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What is a plague of locust Locusts usually live alone … until it rains. Rain provides locusts with the perfect conditions to reproduce, and they go into a breeding frenzy, producing millions – and sometimes billions – of offspring. The close contact between these insects can cause them to become what is known as gregarious. They appear different to their parents, changing colour from the usual green to multicoloured pink, black and yellow, and form enormous groups called swarms. Locusts can cause serious damage to farmers’ crops. With a single swarm thought to contain up to eighty million locusts, imagine the damage that these hungry insects can cause as they munch their way through any plant in their path. Locusts live mainly in northern Africa, but a swarm can travel huge distances into Asia and even Europe, causing widespread devastation to farmers’ crops and so leaving people to struggle without food. This is known as a plague. 18 How do grasshoppers hear Grasshoppers and crickets don’t have ears on their heads, but they can still hear and feel vibrations. A grasshopper’s ears (called tympanum) are on the sides of its body, whereas a cricket’s ears can be seen as a swelling just below each knee on its front legs. How do they communicate Listen carefully as you pass patches of tall grass in the summer and you might be lucky enough to hear crickets and grasshoppers chirping. This sound, known as ‘stridulation’, is not made by a voice, but by a row of bumps on the insect’s legs or wings. The insect rubs its hind legs against its forewings or, in some cases, rubs its wings together to make the noise. Each species has a different arrangement of bumps, so the sounds they make are unique. Next time you hear a grasshopper chirp, take it as a sign that love is in the air! It’s the males that ‘sing’ to woo the females and to warn off other males. The male ‘sings’ to woo the female before the pair mate.
FLUTTERBY BUTTERFLY Butterflies and moths are both part of the Lepidoptera group – ‘lepido’ meaning ‘scale’ and ‘ptera’ meaning ‘wing’. This is the second-largest group of insects, with over 15,000 species of butterfly and 150,000 species of moth. What is the difference between butterflies and moths Butterflies and moths can be tricky to tell apart, but take a closer look and you’ll soon be able to spot the differences. Both have four wings, which are covered in tiny coloured scales that look like dust. Butterflies are usually brightly coloured, and show off their beautiful wings during the day. When they stop to rest, they close their wings, which have a duller pattern on the underside. Butterflies have slim, smooth bodies, with a bulge at the end of each antenna, known as feelers. Moths, on the other hand, are nocturnal (they fly at night), and their wings are often muted brown, grey, white or black in colour. This colouring keeps them camouflaged during FACT FILE Most adult butterflies drink nectar from flowers through their proboscis – a feeding tube that they can unroll and use like a straw to suck up this sweet-tasting liquid. 19 the day, when they rest with their wings open. Moths are usually fat and furry, and they have feathery, comblike antennae, which scientists believe helps them to smell and sense movement. A butterfly (left) and a moth. How do they taste their food If you’ve watched a butterfly resting on a leaf, consider that you might have interrupted its lunch! Butterflies taste through their feet. The female also does this to check whether a plant is the right variety to lay her eggs on.
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Page 5 and 6: Now You See Me Pages 34-36 Rainfore
Page 7 and 8: There are millions of species of in
Page 9 and 10: WHAT’S BUGGING YOU? Bedbugs, assa
Page 11 and 12: Are bugs able to live under water a
Page 13 and 14: Male stag beetles take to the air o
Page 15 and 16: EYE SPY DRAGONFLY Dragonflies are o
Page 17 and 18: How fast can dragonflies actually f
Page 19: All the members of the Orthoptera f
Page 23 and 24: BUSY BODIES There are over 19,000 k
Page 25 and 26: ANT-TASTIC Ants and termites are kn
Page 27 and 28: What does a queen ant do The queen
Page 29 and 30: Which beetle has the most disgustin
Page 31 and 32: Do insects use their legs in self-d
Page 33 and 34: STAYING ALIVE It’s a jungle out t
Page 35 and 36: Do butterflies, moths and caterpill
Page 37 and 38: What is a leaf butterfly This amazi
Page 39 and 40: UP, UP AND AWAY The way in which in
Page 41 and 42: Why are moths attracted to light No
Page 43 and 44: Why does scent matter The insect wo
Page 45 and 46: Do killer bees really exist African
Page 47 and 48: Which rainforest insect tucks itsel
Page 49 and 50: Which water insect lives at the bot
Page 51 and 52: Which insect helps to turn over the
Page 53 and 54: How else do insects find water to d
Page 55 and 56: Ponds and swamps provide excellent
Page 57 and 58: DESERT BUGS You might expect the dr
Page 60 and 61: THE EYES HAVE IT To make up for the
Page 62 and 63: How does a caterpillar see its food
Page 64 and 65: GLOSSARY Honeycomb A waxy structure
Page 66 and 67: INDEX African honeybee 43 African s

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