Insects are hugely important to our own survival. Bees for example play a critical role in pollinating many of our food plants, such as fruit trees. They are varied and fascinating. Some are loved (butterflies and lady birds) and some are not (earwigs, fleas, aphids and midges) – all are fascinating if you look closely enough! If you try and name insects you may well surprise yourself with how many you know.
Insects always have 6 legs. three body sections (head, thorax, where the legs are, and abdomen) and they often have wings. Usually the young look like small versions of the adults. However in some cases, such as butterflies and blue bottles, the young stages are different (i.e. caterpillars and maggots).
There are more than 20,000 species in Britain. Below are some of the ‘creepy crawlies’ you are most likely to come across – you see and you thought that you did not know many insects!
- honey bees, bumble bees and wasps
- ants
- daddy long legs (cranefly)
- mayfly
- caddis fly
- flies – blue bottle, house fly, horse fly
- midges and mosquitoes
- dragon flies and damsel flies
- thrips
- glow worm
- earwig
- beetles – bloody nose beetle, lady bird, click beetle, cardinal beetle, cock chafer, shield bugs, weevils
- grass hoppers and crickets
- spring tail
- green fly and black fly
Other small beasties (non insects)
- wood lice
- millipedes