Why are there so many insects?

few reasons. Insects multiply very fast. Most females lay up to 200 eggs in a lifetime. A queen termite can lay more than 30,000 eggs a day! Insects can survive the most difficult conditions on Earth. You can find insects at the North and South Poles and at the equator, in deserts and in jungles, under the ground and high in the air—and almost everywhere in between. Insects are small. This means that each one needs little food and can easily hide from its enemies.

How many kinds of insects are there?

More than one million different species, or kinds. And scientists are still counting. Every year, experts find up to 10,000 new species. They think there may be as many as 30 million species yet to be discovered. At this rate, it will take another 1,000 years to locate and identify all the insect species in the world!

Who has been on Earth longer: insects or humans?

Insects, by far. The oldest insect fossils are at least 400 million years old. Compare that to the earliest humans. They appeared no more than four million years ago.

How many insects live in your backyard?

About 2,000 in every square yard (square meter) of soil. Suppose you dug up 1 square mile (2.6 km2) of land. You’d find more than five and onehalf billion insects. That is about the total number of people in the whole world! Scientists say insects outnumber people one million to one!

Are spiders insects?

No. Spiders belong to another group of small animals, called arachnids (uh-RAK-nidz). Other arachnids include ticks, mites, and scorpions. Unlike insects, spiders have eight legs and only two parts to their body. Also, they have neither wings nor antennae. So never call a spider an insect!

Are flies insects?

Yes. So are ants, bees, ladybugs, mosquitoes, butterflies, moths—and about one million other kinds of small animals. All adult insects have three parts to their body: head, thorax, and abdomen. The head has the eyes, mouth parts, and two antennae, or feelers. On the thorax most insects have six legs and either two or four wings. The abdomen is where the insect digests food and breathes. Even with these three parts, most insects are less than 1/4 inch (6.4 mm) long.

How do flies walk upside down?

Easily! Flies have tiny claws at the ends of their feet that grip the rough spots on ceilings, windows, or walls. Also, their feet have hairy pads covered with a sticky substance that helps them cling to any surface. It’s a little like walking with chewing gum on the bottom of your shoes.

Between the claws and the sticky stuff, flies can walk anywhere they want!