You Gonna Touch That?

by Dr. Jerome Goddard

Have you ever seen a spider and gotten the creeps? Or ever wondered what good mosquitoes and ticks are? You're not alone; lots of people think such things.

Insects and related organisms, often all loosely called bugs, are everywhere. They greatly outnumber all other land animals. In fact, more species of insects exist than any other animal group.

Insects and their kin, such as spiders, mites, ticks, and scorpions, are all placed together in one larger grouping called "arthropods." People see arthropods all the time-sometimes inside houses, or in the office downtown, but especially in the yard and garden. Some of us freak out and try to chase them down and kill them. But most bugs are harmless. They are an important part of the food chain, providing food for birds and other animals.

In addition, bees are needed for pollinating flowering plants. Some bugs have disgusting habits-like eating poop, or squirting stinky juices, or dringing blood. And there are even some harmful bugs, that is, ones that can sting, bite, or even transmit disease germs.

Perhaps as much or more that anybody, kids encounter bugs-almost constantly. Therefore, it's a good idea to know something about them-which ones are harmful, which ones are weird, and which ones are just plain disgusting.

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