Insect Habitats

Wherever you are in the world, insects are not far away. They live in every type of habitat on land, from steamy tropical rainforests to the darkness and silence of caves. Many insects grow up in freshwater, and plenty spend their adult lives there as well. Some insects live along the shore, and a few even skate over the surface of the waves. Only one habitat – the ocean depths – is entirely insect-free.

COASTS AND SEAS

The coast is a difficult place for insects. Many live in dunes or on clifftop grass, but very few can survive in places that get soaked by salty spray. Beach insects include bristletails, which scuttle among stones and rocks. Long-legged bugs called sea skaters are the only insects that live on the open sea.

TEMPERATE WOODLANDS
Every spring, temperate woodlands burst into leaf, creating a gigantic banquet for insect life. Caterpillars chew their way through this tasty food, while predatory insects, such as hornets, harvest huge numbers of caterpillars and other grubs to feed to their young.

GRASSLANDS
The most numerous grassland insects are termites and ants. They scour every inch of the surface for food, collecting seeds and leaves and carrying them back to their nests. Dung beetles are particularly useful in this habitat. They clear up the droppings that grazing mammals leave behind.

FRESHWATER
Lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams teem with insect life. Mosquito larvae feed on microscopic specks of food, but some freshwater insects, such as water bugs, are big enough to kill tadpoles and even small fish. On the water’s surface pondskaters pounce on insects that have crash-landed, grabbing them before they have a chance to fly away.

CAVES AND MOUNTAINS
Caves are home to some unusual insects. Cave crickets are almost blind and use their extra-long antennae to find their way in the dark. Mountains are often cold and windswept, but many insects use them as a home. Beetles scavenge for food among rocks, while butterflies and bees pollinate flowers. High above the snowline, wingless scorpion flies scuttle about under the snow.

DESERTS
Compared to many animals, insects are well suited to desert life. Some of them feed during the day, but many wait until after dark. Desert insects include hawk moths, antlions, and giant crickets, as well as many kinds of ground-dwelling beetles. Some of these animals never have to drink, but this darkling beetle, from the Namib Desert, collects droplets of moisture from fog that rolls in from the sea.

TROPICAL FORESTS
The world’s tropical forests have more kinds of insects than all other habitats put together. They range from microscopic wasps to giant butterflies, like this Cairns birdwing, whose wings measure 28 cm (11 in) from tip to tip. In tropical forests, many bees and flies feed at flowers, while termites and beetles feast on rotting wood. Columns of army ants swarm over the floor, overpowering any other insects in their path.