wood boring beetles, powder post beetles, and carpenter ants.

Group III

There are currently about 8,800 varieties of ants in the world.
The largest ant is found in Africa (1 ½ in. long) the smallest is found in Sri Lanka ( 1/30 in. long).
In agricultural or wooded areas, the imported fire ant mound may be 2 feet in diameter and 1 ½ feet high. There can be as many as 500 of these mounds per acre with each containing 200,000 ants.
The nests of Harvester Ants can be as much as 15 feet deep. When a Harvester Ant locks its mandibles onto its victim, one must literally tear the body from the head and then remove the head and mandibles. This ant is noted for its ability and willingness to search for persue and attack any intruder.
Pharoe ants are are so small that an entire colony can live within a light switch socket on the wall.
If a 175 pound person were as strong as an ant he could lift almost 9000 pounds.
The African Weaver Ant can haul prey weighing more than 1000 times its own weight back to its nest.
Some ants raid other ant colonies, steal their eggs, raise them to adulthood, and make them their slaves.
When disturbed ants spray formic acid out of their abdomen as a defense. More than 150 species of birds have been observed picking up ants and placing them in their feathers. The ants spray the formic acid and kill the mites on the bird.

Group IV

Silk comes from the cocoons of the true silk moth.
The larva spins its cocoon using a single stand of silk that is about 1500 feet long.
More than 25,000 cocoons must be unraveled to make one pound of silk thread.
The largest butterfly in the world is the Birdwing Butterfly from the Solomon Islands. Its wing span is 12 inches.
Monarch Butterflies have been known to fly over 2000 miles as they fly south in late summer.
Some caterpillars have over 4000 muscles by contrast humans have 792.

Group V

Honey bees have 2 compound eyes and 3 simple eyes. The compound eyes have 6900 facet giving them excellent vision.
While searching for food a honey bee may travel 60 miles in one day.
Honey bees fly about 15 miles per hour – their wings beat over 11,000 cycles per minute
To make a single pound of honey, the honey bees the hive may have to make 10 million trips, traveling over 55,000 miles and visiting over 2 million flowers.
Honey bees can fly while carrying up to 24 times their own weight in pollen.
The honey bee is not native to the United States. It is believed to have been introduced by the early European settlers.
Honey is created by honey bees constantly regurgitating nectar and allowing it to dehydrate.
Americans eat about one pound of honey each year. Ingesting local honey has been shown to reduce pollen allergies.
Bee venom is used to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis and Multiple Sclerosis.
The Queen bee determines whether her eggs will develop into male or females depending upon the needs of the hive. The vast majority of eggs are females because all of the workers are females.

Group VI

One fourth of all known animal and plant species are beetles. There are over 333,000 types of beetles.
The largest of all insects is the Goliath Beetle. It grows up to 4.4 inches long and weighs up to 3.5 ounces.
The longest beetle lives in South America it reaches lengths of over 6 inches.
Some beetles are smaller than some single celled protozoa.
The Bombardier beetle’s defense is to shoot acid at its attacker. It is capable of accurately shooting over 500 pulses of 100 degree centigrade acid per second.
South African natives use the toxin from certain leaf beetles to make poisonous arrows.
Some beetles have been used for many medicinal purposes including tooth aches, skin growth removal, and as a diuretic.
Fireflies are actually beetles, as are lady bugs and some weevils.
Rhinoceros Beetles are considered one of the strongest animals on Earth. They can carry 40 times their own weight for up to 30 minutes without getting fatigued.

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