My high school friend and her 4 year old daughter follows me on facebook and sees our many Insect Posts. She and her mom had a chat and here are some of the questions that resulted.
"E has a load of questions for you about the bug collection. We've narrowed it down to the most important: do you collect your bugs alive or dead? Why do you put them in a box? How do catch them if they are alive? Did you ever get stung or bit when looking at the bugs?"
A Four Year Olds Questions on Bugs - Entomology and Why We Collect Insects - one of my favorite posts
I L.O.V.E. Kids questions! They are so genuine and absolutely curious about every aspect of things "new to them." I took a lot of time to answer her questions and add a little more detail where I could. These were good questions for a kid, and adults too.
LIFE IS STILL EXCITING AT OUR HOUSE!
With more insects. . .
AMI Studios Chicago
It's mostly baby girls videos and here slime making, she spends time with friends on coloring activities and make good choices while having fun. During the covid stay at home orders - she had many many many facetime pandemic playdates - we made time work for us and not be bored.
A Four Year Olds Questions on Bugs - Entomology and Why We Collect Insects -
one of my favorite posts
LETS JUMP INTO THE LETTER!!
Dear E----,
Thank you (and mom) for taking the time to ask some Insect Questions, I am happy you are interested!
First allow me to introduce myself, I am Mrs. J---, an Amateur Entomologist. An "Entomologist" is a fancy word for a scientist that studies Insects. And Amateur means I taught myself about this job. Now lets answer your question:
Do you collect bugs dead or alive?
Those little very important creatures I collect are nicknamed "bugs," but they are actually called "Insects." When my kids and I started collecting Insects we only took Dead ones we found on the sidewalk in our neighborhood, or at the park. We found many when we looked down while walking. Then we started noticing insects are EVERYWHERE. And when we would take the time to stop and observe a bush, or the ground, we would find all kinds of Insects that we had never seen. Slowly we began capturing insects that were dead OR injured, because eventually a predator (like a bird or bigger insect) would take them anyway.
This year I started collecting LIVE insects... Why collect LIVE insects? or I really like your next question:
Why do you put them in a box?
I have learned so much about the Insect world by collecting them. Keeping the Insects helps me & other entomologists to Identify the type of Insects they are OR see what is the same or different between them when they are right next to each other in a box. Also, Professional entomologists don't have a lot of money to study Insects, so they use citizen scientists like me and YOU to help them in their study.
For example, there is an Emerald Ash Borer beetle that is eating and killing a lot of ash trees. Have you heard of it? Have you ever seen one? In order to save our trees Insect Collectors find the Insect destroying the tree and collect it in a box so we:
1. Know what it looks like
2. Can observe which trees it likes and doesn't like
3. And observe what types of pest controls - like poisons or smells will keep the insect away.
So far we have not found a good solution other than cutting down the trees. BUT if we didn't collect the Insect Emerald Ash Borer in a box how would we know Where it lives? What it does AND doesn't look like? I am attaching a picture, can you tell which insect is the Emerald Ash Borer?
Also collecting Insects (in a box) helps us understand why they are so super important!! Insect study
helped me keep a healthy garden, learn which insects in my home to kill (termites) or keep (house centipedes & spiders) - even though they all look a little scary.
How do you catch them if they are alive?
We have gotten really, really, good at catching Insects. And the Insects are also really good at getting away!!
My daughter (she loves collecting, she is 3 years old) and I get our Insects a few different ways:
- We find them dead, and put them in our "collection jars." We have about 20 plastic jars that used to be from peanut butter or nutella that we use ONLY for collecting so we don't spread germs.
- We trap LIVE insects in jars when they land on the ground. If an insect is injured or Slow this is pretty easy to trap. Grasshoppers, for example, are fast. But we learned to catch them right as they land before they jump again. Dragonflies are super fast, and we have only caught injured or dead ones.
- This year we started using a professional "Bug Net" to sweep prarie areas, our garden plants, or the lawn to get a variety of Insects from one small Habitat.
- Also, this year we set up a "blacklight" sheet at night. This blue-ish colored light attracts noctural night time insects. Then we trap them in a jar.
- There are also some really cool traps you can make and set up to catch underground insects that we have not explored yet.
* Super Important * We ALWAYS wash our hands after Insect Collecting. Insects are an amazing little creature world, but they also can carry bacteria and disease. So always wash your hands after exploring!!
We follow some rules to. One very important rule is we only take a few Insects from a Habitat, so we don't over collect. We want the insects to have babies for next year and to keep surviving in their habitat. Remember collecting a few Insects helps me learn about where they like to live and if they are doing well in their Habitat.
((**Optional MOM ALERT**))
Kids always ask and I think you will too, how do the insects die? Dead or alive all insects go in the freezer, to get rid of any parasites or maggots living on them. Then I take them out and pin them in a box, with a label about where I found them.
((**END Alert**))
Did you ever get stung or bit when looking at the bugs?
I have not been ever stung or bit (phew!). But that's not luck. Well there is a little luck, the rest is because I have learned that most insects Do Not Bite or sting! For example: Cicadas have claws and a needle like tongue, but the do not harm humans ever. Beetles have strong jaws to crush other insects, but they would only pinch us & it wouldn't even hurt. Collecting helped me learn which insects bite or sting. Which bees DONt sting and which ones will sting if swatted or if their nest is disturbed. Also I learned which insects look like bees that really are harmless, like Mimic Hover Flies.
Well E, I hope I answered your questions, and maybe you will have a few more? It was really fun for me to answer them and I hope you enjoyed it too. And since you took time out of your day to learn about Insects, I'd like to send you something as a "thank you for asking" surprise.
If mom says It's okay, please messenger me your address so I can send you something special in the mail!
Have a great day! And please take the time to look at the Insect World that's all around us!!
Best Regards,
Mrs. J---
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| Growing Minds Need REAL Answers! |
I am certain this addresses her 4 year old concerns, and perhaps a few adults too. We are working through how pictures post on this blog and cleaning up some Posts, thanks for your patience.
Make Mistakes, breathe, reflect and Laugh.Out.Loud
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