Foods. Honey is certainly high on the list of products made by insects that may be consumed by humans. Some insects are eaten as novelties in the United States, but some other societies use beetle grubs and other insects commonly as food.
Pollination. The value of pollination of plants by insects is nearly incalculable. Honeybees are clearly among the most important of pollinators, and their efforts result in an estimated 80 percent of all pollination in the United States. Pollination by Honeybees in the U.S. favorably affects some $20 billion dollars in crops per year, including fruits, vegetables, and many nuts.
Silk. The recognition of silk as a valuable product dates back to China, arguably in the year 2640 B.C. Presently, China annually produces some 30,000 tons of raw silk, which accounts for 80 percent of the world's supply. Most silk is produced from the cocoons of the Silkworm, Bombyx mori.
Natural and biological control. The balance of nature depends on the activities of parasites and predators, the majority of which are species of insects. Researchers use this concept in biological control, and have been dramatically successful in many programs.
Aesthetics. Insects are well known in various areas of arts and as pleasant to the senses. Butterflies are certainly one of the most appealing creatures in nature, with colors and patterns that are enjoyed by humans most of the year. Insects have been used by many societies throughout history, and have not been limited to colorful and/or large butterflies and beetles. Native Americans in the United States used parts of insects in a manner similar to feathers in their crafts. Brightly colored wing covers of certain beetles are used for earrings by Jivaro Indians of Ecuador. The Egyptians chose a scarab beetle as a symbol of their sun God. Bees were depicted on ancient Greek coins. Most branches of art have exhibited insects in some form, including a great selection of worldwide postage stamps.
Products (examples).
1. Lac. This is a product from Lac Scale insects, Laccifer lacca, and most of it is produced in India, from where the world receives some 40 million pounds annually. Lac is an important ingredient of many items, including floor polishes, shoe polishes, insulators, various sealants, printing inks, and varnish.2. Beeswax. Britain alone imports 1 million pounds of beeswax, which can be used as a base for ointments, polishes, and candle making. Forty percent of all beeswax is used in cosmetic manufacture for lotions, creams, and lipsticks.
3. Dyes. Many species of scale insects provide dyes that are used in many products, including cosmetics and for coloring cakes, medicines and beverages. Cochineal is a bright red pigment that is gained from the bodies of a scale insect, Coccus cacti, which lives on cactus plants. Certain synthetic colors were competitors during the first decade of the twentieth century, but then were found to be carcinogenic. Thus the natural dyes from insects again flourished. Tannin is a dye that is gained from insect galls and is used in the tanning of hides and in the production of permanent durable inks. There are other galls that produce dyes.
Genetics. Fruit flies have long been used in genetic studies, and are practical for such studies due to their short lifespan (about 10 days).
Dermestids for cleaning skeletons. Carpet beetles are small insects that will feed on almost anything organic, including cereals, carpets, and dried insects in collections. Museum technicians take advantage of this fact, and utilize established colonies of dermestids to clean skeletons of mammals.
Further examples... http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/news2000.htm
The Benefits of Eating Bugs
The benefits of consuming insects are multifold, starting with the fact that they're good for you. Consider the following: 100 grams of crickets contains 121 calories. Only 49.5 calories come from fat. Where you really see the nutritional value is in the 12.9 grams of protein and 75.8 milligrams of iron. They also have about 5 grams of carbohydrates. If you're watching your figure and want to cut down on the carbs, go with a silk worm pupae or a nice steaming bowl oftermites. Neither of these has any carbohydrates, and they're both great sources of protein and calories. But if it's protein you seek, look no further than the caterpillar. These little fellows pack a walloping 28 grams of protein per 100 grams [source: Lyon]. They're also loaded with iron, thiamine and niacin. You may know those last two by their more common names -- vitamins B1 and B3.
Helpful Insects
Helpful Insects
Honey Bee
Without Honey Bees, we would not have honey nor beeswax. The red food dye known as 'cochineal' is made from the crushed bodies of a species of insect native to South America for example. Honey Bees would be the very same insect as used by the ancient Aztec Indians almost 600 years ago in a variety of roles throughout their advanced civilization. Before sugar cane was introduced in all of Europe (about 700 AD), people would use honey to sweeten their intake of various foods and drinks.
