King Middle School Insect Field Guide Seq D

Field Guide to Portland’s Insects By King Middle School
Kineo Sequence D - 2019


An Introduction to the project by Charlie, Sophie, Gervasio, Benvindo, Chrisanne, And Leah.
An Introduction to Pollination by Reyna
We’d like to thank the staff of King Middle School and the staff at the Maine Audubon Society for helping us to make this field guide.


Table of Contents
1. Eastern Black Swallowtail
2. Monarch Butterfly
3. Red Admiral Butterfly
4. Peck's Skipper
5. Luna Moth
6. Milkweed Tussock Moth
7. Northern Bluet
8. Fork-tailed Bush Katydid
9. Praying Mantis
10. Black Carpenter Ant
11. Golden Northern Bumblebee
12. Metallic Green Sweat Bee
13. Flower Fly
14. Great Golden Digger Wasp
15. Great Black Wasp
16. Eastern Yellow Jacket
17. Soldier Beetle
18. Western Conifer Seed Bug


Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes)
Fun Facts
Black Swallowtail pupae camouflage themselves to match the stem they’re attached to while they are in their chrysalis.
1
Colin L.
Larva


Eastern Black Swallowtail (Papilio polyxenes) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Insects can supply a lot of nutrients and protein and cost very little in resources.
● Bugs can be used in research for medicine and treatments.
● Bugs produce less greenhouse gas and need less water and food.
Challenges
● A lot of people find them gross and don’t enjoy the thought of eating them.
● A lot can be deadly or hard to catch.
● They can carry disease and pesticides.
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: The Black Swallowtail is found in grassland habitats like gardens and parks or fields.
Food: As an adult they eat only nectar. The caterpillars eat the leaves, stems, and buds of plants like dill and parsley.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: Very roundish on its mostly black body with two pairs of wings. The wings on a Swallowtail Butterfly are special because on the bottom of the wing they have a little tail. A cool detail about them is that they have this black and white abdomen which is longer on the male than the female. A big way you can know it’s a black swallowtail is it’s colors, the wings are mostly black with blue and tannish dots on the outer margin of the wing.
Interaction with plants: They like to put their eggs on dill and parsley leaves.
2


Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
Fun Facts
Monarch Butterflies take three generations to reach Maine from Mexico.
1
Benvindo S.
Caterpillar


Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Bugs are used in medicine.
● Insects have a lot of vitamins and minerals.
● Insects do not need to much food.
Challenges
● Bugs in our food are disgusting.
● They can have pesticides.
● Some of them can be vectors.
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: Grasslands and fields with milkweed which are hosts to the larvae stage of the Monarch
Butterfly.
Food: The adult eats the nectar from flowers like red clover, alfalfa, thistle and wild carrot. The caterpillar
eats the leaves of milkweed.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: The monarch butterfly has a body with four wings and the wings are orange, black, and white with black lines on them. Two black antennae, a body that is black and has a head with two small rounded eyes, an abdomen, and a thorax.
Interaction with plants: Eggs are laid on milkweed leaves and the adult eats nectar which helps to pollinate the flowers of milkweed.
2


Red Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa atalanta)
Fun Facts
Have you ever reached to grab a weed and realized that is was a nettle plant? The nettle plant can sting you from the touch. However, Red Admirals love nettles and are not afraid of getting stung.
1
Ornella K.
Larva


Red Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Bugs are use for medicine.
● Insects have a lot of protein, little fat, vitamins
and minerals.
● Insects do not cause climate change because
they do not produce greenhouse gas..
● Insect do not need as much food as cattle.
Challenges
● Insects in food is gross.
● Insects in food make it non vegetarian.
● Insects transmit diseases.
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: Red Admiral Butterflies are most likely to be found in moist woods, yards, marshes, and moist
fields.
Food: The Red Admiral Butterfly prefers sap flow on trees, fermenting fruit and bird droppings. They will also eat nectar from common milkweed, red clover, aster, and alfalfa, among others. The caterpillar eats leaves from the nettle plant.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: The body is shaped like a black and brown worm of 3 to 4 cm.The head is round and 0.55 cm wide with the colors black and brown. It has 2 big compound eyes and a small black triangular mouth. It has two long black antennae attached to its head. The thorax is a black haired round circle about 1.5 cm wide with 4 big wings and 6 legs. The wings are black with 1 orange band on each side of the wing. Each wing is 5 cm wide. The black abdomen is about 1 to 2 cm long.
Interaction with plants: For shelter and egg laying the Red Admiral Butterfly needs the nettle plant.
2


