Ladybug

“Ladybug ladybug fly away home, your house is on fire and your children are gone.” Remember Ladybugs? Of course you do! However, they are not bugs, they are beetles. They are actually called Ladybird beetles.

“Ladybird beetle ladybird beetle fly away home, your house is on fire and your children are gone.” Not as poetic. I guess we can stick with the old one.

So what is the difference between a beetle and a bug?

Bugs and beetles may sometimes look similar at first glance, but they belong to two quite different insect groups. Here are some features that can help distinguish between them.

Mouthparts

• Bugs: mouthparts modified into needle-like tool
• Beetles: chewing mouthparts.

Wings

• Bugs: wings (if present) are membranous or partially thickened.
• Beetles: forewings modified to form hard, leathery coverings called elytra; hind wings membranous and fold under elytra when not flying.

Diet

• Bugs: liquid diet: mostly plant-feeders (nectar/sap), some feed on animal fluids (like bed bugs).
• Beetles: wide range of plant and animal materials eaten.

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Lifecycle

• Bugs: incomplete metamorphosis - juveniles resemble adults except smaller and lack wings.
• Beetles: complete metamorphosis - larvae with hardened head, chewing mouthparts and usually have legs.

Bugs: Order Hemiptera

Hemiptera comes from the Greek words hemi, meaning half, and pteron, meaning wing. The name refers to their fore wings, which are hardened near the base and membranous near the ends, giving the appearance of a half wing.

Beetles: Order Coleoptera

Coleoptera means “sheath wings,” a reference to the hardened fore wings that cover the insect’s body.

There are more than 800,000 species of insects on earth, more than all the other plants and animals combined. Of this great number of insects, nearly half are beetles.

I challenge you to take a closer look!

The Glorious Scarab Beetle

Grab a magnifying glass and take a closer look at your surroundings. You will be amazed at what you have been missing. When young visitors come to our facilities to meet some of the local critters, we give them a cigar box with some items to explore with. One of the items is always a magnifying glass so that they can explore the tiny fascinating world around them. When was the last time you took your magnifying glass out and looked really closely at that flower, leaf, rock, or bug? This is an expedition you can take just outside your door. No driving, no being away from home, no exotic foods, no added expenses, and it’s a great activity for young visitors. Let me know how it goes!