The act of pollination is actually more important to the living and working world than is the production of honey or beeswax! So imagine now a world where pollination is not possible.
Fruit Flies
An example is of modern scientists breeding a particular species of fruit fly to help them understand genetic or inherited diseases in humans. Without this type of research, our knowledge of what ails humanity would not be as advanced as it is. When such a common "pest" and annoyance to our everyday lives can become a helper or savior of countless future lives, one starts to develop a certain level of respect in the complexity that is an insect.
Field Crickets
Field Crickets are known to feed upon the eggs and pupae of indoor pests. Though they primarily feed on plant matter outdoors, they can also be found feeding on animal remains - joining a host of other insects that rely on animal remains as a source of food.
Field Crickets are known to feed upon the eggs and pupae of indoor pests. Though they primarily feed on plant matter outdoors, they can also be found feeding on animal remains - joining a host of other insects that rely on animal remains as a source of food.
Blister Beetles
Though Blister Beetles can cause serious blistering to human skin, the chemical they secrete from their joints - called "Cantharidin" - is, ironically, used in some wart removal products.
Though Blister Beetles can cause serious blistering to human skin, the chemical they secrete from their joints - called "Cantharidin" - is, ironically, used in some wart removal products.
House Centipede
These fast-moving and scary-looking insects are actually quite the predator in the under-workings of a home. Though sometimes found in bath tubs and basins, the house centipede primarily resides in cool dark areas such as crawl spaces where it can hunt larger insects (including the dreaded cockroach). So which would you rather have meandering about your home? The helpful House centipede or the loathsome cockroach?
These fast-moving and scary-looking insects are actually quite the predator in the under-workings of a home. Though sometimes found in bath tubs and basins, the house centipede primarily resides in cool dark areas such as crawl spaces where it can hunt larger insects (including the dreaded cockroach). So which would you rather have meandering about your home? The helpful House centipede or the loathsome cockroach?
Lady Bugs
Lady Bugs are your ultimate garden protector, feeding on insects bent on the destruction of your plants.
Lady Bugs are your ultimate garden protector, feeding on insects bent on the destruction of your plants.
Spiders
Love 'em or loath 'em, spiders serve a greater purpose than creeping you out. Spiders are the ultimate insect exterminators and work to keep the insect population in check by feeding on just about anything with more legs than you.
Love 'em or loath 'em, spiders serve a greater purpose than creeping you out. Spiders are the ultimate insect exterminators and work to keep the insect population in check by feeding on just about anything with more legs than you.
Dragonflies
Dragonflies love to eat insects. What this means for you is population control of the little critters in particular, the all-mighty mosquito.
Dragonflies love to eat insects. What this means for you is population control of the little critters in particular, the all-mighty mosquito.
The benefits of a centipede...
Most people shriek and run when the multiple legs of a centipede are discovered, yet they are actually one of the more beneficial insects that can infest a home. The reason for this is because the diet of a common house centipede usually consists of a rather large assortment of other insects including roaches, houseflies, moths, silverfish, termites, and nearly ever other bug that infects a home.
In addition, they do not harm humans, eat plants, carry diseases, or damage homes, which means their entire life purpose is to pretty much rid your house of every other insect! So next time you see a centipede lurking around, give him thanks rather than the bottom of your shoe and your house just might end up a little less infested.
http://science.discovery.com/creatures/10-weird-bug-facts.htm
Insects are one of the most successful types of living organism, with roughly half of all species on Earth being insects. Insects are part of the Arthropod phylum, as as such have an external skeleton and jointed limbs. Insects are the only type of invert rebate which has evolved the ability to fly.
The Arthropod phylum
The link above will direct you to an online PDF which looks at probably every aspect of the Arthropod phylum...
Educational and interesting information suitable for most audiences to understand...
