Bugs and Insects Trivia

[tigerfreak99]

Ok, Val... these are for you!

1. A cockroach can live up to how long without it's head?
2. A typical bed usually houses over _____________ dust mites.
3. ____________ (______ ants found in the western U.S.) steal the larvae of other ants to keep as slaves. The slave ants build homes for and feed the _________ ants, who cannot do anything but fight. They depend completely on their slaves for survival.
4. These don't sleep.
5. Australian termites have been known to build mounds ____ feet high and at least ___ feet wide.
6. Only female mosquitoes bite. Females need the ______ from blood to produce their eggs.
7. The _________ kills more people world-wide than all the poisonous snakes combined.
8. There are more insects in ____ square mile of rural land than there are human beings on the entire earth.
9. You're more likely to be a target for mosquitoes if you consume ________.
10. Worker ants may live ________ years and the queen may live as long as _______ years.

Not sure these are totally accurate, but I found them interesting and thought ya'll might like to try them.
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So stand in the rain Stand your ground Stand up when it's all crashing down You stand through the pain You won't drown And one day, whats lost can be found You stand in the rain ~Superchic[k]~-~Stand in the Rain~

[vlad]

BUGS!!!

I just love bugs & snakes & stuff! (Should have been a guy! Just kidding. ). Three months ago I met another girl who is bug-crazy - and that made me very happy! We were introduced because her brother doesn't like bugs & I kept trying to buy this gorgeous mounted bug from him (which creeps him out - but he keeps it because he loves his sister who gave it to him... and refuses to part with it ). He doesn't know it yet - but he's sellin' that thing to me. hehe

Thanks Kels

So I'll take a crack at one of them. Good trivia - and will take a collective effort from us Nerds.

9. You're more likely to be a target for mosquitoes if you consume BANANAS!
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"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford

[tigerfreak99]

YEP! That explains why they always seem to be attacking me... I love my bananas.

PS. Just had my mom read those Ever Wonder statements and now thinks I'm even weirder than ever (again used the comment I had to get it from somewhere ) but I could swear I hear a chuckle or two.
_________________
So stand in the rain Stand your ground Stand up when it's all crashing down You stand through the pain You won't drown And one day, whats lost can be found You stand in the rain ~Superchic[k]~-~Stand in the Rain~

[vlad]

OH NO! Not the honey bee!?

7. The honey bee kills more people world-wide than all the poisonous snakes combined.

Maybe these little guys are the MAIN culprits?

Attack of the "Killer Bees"
Posted on Desert USA website:
http://www.desertusa.com/mag98/sep/stories/kbees.html

"It is not necessary to disturb the hive itself to initiate an AHB attack. In fact, Africanized bees have been know to respond viciously to mundane occurrences, including noises or even vibrations from vehicles, equipment and pedestrians.

Though their venom is no more potent than native honey bees, Africanized bees attack in far greater numbers and pursue perceived enemies for greater distances. Once disturbed, colonies may remain agitated for 24 hours, attacking people and animals within a range of a quarter mile from the hive."
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"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford

[tigerfreak99]

Oh, yes. The honeybee. Surprising isn't it... I never would've thought it...
_________________
So stand in the rain Stand your ground Stand up when it's all crashing down You stand through the pain You won't drown And one day, whats lost can be found You stand in the rain ~Superchic[k]~-~Stand in the Rain~

[cheetahlover13]

wow no way! i dident know that. i learn more things here then i do at school lol!!

this summer i got stung by a bee for the first time Ever! i am really glad i wasent elergic. he he. but i must say it does hurt!

ok heres the story! my uncle and my new aunt moved into my town. they live just a few streets over. and they have this dog named hershey and i love her to death. they have this bush in the middle of thier hills and hershey has a runner on the tree a little ways from it. well she saw somthing go down the street and went to chase it and the bush was in the way. she rapped herself around it, the bush which was filled with angry bees has a hershey attached to it. Poor hershey was getting stung and she started to whimper and whin so i came outside and saw her there. i ran over to her and un hooked her. she ran inside the house whimpering and i had to run away from the bees. they stung me on the leg OUCH! i only was stung twice becuase i ran away pretty fast.

they are cutting down the bush this summer.

Poor hershey gets stung alot. she was in the yard and she steped on a hornet! she limped for a day!!!LOL
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Cheetah

[heaven198604]

awww poor hershey thats sad.. mean bees ... and i didnt know all that about honey bees i though african bees were killers not are sweet honey bees, maybe we should change there name. honeybees is a understatment, for them .
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Why Wait for tomorrow for what you can do today!

