Frequently Asked Questions
Heres a list of the most commonly asked questions but if you have a specific question then please 'contact me'.
- What is an Insect?
- Differences in Butterflies & Moths
- What are Bugs?
What is an Insect?
Insects are invertebrates with a body encased in and supported by an exoskeleton. The Shell or skin is made up of separate pieces of hard materials joined together by flexible lines.
Insects have 3 main body parts.
HEAD: has a pair of compound eyes. Antennae, clubbed, feathery or thread like, mouthparts designed for biting, chewing, cutting, probing etc.
THORAX: Part of the body that is between the head & the abdomen of an insect, they have 6 legs for them to go about the daily business.
ABDOMEN: The large, soft part of the insects body, also houses the heart, & the digestive organs.
Differences in BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS
- Lepidopterans under go complete Metamorphosis (change appearance) the larvae or caterpillars are completely different from the Adults, some are very striking in colour.
- MOTHS usually fly at night time, but some are day flying. Wings usually point downwards
- Other Species land with their wings lying flat & spread out like the MOTH pictured (below)
- BUTTERFLIES fly during the day, have clubbed antennae & close their wings when resting
- SKIPPERS are like smaller versions of BUTTERFLIES, although some species are larger
- Some MOTHS have feathery to thin elongated antennae, generally they are hairy underneath & fury ontop of the wings.
BUTTERFLY MOTH
What Are BUGS?
People see an insect, and they often call them a BUG, there is a special order of insects known as Bugs (Order is HEMIPTERA ). This group of insects have a proboscis designed for sucking up fluid from plants.