Butterflies
1. Butterfly wings are transparent.
How can that be? We know butterflies as perhaps the most colorful, vibrant insects around! A butterfly wing is actually formed by layers of chitin, the protein that makes up an insect's exoskeleton. These layers are so thin you can see right through them. Thousands of tiny scales cover the transparent chitin, and these scales reflect light in different colors. As a butterfly ages, scales fall off the wings, leaving spots of transparency where the chitin layer is exposed.
How can that be? We know butterflies as perhaps the most colorful, vibrant insects around! A butterfly wing is actually formed by layers of chitin, the protein that makes up an insect's exoskeleton. These layers are so thin you can see right through them. Thousands of tiny scales cover the transparent chitin, and these scales reflect light in different colors. As a butterfly ages, scales fall off the wings, leaving spots of transparency where the chitin layer is exposed.
2. Butterflies taste with their feet.
Taste receptors on a butterfly's feet help it find its host plant and locate food. A female butterfly lands on different plants, drumming the leaves with her feet to make the plant release its juices. Spines on the back of her legs have chemoreceptors that detect the right match of plant chemicals. When she identified the right plant, she lays her eggs. A butterfly will also step on its food, using organs that sense dissolved sugars to taste food sources like fermenting fruit.
Taste receptors on a butterfly's feet help it find its host plant and locate food. A female butterfly lands on different plants, drumming the leaves with her feet to make the plant release its juices. Spines on the back of her legs have chemoreceptors that detect the right match of plant chemicals. When she identified the right plant, she lays her eggs. A butterfly will also step on its food, using organs that sense dissolved sugars to taste food sources like fermenting fruit.
3. Butterflies live on an all-liquid diet.
Speaking of butterflies eating, adult butterflies can only feed on liquids, usually nectar. Their mouthparts are modified to enable them to drink, but they can't chew solids. A proboscis, which functions as a drinking straw, stays curled up under the butterfly's chin until it finds a source of nectar or other liquid nutrition. It then unfurls the long, tubular structure and sips up a meal.
Speaking of butterflies eating, adult butterflies can only feed on liquids, usually nectar. Their mouthparts are modified to enable them to drink, but they can't chew solids. A proboscis, which functions as a drinking straw, stays curled up under the butterfly's chin until it finds a source of nectar or other liquid nutrition. It then unfurls the long, tubular structure and sips up a meal.
4. A butterfly must assemble its proboscis as soon as it emerges from the chrysalis.
A butterfly that can't drink nectar is doomed, so one of its first jobs as an adult butterfly is to make sure its mouthparts work. When a new adult emerges from the pupal case, or chrysalis, its mouth is in two pieces. Using palpi located adjacent to the proboscis, the butterfly begins working the two parts together to form a single, tubular proboscis. You may see a newly emerged butterfly curling and uncurling the proboscis over and over, testing it out.
A butterfly that can't drink nectar is doomed, so one of its first jobs as an adult butterfly is to make sure its mouthparts work. When a new adult emerges from the pupal case, or chrysalis, its mouth is in two pieces. Using palpi located adjacent to the proboscis, the butterfly begins working the two parts together to form a single, tubular proboscis. You may see a newly emerged butterfly curling and uncurling the proboscis over and over, testing it out.
5. Butterflies drink from mud puddles.A butterfly cannot live on sugar alone; it needs minerals, too. To supplement its diet of nectar, a butterfly will occasionally sip from mud puddles, which are rich in minerals and salts. This behavior, called puddling, occurs more often in male butterflies, which incorporate the minerals into their sperm. These nutrients are then transferred to the female during mating, and help improve the viability of her eggs.
6. Butterflies can't fly if they're cold.
Butterflies need an ideal body temperature of about 85ºF to fly. Since they're cold-blooded animals, they can't regulate their own body temperatures. The surrounding air temperature has a big impact on their ability to function. If the air temperature falls below 55ºF, butterflies are rendered immobile, unable to flee from predators or feed. When air temperatures range between 82º-100ºF, butterflies can fly with ease. Cooler days require a butterfly to warm up its flight muscles, either be shivering or basking in the sun. And even sun-loving butterflies can get overheated when temperatures soar above 100ºF, and may seek shade to cool down.
