The Bug Handbook

The Bug Handbook — page 3 — How many bugs are there in the world Entomology is the scientific study of bugs Entomologists have identified hundreds of thousands of different species and they believe there may be millions more to discover Scientists estimate that there are about 10 quintillion that’s 10 followed by 18 zeros individual bugs living in the world Compare that to the 7 billion 7 followed by 9 zeros people on the planet and it’s pretty clear that there are a lot more bugs than humans 10

The Bug Handbook — page 4 — A bulldog ant right battles a wasp Because both can sting this fight may seem evenly matched but the bulldog ant’s strong pincers give it an advantage 11

The Bug Handbook — page 5 — How long do bugs live During its life a bug goes through as many as four developmental stages and generally begins life as an egg Most bugs have a lifespan of less than a year because they survive as adults for only one season Some bugs however can live for many years A bug’s protective hard outer body exoskeleton helps it survive Some bugs use wings to fly away from predators while others choose a hard to reach habitat that keeps them safe Bugs can also use their stingers to keep predators away 12

The Bug Handbook — page 6 — THREE STAGE LIFE CYCLE Spiders grasshoppers and some insects begin life as an egg hatch into a young form called a nymph and grow into adults Nymphs and adults look alike so it can be hard to tell them apart FOUR STAGE LIFE CYCLE The lives of beetles butterflies and many other winged bugs have four stages including a full metamorphosis They begin as an egg hatch into larva and then move into the pupa stage where they get covered in a protective skin that allows them to develop Some of these skins are thin and allow the pupa to move around but others are thick like the cocoon of a moth After the pupa stage the bug grows wings and finishes its metamorphosis into an adult 13

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