Peck’s Skipper (Polites peckius)
Fun Facts
The Peck’s Skipper flies really fast and it can change direction quickly too!
1
Yaquelin H.
Polites Larva


Peck’s Skipper (Polites peckius)
Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● People use them for food.
● Insects pollinate plants that we use for food.
● Other animals use them for food.
Challenges
● Some insects bite people.
● Insects chase people.
● Some insects are dangerous for people.
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: Peck’s Skipper is most likely found in grasslands and prairies.
Food: Adults drink nectar from flowers including red clover, purple vetch, thistles and other flowers.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: The body is 15-18 mm color is a mix of brown, green, and light orange. The head is light orange. The thorax is furry green and orange. Its wings are black with yellow spots and the edge of the wing has a yellow stripe.
Interaction with plants: They lay eggs on leaves and the caterpillars make nests in leaves.
2


Peck’s Skipper (Polites peckius)
Fun Facts
This butterfly is small but easy to see because the body is orange.
They fly fast but not in a straight line.
1
Deborah L.
Polites Larva


Peck’s Skipper (Polites peckius) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Insects pollinate over 90% of the food we eat.
● Some people use insects for medicine.
● When we eat insects we get protein.
Challenges
● Insects can spread diseases.
● Insects can get into food, contaminating the
food.
● When we eat insects they can have pesticides
in them.
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: Peck's Skipper is found in open grassy areas like meadows, marshes, lawns, and roadsides.
Food: The adult feeds on black-eyed susan, milkweed, and hydrangea. The larvae eat small insects.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: The Peck’s Skipper has a long body and it looks like a butterfly. It has 4 wings and 2 long antennae colored brown. It has a brown body and 6 legs colored chocolate brown. It has two big black eyes.
Interaction with plants:
Females lay eggs one at a time on the top of host plant leaves. Caterpillars are solitary, living and feeding in a nest of leaves tied with silk.
2


Peck’s Skipper (Polites peckius)
Fun Facts
It flies fast and escapes trouble by turning quickly.
1
Jose D.
Larva


Peck’s Skipper (Polites peckius) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Challenges
● They spread disease.
● Insects bite us.
Benefits
● We can eat insects.
● They are pretty
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: The habitat of the Peck’s Skipper is fields.
Food: The adult eats flower nectar and the larva eats leaves.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: The body is orange, brown and green.
The head is orange with black eyes.
The wings are black with yellow spots.
Interaction with plants: A plant this butterfly needs is sedum because it eats flower nectar.
2


Luna Moth (Actias luna)
Larva
Fun Facts
Luna Moth larvae start eating as soon as they hatch, but adult Luna Moths don’t have mouths or mouthparts. They don’t have to eat, as their main purpose is to reproduce. So they usually only live one week, as once they mate and reproduce, they die.
Lizzy W.
1


Luna Moth (Actias luna)
Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Insects can be used as medicines
● Insects can be a good source of protein and
nutrients when eating
● When raised for eating, they require less food
and water to keep alive, and take up less space then most livestock
Challenges
● Possibility of sickness from pesticides when eating insects
● Bugs spread disease
● People think about them as being gross to eat
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat:
The Luna Moth can be found in forests, parks, and woodlands.
Food:
Larvae eat host plants, an example being White Oak trees. The adults survive on stored fat from the larval stage.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics:
Look at the large lime green translucent wings, with six pink legs and a white body. Its body is long and oval-shaped and is hairy and looks to be soft.
The moth has two pairs of wings that can be between 7.5 and 10.5 cm wide. Notice the eyespots on the lower part of its wings used to confuse predators. Also, see the long tails that are twisted at the ends to interfere with the echolocation of some of their predators. It has small yellow feathered antennae that extend from its head to help the moth sense its environment. Its head is small and pointed. The adults have no mouth parts as they do not feed.
Interaction with plants:
Luna Moth larvae eat the leaves of their host plants, which are Paper Birch, White Oak, and Black Walnut. The adult females lay their eggs on the undersides of the leaves and the trunks of the trees.
2


