Let’s learn about insects!

General information, importance and needs:

• There is mainly one species cultivated worldwide: the western honeybee (Apis mellifera)
• Honeybees are social insects and live the whole year in large colonies (10000s of bees).
• Honeybees have complex social structures and ways to communicate.
• Honeybees are generalists and visit a broad range of plants to collect nectar and pollen.
• Both adult honeybees and the larvae require nectar and pollen. Honeybees make honey out of nectar, which is stored in the hive.
• Honeybees have rather short tongues and do not visit flowers, where they cannot reach the food.
• Honeybees are important pollinators for many wildflowers, trees, herbs, fruit and vegetable plants.

Interesting facts and stories:

• Honeybees can make honey out of “honeydew” secreted by aphids.
• Honeybees can communicate the location of food sources by dancing.
• Honeybee products we use are e.g. honey and beeswax. Beeswax is used for candles and various cosmetics.
• Beekeepers take care of honeybees. They not only collect honey, they also move the honeybee hives to different sites, and treat honeybees against parasites.

General information, importance and needs:

• Most wild bees are solitary. This means that they do not build colonies and each female lays eggs.
• Bumblebees however, are social insects and live in colonies of up to 500 individuals. Only young queens overwinter and start new colonies in spring.
• Wild bees can collect both pollen and nectar to feed themselves and their offsprings.
• Bumblebees often have long tongues and can reach nectar in deep flowers.
• Wild bees pollinate herbs, wild flowers, trees, fruit and vegetable plants.
• Wild bees are an important food source for many birds.
• Many wild bees are specialists: They require specific plants for food and nesting.

Interesting facts and stories:

• There are more than 20000 wildbee species worldwide and around 300 in Sweden (including 40 bumblebee species).
• Bumblebees can fly even at bad weather conditions (cold, windy) unlike honeybees. They can heat themselves up to 30° Celsius, even when temperatures outside are only 0° Celsius. That is why you can see bumblebee queens flying so early in spring.
• Most wild bees build nests in open ground, some in cavities or hollow stems (e.g. of raspberry) - “bee hotels” do not help ground nesting wild bees or bumblebees
• Bumblebees are the best pollinators for tomatoes: They make small vibrations that “shake out” pollen.

General information, importance and needs:

• Beetles have hard front wings, which give them an additional protection. They are often very colorful and shiny.
• Some beetles are pollinators.
• Many beetles are important decomposers. They break down dead plants, dead animals and excrements.
• Some beetles live as predators for small insect larvae or small fish underwater.
• Some beetles are natural “pest controls”. Ground beetles eat several larvae of other insects and even eat small slugs. Ladybugs and their larvae feed on aphids.
• Many beetles and their larvae need dead wood. Most species are specialized on one or few tree species.
• The larvae of some species (e.g. of the darkling beetle) are used as food. Research shows that this larvae can even digest plastic and could help to solve our plastic waste problem.
• Some beetles occur as “pests” in agriculture (e.g. potato beetle) and in forestry (e.g. barkbeetle). This is particularly problematic in monocultures with little diversity.

Interesting facts and stories:

• There are more than 400 000 known species worldwide and more than 4000 species in Sweden. Beetles are the most diverse animal group. 1/4th of all animal species are beetles!
• Beetles cannot sting and are harmless for humans.
• Beetles living in the water can carry bubbles of air to breath while diving.
• The dung beetle (Scarabaeus) was very important in ancient Egypt and connected to the sun god. Apparently the beetles moving of a dung ball, was a symbol for the movement of the sun.
• Many people collect beetles as a hobby due to their diversity of colors and shapes.

General information, importance and needs:

• Differing between butterflies and moths can be difficult for non-experts. Most butterfly species are day active, whereas most moth species are night active.
• Differing between butterflies and moths can be difficult for non-experts. Most butterfly species are day active, whereas most moth species are night active.
• Butterflies and moths have scales. These scales can be very colorful and form beautiful patterns.
• Butterflies and most moths have long sucking mouthparts (= proboscis) and often feed on nectar. They can reach nectar in long floral tubes.
• Butterflies and moths are important pollinators for wild plants, herbs and fruit plants. They are often the only pollinators for many plants with long floral tubes.
• The larvae (=caterpillars) often feed on leaves or other plant parts. This is often very specific, different species need different host plants.
• Butterflies are a food source for birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Bats feed on night active moths.

