Download Insect Study Guide o All insects have three main body parts, the

Insect Study Guide
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All insects have three main body parts, the head, thorax, and abdomen. All insects also
have 6 legs, and most have wings and antennae.
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Insects have their skeleton on the outside. This is called an exoskeleton. The exoskeleton
protects the bee, and is made out of chitin.
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Bees and ants that live together in colonies are called social insects.
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Each bee has a job in the hive. The queen is the bee who lays the eggs, the drones are the
dad bees, and the worker bees collect the pollen, take care of the young, and make the
honey.
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Bees do a “Waggle Dance” to communicate with each other.
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The process by which an insect changes from an egg to an adult is called metamorphosis.
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Some insects (like bees, butterflies, mosquitoes, ants, beetles, and moths) go through
complete metamorphosis. The four stages of complete metamorphosis are egg, larva, pupa,
adult.
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Some insects (like grasshoppers, praying mantises, cockroaches, and dragonflies) go through
incomplete metamorphosis. The three stages of incomplete metamorphosis are egg, nymph,
adult.
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When a young insect’s exoskeleton gets too small and splits open and a bigger one is formed,
this is called molting.
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All insects have an outside covering called an exoskeleton. It is made out of chitin.
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Grasshoppers and crickets have mouths for chewing called mandibles. A Butterfly, moth,
and bee all have a straw-like mouth for sipping called a proboscis. A fly has a mouth that
works like a sponge.
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Some insects (like termites, mosquitoes, flies, grasshoppers, and wasps) can be harmful.
They can eat wood, suck blood, spread disease, eat crops, and sting people.
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Some insects (like ladybugs, bees, butterflies, and silk worms) can be helpful. They can eat
harmful bugs, make honey, pollinate flowers, and make silk.
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Make sure you are able to label the body parts of an insect! (Head, thorax, abdomen,
antennae, legs)