Milkweed Tussock Moth (Euchaetes egle)
Fun Facts
Beware! This caterpillar tastes really bad so that predators will stay away. The bad taste comes from chemicals in the milkweed plant that it eats.
1
Jimmy W.
Larval Stage


Milkweed Tussock Moth (Euchaetes egle) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Insects are used for red coloring
● Insects are used in medicine
● Insects eat waste
● Insects have a lot of nutrients
Challenges
● Insects can spread diseases
● Insects are disgusting to eat
● Insects can have pesticides on them
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: The Milkweed Tussock Moth likes habitats that have flowers. These are meadows and fields. It
also likes woodlands and its colored to blend in with tree bark. Food: The adult does not eat. The larva eats the leaves of milkweed.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: It has light brown and grey wings. The abdomen has orange and black stripes that you can glimpse between its wings. The antennae are long and it has long grey hairs on the back of the thorax.
Interaction with plants: The milkweed plant is eaten by larvae and the adult lays its eggs under the leaves.
2


Northern Bluet (Enallagma cyathigerum)
Fun Facts
The Northern Bluet is the most widespread and abundant damselfly. It is found in all aquatic habitats, especially those with a moderate flow. You can find the bluet in lakes and marshes in Maine, such as the beautiful marsh in Scarborough, Maine. The Scarborough Marsh is the largest salt marsh in Maine so there are many bluets all around!
1
Lucinda H.
Nymph


Northern Bluet (Enallagma cyathigerum) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Insects save water more water than meat.
● Insects are less likely to carry disease.
● Insects take up less space.
Challenges
● Insects transmit diseases quickly
● Insects caused the Black Death
● Insects can be gross to eat
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: The Northern Bluet is preferably found near lakes, ponds, marshes, and streams with a slow moderate
flow.
Food: Nymphs feed on aquatic bugs in reach. Adults eat any small soft bodied flying insects, such as mosquitos, mayflies and small moths.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics:
Look for the bright sky blue splotches on the abdomen under the transparent gray wings. Notice that the oval head is black with humongous eyes for seeing the environment. The adult Northern Bluet is normally 16 to 20 millimeters long and has a cylinder shape. The abdomen is sky blue with jet black circular bands. The last two bands on the tail are slightly wider.
Interaction with plants:
The Northern Bluet lays its eggs at the base of the underwater stem of the cattail. The eggs are laid under water because the immature bluet needs an aquatic environment.
2


Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcata)
Nymph
Fun Facts
After mating the female lays eggs on a plant stem and then when they grow up they eat the plant, the little Katydid nymphs stay dormant in their eggs through the winter, and emerge in late spring.
1
Chrisanne K.


Fork-tailed Bush Katydid (Scudderia furcata) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Insects can be used as medicine.
● Insects are a good source of protein, vitamins,
minerals, fiber, etc.
● Insects require less food to keep alive.
● Insects carry less disease that livestock and
produce less greenhouse gas.
Challenges
● Bugs can spread diseases, Fleas caused the Back Death.
● Bugs in our food is NASTY.
● Bug as our food are a source of possible
pesticides.
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: The Katydid’s habitat is around vegetation including forest, thickets and grassy field.
Food: Katydid adults and nymphs mostly eat leaves and grass, but they've been known to eat fruit and tiny insects like aphids.
How to identify the Fork-tailed Bush Katydid/physical characteristics: Body: usually green and bright, they are flat, long and narrow. It grows up to over 2-3 cm long. Head: oval and at the chin it’s kind of a pointy triangle with light brown and green around the head and mouth area. Wings: they are long and narrow, nearly the same on both sides. They are green and heavily veined.
Interaction with plants: Katydids eat their host plants which are sunflower and aster.
2


Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa)
Fun Facts
Praying Mantids are the first insect found that can see in three dimensions.
1
Chase R.
Nymph


Praying Mantis (Mantis religiosa) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Insects contain protein.
● The Praying Mantis kills pests.
● Insects are used as medicine.
Challenges
● Insects can spread infections
● Insects can spread disease
● Insects can destroy crops
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: Shrublands, grasslands, and meadowlands are preferred habitats for the Praying Mantis here in
Southern Maine.
Food: The adults and the nymphs eat insects.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: Two large expressive green compound eyes; a long green body about 7.5cm with four small back legs and two folded front legs used for attacking and grabbing prey; it has wings in pale green with black spots.
Interaction with plants: The Praying Mantis uses plants like goldenrod for camo, for hunting and for laying eggs.
2