Interesting facts and stories:

• There are about 180 000 species of Butterflies worldwide and around 2650 in Sweden.
• In Madagascar exists a moth species with a proboscis length of more than 30 cm! It is the only pollinator species of an orchid with a similar long floral tube.
• Caterpillars appear to have more than 6 legs. In addition to the 6 “real” legs, they also have several pairs of additional “fake” prolegs.
• In many regions worldwide, people eat caterpillars or pupae of many species.
• The silk we use for clothing is made from moth cocoons, which protect the pupae. Silk is one of the strongest natural fibers.

General information, importance and needs:

• Many flies, such as hoverflies are important pollinators of plants. They are particularly important in colder temperature zones and in the mountains.
• Many fly species are important for decomposing dung, dead animals or trees.
• The larvae of mosquitos and some other fly species develop in water and are important food sources for many fish, water birds, amphibians, or the larvae of dragonflies.
• Adult flies are important food sources for birds, predatory insects, amphibians, reptiles and insect eating mammals (e.g. bats).
• The larvae of many hoverfly species act as natural “pest controls”, because they feed on aphids.
• Mosquito larvae consume small organisms in water and play an important role in recycling nutrients.

Interesting facts and stories:

• There are more than 100 000 species of flies worldwide and around 4500 in Sweden.
• Some hoverflies migrate between countries, like birds! One such species that is very common in Sweden is the marmalade hoverfly.
• Only female mosquitos bite humans and suck blood. The main food for adult mosquitos is actually nectar. Therefore, mosquitos contribute to pollination of wildflowers.
• Some flies can even smell with their feet (e.g. the house-fly).
• The fruit fly is highly important for science: Research connected with fruit flies already won several Nobel-prizes!
• Do you like chocolate or cocoa? Thank a fly! Cocoa is pollinated by a small fly.

General information, importance and needs:

• Ants are social insects and can live in huge colonies with millions of individuals.
• Ant colonies are highly organized. Ants can build big nests, and have a high level of communication.
• The female worker ants often lack wings. Males and queens have wings.
• Many ant species are predators and eat other insects. They feed on many “plant pests”.
• Many birds, amphibians, reptiles and even mammals (hedgehog, bear) feed on ants.
• Ants are not important as pollinators, but they play a role in seed dispersal for many wildflowers (e.g. violets, wood anemone).
• Ants feed on all kinds of food, including carrion and food waste in urban environments. In this way, ants are a natural “clean-up”.

Interesting facts and stories:

• There are more than 13000 ant species worldwide.
• Some ant species “keep” aphids in “farms”. The ants feed on the aphids’ honeydew. The ants protect the aphids from predators and even bring them to new host plants.
• The largest coherent ant colony is almost 6000 km long and stretches from Italy to Spain!
• Ants can together overcome obstacles (e.g. by building ant-bridges) or attack larger prey.
• Leafcutter ants collect leaves and use them to grow fungus, which they eat!
• Some ants produce antibiotics, which can be used in medicine.

General information, importance and needs:

• It is often difficult to differ between shield bugs and beetles. Typical for shield bugs is their triangular “shield” on the back.
• Some species (pond skaters) can walk on water and are often visible on lakes.
• Aphids suck on plant-saps, which weakens the host plant. Aphids can infest food plants and decorative plants.
• Many bird species feed on true bugs. Ladybugs, hoverfly larvae and some other insects feed on aphids.
• Some groups of true bugs can occur as pests in homes (e.g. bed bugs), or in gardening or agriculture (aphids).
• Some species of true bugs (Cochineal) produce an intense red dye called “carmine”. Carmine is used in paints, in cosmetic products such as rouge or lipstick. It is also a popular food color (e.g. for candy, yogurt,…).

