List of Insects

🐞 1. Beetles (Order: Coleoptera)

Beetles have hard front wings (elytra) and are the largest order of insects, with over 400,000 species!

• Ladybug (Coccinellidae) – Eats garden pests like aphids.
• Hercules Beetle (Dynastes hercules) – One of the largest beetles in the world.
• Firefly (Lampyridae) – Produces light using bioluminescence.
• Dung Beetle (Scarabaeidae) – Rolls animal droppings to feed its young.

🦋 2. Butterflies and Moths (Order: Lepidoptera)

These insects have scaly wings and go through complete metamorphosis.

• Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) – Famous for its long migration.
• Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas) – One of the largest moths in the world.
• Cabbage White Butterfly (Pieris rapae) – Common in gardens and farms.
• Luna Moth (Actias luna) – A beautiful moth with lime-green wings.

🐜 3. Ants, Bees, and Wasps (Order: Hymenoptera)

Known for their complex social behavior, especially ants and bees.

• Honeybee (Apis mellifera) – Pollinates plants and produces honey.
• Carpenter Ant (Camponotus spp.) – Builds nests in wood.
• Paper Wasp (Polistes spp.) – Makes umbrella-shaped nests.
• Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata) – Known for one of the most painful stings.

🦗 4. Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Katydids (Order: Orthoptera)

These insects have powerful hind legs for jumping and are known for chirping sounds.

• Field Cricket (Gryllus spp.) – Makes loud chirping by rubbing wings.
• Katydid (Tettigoniidae) – Green, leaf-like insect often heard at night.
• Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria) – Forms huge swarms and damages crops.
• Meadow Grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus) – Common in fields and meadows.

5. Cockroaches and Termites (Order: Blattodea)

Cockroaches are fast and adaptable; termites are social and eat wood.

• American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana) – Common urban pest.
• German Cockroach (Blattella germanica) – Found in homes and kitchens.
• Subterranean Termite (Reticulitermes spp.) – Builds underground colonies and damages wood.
• Drywood Termite (Cryptotermes spp.) – Lives inside dry wood structures.

🦟 6. Flies and Mosquitoes (Order: Diptera)

These insects have one pair of wings and include both pollinators and pests.

• Housefly (Musca domestica) – Common worldwide; spreads germs.
• Mosquito (Aedes, Anopheles) – Some spread diseases like malaria and dengue.
• Fruit Fly (Drosophila melanogaster) – Used in science experiments.
• Hoverfly (Syrphidae) – Looks like a bee but is harmless and helps pollination.

🐞 7. True Bugs (Order: Hemiptera)

They have piercing-sucking mouthparts and include both pests and helpful species.

• Aphid (Aphidoidea) – Small sap-sucking insect often farmed by ants.
• Stink Bug (Pentatomidae) – Produces a strong odor when threatened.
• Cicada (Cicadidae) – Known for loud buzzing and emerging after years underground.
• Water Strider (Gerridae) – Walks on water using surface tension.

🐝 8. Dragonflies and Damselflies (Order: Odonata)

These insects have large eyes, two pairs of wings, and are excellent fliers.

• Common Green Darner (Anax junius) – One of the fastest flying insects.
• Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) – A common North American dragonfly.
• Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) – A shiny damselfly often found near streams.

🐞 9. Earwigs (Order: Dermaptera)

Recognized by pincers on their abdomen; most are harmless.

• Common Earwig (Forficula auricularia) – Active at night; not dangerous.

🐝 10. Praying Mantises (Order: Mantodea)

These insects are ambush predators, famous for their "prayer-like" pose.

• Chinese Mantis (Tenodera sinensis) – Large mantis found in gardens.
• European Mantis (Mantis religiosa) – Often green and well camouflaged.