Black Carpenter Ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus)
Fun Facts
Black carpenter ants can lift 7 times their weight. When the ant bites you with its distinctive mandibles it can inject formic acid into you that can be very painful.
1
Maxwell N.
Larva


Black Carpenter Ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Insects can be used in medicine
● Bugs are a good source of protein
● There is a good supply of nutritional value
● They can be used to determine the time of
death
Challenges
● Bugs can spread disease like the Black Death
● Bugs in our food is gross
● Insects can carry pesticides
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat:Black Carpenter Ants are found making nests in deciduous trees or the logs of said trees. They also
can be found in wooden building structures in the eastern half of the United States
Food: Black Carpenter Ants are omnivorous which means they eat both plants and animals. They also eat honeydew produced by aphids.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: The Black Carpenter Ant is black from head to thorax but has a light brown stripe on its abdomen. The queen has three light brown stripes on her abdomen. Note that they also have small grey hairs on their abdomen. Key things to look at are, the head is 3.4mm long with kind of a triangle-shape, the abdomen is a rigid oval shape that is 2mm long, and the thorax is 4mm long. Another thing to look at is that the front legs are on the prothorax, the legs in the middle are attached to the mesothorax, and the hind legs are attached to the metathorax.
Interaction with plants: Black Carpenter Ants like to use live or dead hardwood trees to make their nests. Cedar is a common choice.
2


Golden Northern Bumble Bee (Bombus fervidus)
Fun Facts
The Golden Northern Bumblebee can extract around 2.2 mg of sugar per minute. Overall it looks like a friendly critter but watch out for the stinger!
1
Isra M.
Larva


Golden Northern Bumble Bee (Bombus fervidus) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● They produce important needs and products like dye, nectars, silk, etc
● Insects are high in nutrients, protein, low fat, and vitamins.
● Bugs can be used as medicine
Challenges
● Bugs in our food is gross
● Bugs can carry pesticides
● They can be vectors and can carry disease
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: The Golden Northern Bumblebee lives and nests in open grassy areas usually right on the ground.
Food: Adult Golden Northern Bumblebees feed on nectar and pollen from different plants like Aster and the Black-eyed Susan. Larvae eat pollen.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: It’s thorax and abdomen are striped with light pastel yellow and black. It has four wings attached to the thorax. Its stinger is also black. It’s 6 hairy legs are also attached to the thorax. Note they have dark black compound eyes. The whole entire body looks fuzzy and is 13-16 mm long.
Interaction with plants: Bumblebees gather pollen from some flowers like the Aster, Black-eyed Susan, Common milkweed, Queen Anne’s Lace, etc. Then they store it in their nests to feed their young.
2


Metallic Green Sweat Bee (Agapostemon splendens)
ILLUSTRATION of INSECT
Larva
Fun Facts
The Metallic “Green” Sweat Bee is sometimes not green, they can be blue, gold, or brown. Sweat Bees are attracted to human sweat, and they use the salt from the sweat for nutrition. The abdomen of the Sweat Bee more commonly looks like a bee or a wasp. Because it can help from predators from eating them to think it’s a bee or wasp from stinging them.
Jason P.
1


Metallic Green Sweat Bee (Agapostemon splendens) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Cochineal bugs provide natural red dye
● Lac bug are used to make shellac that covers
candy, pills, furniture, and waterproofing
● Bugs can be used as medicine
● Bugs can determine the time of death
Challenges
● Bugs are in our food which is disgusting
● Bugs can carry pesticide
● Insects can spread disease. (Fleas can bring
the Bubonic Plague or Black Death.)
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: The Metallic Green Sweat Bee is mostly found in mud or rotting wood and are ground nesting
bees that generally use vertical tunnels
Food: The Metallic Green Sweat Bee eats nectar of these plants: GoldenRod, Burdock, and Thistle.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: The Metallic Green Sweat bee is 9-11 mm long and they can be spotted by their bright colouration.The shape of the body is an oval, same as the abdomen. The color of the thorax is bright green and the abdomen is brown with black stripes.
Interaction with plants: The Metallic Green Sweat Bee picks the pollen up from the plant and takes pollen then goes to the other plant to get more pollen, in that cycle it pollinates the plants. Then it goes to it’s home then rolls the pollen and nectar to a ball then lay eggs on it. Then when the eggs hatch to a larvae the larvae starts to eat the pollen.
2


Flower Fly (Syrphus ribesii)
Larva
Fun Facts!
Each female hoverflies lay up to 100 eggs in their lifetime. They get their name hoverfly because they can fly backward, forwards, downwards, and upwards.
1
Gabriel H.


Flower Fly (Syrphus ribesii) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Cochineal Bugs provide natural red coloring
● Lac Bugs can be used to make shellac that
covers candy, pills, furniture, and
waterproofing
● Bugs can be used as medicine
● Bugs can be used to determine the time of
death
● Insects have lots of nutrients, protein, low fat,
and lots of vitamins
Challenges
● Bugs in our food is disgusting
● Bugs come with pestides
● Insects can spread disease (Fleas have
bubonic plague and Black Death)
Key Facts about the Adult Stage Habitat: Hover or Flower flies are found in woodlands and meadows.
Food: Larvae feed on aphids, adelgids, and other soft-blooded insects. Adults feed on nectar, pollen, and honeydew from aphids.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: Huge dark red-brownish eyes are the second thing we see. The first thing we notice is the yellow and black stripes on the abdomen.
Interaction with plants: Goldenrod is a common flower that they lay their eggs on near aphids for food. There are other common plants they lay their eggs on; Asteraceae, Caulophyllum, Ceanothus, Cicuta, Cornus, Rhododendron, and Rubus.


Great Golden Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus)
Sphex larva
Fun Facts
While the female wasp is flying to her nest with prey for her eggs, birds steal it from her. Sometimes great Golden Digger Wasp Eggs look like frog eggs.
1
Anas A.


Great Golden Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● They provide many benefits to the garden.
● Adult wasps – both male and female –
pollinate plants by feeding on flower nectar.
● Insects have a lot of protein and vitamins.
● They are easy to digest.
● Bugs can be used as medicine.
● They help decompose dead animals.
Challenges
● Insects spread diseases.
● Somebody people are scared because they
think they are disgusting.
● Insects can eat agricultural crops.
● Some people are alleregic to wasp and bee
stings.
Key Facts about the Adult Stage Habitat: The habitat of the Golden Digger Wasp is fields and sandy areas.
Food: The adult wasp eats nectar from flowers and the larva eats the paralyzed insect that the mother has caught.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: Look for the black compound eye on the head and two black antennae. Look for an orange and black abdomen where the orange part is wider than the black. Look for jointed orange legs that have spines to help grab prey. The wings cover 2⁄3 of the body and are dark orange with a black tip.
Interaction with plants: One Golden Digger Wasp host plant is goldenrod. They use the nectar from the flowers for food and help to pollinate the plant.
2


Great Black Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus)
Fun Facts
The Great Black Wasp stings a larger insect to paralyze it, than lays its eggs in the insect. When the eggs hatch they eat the insect until there is no more to eat.
1
Vivian B.
Sphex Larva


Great Black Wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Cochineal bug - provides natural red coloring
● Lac bug - creates shellac waterproofing, hard
coating (candy, pills, etc...)
● Insects can be used to solve crimes
● Good nutritional value
Challenges
● Insects in food is gross
● Possible pesticide consumption
● Can spread deadly disease (Fleas caused the
Black Death or Bubonic Plague )
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: The Sphex pensylvanicus (Great Black Wasp) dig their nests underground. They can be found
across North America. They usually like fields with lots of flowers.
Food: Great Black Wasps eat pollen and nectar. The larvae eat the flesh of other insects.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: The Great Black Wasp is black in color. The head is a teardrop shape with two black eyes and two antenne . the thorax is a larger black teardrop shape with two bluish green wings and six black legs. The abdomen is a lager more elongated black teardrop shape with a stinger at the end
Interaction with plants: Great Black Wasps enjoy Queen Anne's lace, Hydrangea, and Milkweed for food and pollination.
2


Eastern Yellow Jacket (Vespula maculifrons)
Larva
Fun Facts
Eastern yellow jackets live in groups called colonies. The queen lives longer than the workers. She rules the colony.
1
Abdi A.