[vlad]

Heaven - Only the female honey bee can sting and she gives up her life when she does that. But the males don't sting. I don't know how to tell them apart - so I'm "hands-off" with them. A woman I used to work with years ago absolutely adored honey bees. She used to pet them. I don't recommend that - but she is the first person I knew who was so smitten with them. They are important insects & help with pollination.

Here are some links with close-ups of one of your beloved honey bees!
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/StratfordLandingES/Ecology/mpages/honey_bee.htm
http://www.gpnc.org/honeybee.htm

Kels

1. A cockroach can live for up to a week without a head.

http://www.uen.org/utahlink/activities/view_activity.cgi?activity_id=2025

Cockroach Facts: http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/noflash/roaches/pg000097.html
_________________
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford

[tigerfreak99]

Yes Val! You're getting your nerd on aren't you!
_________________
So stand in the rain Stand your ground Stand up when it's all crashing down You stand through the pain You won't drown And one day, whats lost can be found You stand in the rain ~Superchic[k]~-~Stand in the Rain~

[vlad]

2. A typical bed usually houses over six billion dust mites.
Ewwwwwww! Thanks for sharing that Kels. I think I'll sleep in the chair tonight!

3. Amazon ants (red ants found in the western U.S.) steal the larvae of other ants to keep as slaves. The slave ants build homes for and feed the Amazon ants, who cannot do anything but fight. They depend completely on their slaves for survival.

Some Amazon ants have some other interesting habits and are responsible for what is referred to as "Devil's Gardens."
http://tinylinks.net/1571

4. These don't sleep.
Fired up Nerds? Ants don't sleep either. What a life! I'd love to be able to just keep going & not have to waste time sleeping... But I'd have to be an ant to do that - so I'll just leave things as they are.

hehe Kels - do I get a cookie?
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"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford

[heaven198604]

thanks vlad... for the great facts on honey bees .. i know that they give their life when they sting cause i got stung on the side of my eye when i was younger and all her guts came out YUCKKKK !!!!!!! Ya needless to say it hurt .. and i would never ever pet a bee.. that seems kinda crazy... lol.. ewww roches .. not my kind of bug give me creeps.
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Why Wait for tomorrow for what you can do today!

[tigerfreak99]

Way to go Val!

Here's your choice of cookies for you!

http://z.about.com/d/southernfood/1/0/N/D/cookies021.jpg
_________________
So stand in the rain Stand your ground Stand up when it's all crashing down You stand through the pain You won't drown And one day, whats lost can be found You stand in the rain ~Superchic[k]~-~Stand in the Rain~

[vlad]

Thank you Kels . Since they are Christmas cookies - I'm putting them in the freezer for next year!

5. Australian termites have been known to build mounds 20 feet high and at least 100 feet wide.
...found some termine mound pics!

http://www.labyrinth.net.au/~dewart/pictures.htm
http://tinylinks.net/1611
http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/Photos/Australia2003/crw_3833.html
http://www.aboriginal-art.de/art_eng/2335.htm

And from the CSIRO's Double Helix Club article "TROUBLE WITH TERMITES" by By Roger Beckmann - some Termmite Trivia (statisics from RMIT Openline):
--termites are major pests on several continents (Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas)
--there are roughly 12 000 trillion termites on our planet
--there are about 10 times more termites than all the people in the world
--it is thought that termites are responsible for roughly 40% of the global release of methane (which is a greenhouse gas)
--termites eat nearly 7 billion tons of plant material each year

6. Only female mosquitoes bite. Females need the protein from blood to produce their eggs.

I did not know that mosquitoes are primarily nectar feeders:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquito
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"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford

[tigerfreak99]

Correctomundo! 1 left and you get the link for all I don't know how many there are.
_________________
So stand in the rain Stand your ground Stand up when it's all crashing down You stand through the pain You won't drown And one day, whats lost can be found You stand in the rain ~Superchic[k]~-~Stand in the Rain~

[vlad]

8. There are more insects in one square mile of rural land than there are human beings on the entire earth.
Insects really DO rule!!!!

10. Worker ants may live seven years and the queen may live as long as fifteen years.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/insects/ant/Antcoloringpage.shtml

Hey! I found a really interesting ant fact! Because some ants, such as the black ant and the wood ant squirt formic acid - birds will place them in their feathers to rid themselves of pests!
http://www.lingolex.com/ants.htm

hehe Kels I want gingersnaps!
_________________
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford