Teacher Guide
to Insects
Does a creepy creature crawling up your legs freak you out? Eeewwww! Where did they come from? Why were they created? What role do they play in our lives any way? Read on and satisfy your curiosity.
Insects are one of tiniest creatures in the world. Some of them are really disgusting, but, hey, not all of them look yucky. What about a butterfly? Its spectacular colors and patterns make you fall in love and run after it. And then there's the little Lady Bug, which is one of the cutest things ever created. Isn't it?
Insects play a significant role in your life, but you often ignore them because of their tiny sizes or nauseating appearances. Insects are found in both cold and warm climates, in the water and on the land. So you can't simply run away from them!
Most insects have a head, thorax, abdomen, wings, antennae, eyes, hard outer skeleton and six jointed legs. They love walking around and flying, but sometimes they can swim too. In fact, many insects spend a certain part of their life underwater, while some species such as 'water striders' have the ability to walk on the surface of water. Unlike humans, insects mostly live alone, but a few of them such as bees, ants and termites are social and tend to live in large, well-organized colonies.
Did you know insects could talk? Well, they don't actually speak with words, but they communicate in different ways. Why does a bee buzz? Why does a cricket rub its wings? These are a few ways of how insects converse. They have a very sensitive and specialized organ of perception, which makes them sense danger when it is still far away. Even though why cockroaches run away when you turn on the lights at night? It is because they can sense your presence near them, and they know you don't like them.
Do you know insects don't need lungs to breathe? They have a system of internal tubes and sacs through which gases either diffuse or are actively pumped to deliver oxygen directly to tissues. Does that mean they don't have a circulatory system? No. Insects do have a circulatory system, but they don't have veins or arteries. They have a single perforate dorsal tube which has a pulse. This tube divides into chambers and acts like a heart in an insect. As for reproduction, this process mostly takes place through eggs.
Humans don't like insects, so they try to control them through pesticides or insecticides. Insects ruin crops, eat up fruits and vegetables and also bite humans and animals. Why do you hate them? You must have been warned in your childhood that their bite can transmit diseases in you. However, many insects are known to have environmental benefits. Where did the honey come from? Where did silk come from? Think! Think! A honey bee stings when provoked or bugged, but had this yellowish golden bee not been there, would you have enjoyed honey? Similarly, silkworms produce silk and not the clothing store. Not only do they produce things for humans, but they are also the food source of birds and other similar predators. So, the next time when you gear up to kill an insect, think again whether you should really kill it or let go.