Eastern Yellow Jacket (Vespula maculifrons) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Bugs can be used for medicine
● Bugs have lots of vitamins, nutrients, and
protein
● Insects require less food & water than farm
animals
Challenges
● Bugs in food is gross
● Bugs could have pesticides
● Insects can spread disease
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: Eastern Yellow Jackets are found in North America. They live near hardwood forests and stream
banks.
Food: Adult Eastern Yellow Jackets eat caterpillars, grubs, other insects, nectar and fruit. The larva eats insects brought to it by the workers.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: The Body; 12.7-15.9 mm, it has black stick like antenna. The Eastern yellow jacket has a heart shaped head with black egg shaped eyes. Thorax; look for the black and yellow stripes with black dots. Abdomen; note that it is long, with black and yellow stripes and black spiracles.
Interaction with plants:
An Eastern Yellow Jacket host plant is goldenrod. They chew woody plant material for making paper nests.
2


Soldier Beetle (Cantharis rufa)
Larva
Fun Facts
Soldier Beetles get their names because of their colorful wing covers which might remind you of soldiers’ uniforms. They are commonly known as leatherwings. Soldier Beetles can be found often in gardens during the
summer. You should not be worried about them because they beneficially eat small pest insects.
1
Everett D.


Soldier Beetle (Cantharis Rufa) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Insects can be used as medicine
● They are extremely nutritious
● Insects can be raised for food with very little
waste
● There is a good supply of them which is
beneficial for food purposes
Challenges
● Bugs can spread disease
● A lot of people are very grossed out by insects
in food
● Bugs might have pesticides on them when
eaten
Key Facts about the Adult Stage
Habitat: The Soldier Beetle can be found in grass and shrublands with flowers and greenery.
Food: Adult Soldier Beetles eat pollen, nectar, and small soft-bodied insects.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics: Soldier Beetles are about one centimeter long. They are brownish-orange with small grey hairs on their wing covers. Look for the small oval discs with black dots coming out of the side of the abdomen. Next, note the long bent legs with the same color as the rest of the body. Also check out the small rectangular bright orange thorax. You will see the triangular head with two black eyes. Study the two long segmented antennae.
Interaction with plants: Soldier Beetles can be seen on flowers such as goldenrod, marigold, and globe thistle mating and lying in wait for prey, also eating pollen and nectar. Soldier Beetles are helpful in pollinating these flowers.
2


Western Conifer Seed Bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis)
Nymph
Fun Facts
It can move sideways using his back legs. It moves very slowly.
1
Bayron E.


Western Conifer Seed Bug (Leptoglossus occidentalis) Interactions between Insects and Humans
Benefits
● Insects are healthy to eat, more healthy than meat
● Insects help plants to get pollinated
Challenges
● Insects bite us and give us malaria, people can die and get sick from malaria
● Insects eat our food which can make people die of hunger
Key Facts about the Adult Stage Habitat: The Western Conifer Seed bug lives in coniferous forests.
Food: When they are nymphs they eat needles and seeds that are just starting to grow. Adults eats the sap from the plants.
How to identify the bug/physical characteristics:
The body is 1 1⁄2 to 2 cm long and brown in color. Six brown legs with black spots. The back legs are a little wider. The front legs are skinny. The eyes are brown and located close to the body at the back of the head. The brown antennae are long and they can bend easily.
Interaction with plants: They eat the seeds from evergreen trees. They lay their eggs in evergreen trees, too.
2


Bibliography
Animal Diversity Web Animalsake
Backyard Nature
Bee Informed
Bug Guide
Inaturalist
Insect Identification
Joyful Butterfly
Liang Insects
Life Cycle of a Grasshopper
Life Of A Carpenter Ant
National Geographic
Nature Spot
Northern Woodlands
Songs of Insects
University of Florida
University of Kentucky - College of Agriculture, Food and Environment University of Maryland Extension
University Of Minnesota Extension
Urban Ecology Center
Interested in Learning more about insects? These links will take you to a few of the sites we found useful in our research.
If you would like to check out our full list of credits, use this link.