Butterflies need an ideal body temperature of about 85ºF to fly. Since they're cold-blooded animals, they can't regulate their own body temperatures. The surrounding air temperature has a big impact on their ability to function. If the air temperature falls below 55ºF, butterflies are rendered immobile, unable to flee from predators or feed. When air temperatures range between 82º-100ºF, butterflies can fly with ease. Cooler days require a butterfly to warm up its flight muscles, either be shivering or basking in the sun. And even sun-loving butterflies can get overheated when temperatures soar above 100ºF, and may seek shade to cool down.
7. A newly emerged butterfly can't fly.
Inside the chrysalis, a developing butterfly waits to emerge with its wings collapsed around its body. When it finally breaks free of the pupal case, it greets the world with tiny, shriveled wings. The butterfly must immediately pump body fluid through its wing veins to expand them. Once its wings reach full-size, the butterfly must rest for a few hours to allow its body to dry and harden before it can take its first flight.
Inside the chrysalis, a developing butterfly waits to emerge with its wings collapsed around its body. When it finally breaks free of the pupal case, it greets the world with tiny, shriveled wings. The butterfly must immediately pump body fluid through its wing veins to expand them. Once its wings reach full-size, the butterfly must rest for a few hours to allow its body to dry and harden before it can take its first flight.
8. Butterflies live just 2-4 weeks, usually.
Once it emerges from its chrysalis as an adult, a butterfly has just a few short weeks to live. During that time, it focuses all its energy on two tasks – eating and mating. Some of the smallest butterflies, the blues, may only survive a few days. Butterflies that overwinter as adults, like monarchs and mourning cloaks, can live as long as 9 months.
Once it emerges from its chrysalis as an adult, a butterfly has just a few short weeks to live. During that time, it focuses all its energy on two tasks – eating and mating. Some of the smallest butterflies, the blues, may only survive a few days. Butterflies that overwinter as adults, like monarchs and mourning cloaks, can live as long as 9 months.
9. Butterflies are nearsighted, but they can see and discriminate a lot of colors.
Within about 10-12 feet, butterfly eyesight is quite good. Anything beyond that distance gets a little blurry to a butterfly, though. Butterflies rely on their eyesight for vital tasks, like finding mates of the same species, and finding flowers on which to feed. In addition to seeing some of the colors we can see, butterflies can see a range of ultraviolet colors invisible to the human eye. The butterflies themselves may have ultraviolet markings on their wings to help them identify one another and locate potential mates. Flowers, too, display ultraviolet markings that act as traffic signals to incoming pollinators like butterflies – "pollinate me!"
Within about 10-12 feet, butterfly eyesight is quite good. Anything beyond that distance gets a little blurry to a butterfly, though. Butterflies rely on their eyesight for vital tasks, like finding mates of the same species, and finding flowers on which to feed. In addition to seeing some of the colors we can see, butterflies can see a range of ultraviolet colors invisible to the human eye. The butterflies themselves may have ultraviolet markings on their wings to help them identify one another and locate potential mates. Flowers, too, display ultraviolet markings that act as traffic signals to incoming pollinators like butterflies – "pollinate me!"
10. Butterflies employ all kinds of tricks to keep from being eaten.
Butterflies rank pretty low on the food chain, with lots of hungry predators happy to make a meal of them. Some butterflies fold their wings to blend in to the background, using camouflage to render themselves all but invisible to predators. Others try the opposite strategy, wearing vibrant colors and patterns that boldly announce their presence. Bright colored insects often pack a toxic punch if eaten, so predators learn to avoid them. Some butterflies aren't toxic at all, but pattern themselves after other species known for their toxicity. By mimicking their foul-tasting cousins, they repel predators.
Butterflies rank pretty low on the food chain, with lots of hungry predators happy to make a meal of them. Some butterflies fold their wings to blend in to the background, using camouflage to render themselves all but invisible to predators. Others try the opposite strategy, wearing vibrant colors and patterns that boldly announce their presence. Bright colored insects often pack a toxic punch if eaten, so predators learn to avoid them. Some butterflies aren't toxic at all, but pattern themselves after other species known for their toxicity. By mimicking their foul-tasting cousins, they repel predators.
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