Insects

Insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth, with more than a million described species and many more still waiting to be named. Every adult insect shares the same basic body plan: six legs, a body divided into head, thorax and abdomen, and a hard outer skeleton that must be shed for it to grow. Many, like butterflies and beetles, go through complete metamorphosis from larva to pupa to adult, while others, such as grasshoppers, grow gradually through nymph stages. Insects pollinate crops, recycle dead plants and animals, and feed countless birds, fish and mammals.

Explore the colorful world of butterflies, the busy colonies of bees and ants, and the armored variety of beetles, along with sections on dragonflies, mantises, ladybugs and wasps. Life cycle guides show how insects from cicadas to mosquitoes develop, and practical pages on bed bugs, fleas, lice and cockroaches help families understand the pests they meet at home or when camping.

Start here: Rove Beetle · How Many Legs Do Ants Have? · Dragonfly Life Cycle · Grasshopper Life Cycle – 3 Stages & Unique Characteristics · Ladybug Anatomy · Beetle Life Cycle

Browse by group: Ants · Bed Bug · Bees · Beetles · Butterflies · Caterpillar · Cockroach · Dragonfly · Flea · Fly · Grasshopper · Ladybug · Lice · Mantis · mosquito · Moth · Wasps