Interesting facts and stories:

• Some species of true bugs (Cochineal) produce an intense red dye called “carmine”. Carmine is used in paints, in cosmetic products such as rouge or lipstick. It is also a popular food color (e.g. for candy, yogurt,…).
• The main anti-predator adaptations of true bugs include camouflage, warning coloration (firebugs), or spraying a stinky smell for defense. That is the explanation for the name “stink bugs”.
• Aphids secrete honeydew, which is a sugar-rich, sticky liquid. Ants feed on this honeydew and they even protect the aphids from predators or bring them to new host plants. Honeybees collect aphids’ honeydew and process it into a special type of honey.
• Aphids can clone themselves. In this way, they reproduce very fast. It is almost impossible to “get rid of” aphids with pesticides, because aphids reproduce so fast.

General information, importance and needs:

• They feed mainly on plants, often on various grass species. However, some bush crickets are predators!
• They can both jump and fly.
• Many species are camouflaged and are hardly visible for predators.
• Mainly males “sing” to attract females. The “singing” is actually a result of rubbing together body parts (wings or legs). Some species can hear with their legs.
• They are prey for many beetles, ants, spiders, birds and small mammals (e.g. hedgehogs).

Interesting facts and stories:

• There are about 20 000 species of grasshoppers, locusts and crickets worldwide. About 35 species can be found in Sweden.
• Under special circumstances, some species can build large swarms and feed on agricultural crops. A plague of swarms destroying harvest plays an important role in the Bible.
• The biggest swarm ever observed had the size of California in 1875! Surprisingly, the species building this swarm got extinct due to farming and other human influences!
• Female bush crickets and crickets have a long tube-like organ at the end of the abdomen. It looks like a dangerous sting, but it is completely harmless: It is a tube for laying eggs.
• In many regions worldwide, people eat grasshoppers, locusts or crickets. Grasshoppers could be a future sustainable food source. They contain a lot of protein, but need much less resources than cattle or pigs.
• Many species have strong back legs. A grasshopper can jump around a meter – this is about 20 times the body length!

We include here all “Hymenoptera” which are not bees or ants. These “Hymenoptera” are wasps, parasitic wasps and sawflies (which are no flies, but hymenoptera).

General information, importance and needs:

• Some species are important pollinators of wild plants. Fig wasps are also the only group that pollinates figs.
• Some wasps are social, and build their own nests and colonies.
• Many parasitic wasp species have a “cuckoo livestyle” (social parasites) and lay their eggs in the nests of other insects. The larvae feed then on these insects or the food inside the nests.
• Most sawflies lay their egg in plants (leaves, bark,…), where the offspring develops. They often need very specific host plants.
• Adult wasps are predators and feed on many other insects such as flies or mosquitos, but they also hunt spiders. Some species are also attracted by our food or sugary drinks.
• Some birds feed on wasps or even attack their nests to feed on larvae (e.g. the honey buzzard, badger).

Interesting facts and stories:

• Some groups of wasps can sting. Wasps will only sting, when they or their nest is disturbed or threatened. Staying calm is the best way to avoid stings.
• Some groups of cuckoo wasps are incredibly colorful.
• Killing a wasp can attract more wasps, because the threatened wasp sends out a chemical alarm-signal that smells like banana.
• Some parasitic wasp species are a helpful biological control of “pest species” in greenhouses, e.g. when they parasite on aphids. They contribute to harvest tomatoes, strawberries or cucumber.

General information, importance and needs:

• Dragonflies are often very colorful, have four transparent wings, a thin body, and large compound eyes.
• The larvae of dragonflies develop in water.
• The dragonfly larvae belong to the top predators and feed on other larvae from flies, mosquitos and even tadpoles or young fish.
• Adult dragonflies are very successful flying predators (good eyesight + agile flight). They feed mainly on mosquitos and flies, but can hunt other flying insects as well.
• Dragonfly larvae are also food for water birds, amphibians and larger fish. The adults have almost no natural enemies.

Interesting facts and stories:

• There are about 5600 known species worldwide, and about 60 species in Sweden.
• Pairing dragonflies fly in a tandem, which sometimes looks like a heart.
• Dragonflies are the helicopters of the insect world! Dragonflies can fly at a speed of about 50 km/h. They can also hover at a spot, fly backwards, and make fast turns.
• Dragonflies cannot sting and do not bite humans. Although they are harmless, people are afraid of them.
• Fossils show that some ancestors of dragonflies (350 Mio years ago) had a wingspan of up to 75cm!