At Mums NI, we believe that education starts at home. We, as parents, are our children's Primary Educators. Together, we can inspire young minds and make learning fun!
In this Fun Facts Friday, we are looking at the world of insects, in particular, beetles.So get your little ones and settle down for this creepy crawly crew.
What is an insect? What do they look like? Where do they live?
Lets find out . . .
Insects have 3 parts to their bodies: a head, a thorax (middle) and an abdomen (lower part). All insects have a pair of antennae, located on their head, which are used for feeling and smelling. They have 3 pairs of jointed legs and most adult insects have a pair of wings.
Insects can been seen all year through but mostly during the summer months as this is when they are most active. During the winter months, you'll need to look more harder to find them.
As insects are eaten by other animals, they need different ways to protect themselves. Some have brightly coloured armour which warns prediators not to eat them. Others blend in with their surroundings (camouflage) which help them hide.
The 7-spot ladybird is small and rounded with bright red wing cases, which are decorated with 7 black spots. They are bright in colour to warn off prediators. If this ladybird thinks it under attack, it will ooze small blobs of yellow blood from its legs as a warning.
They can grow up to 6 mm and can be found in your garden, local park or woodlands.
This beautiful beetle is called a 22-spot Ladybird. They are yellow in colour and have 11 rounded black spots on each wing case = 22 spots. The ones behind their head are not counted. They eat mildew on plants.
They are really tiny, measuring 3 - 4 mm. During the Autumn time, you will find these ladybirds huddled together in groups between logs and possibly even cracks in a door frame. So keep your eyes opened to see if you can spot them. During the Summer time you can find them in grassland, woodland and your garden.
This handsome beetle is called a Red Solider Beetle. They taste bitter so they are brightly coloured to warn off preditors and let them know they don't nice at all. These beetles are also known as bloodsuckers due to their bright red colouring. But don't worry, they are completely harmless.
They can grow up to 1 cm. During the Summer time, you will most likely see Red Soldier Beetles on Cow Parsley Flowers at the park, in the meadows or even in your own garden.
The Stag Beetle gets it sname from the large jaws which look like a Stag Deer's antlers. They use these to fight other male beetles. The female Stag Beetles are smaller than the male ones and, unfortunately, once they lay their eggs the female bettle will die.
These beetles are big and can grow up to 50 mm. They can be found in woodland.
This beetle is called a Green Tortoise Beetle. They are very difficult to see as they are lime green and blend in with leaves of the white nettle. They get their name because when they are disturbed, they will tuck their anaenne and legs in and pull their wing cases tight around them, just like a tortoise. They are also quite flat.
These beetles can grow up to 8 - 10 mm. If you're lucky, you might just spot these beetles in your garden - you will have to look really hard though.
Can you guess what this beetle is called? That's right, it's a Rhinoceros Beetle! Doesn't it look just like a Rhino? These beetles have a lovely glossy blue-black shell. They can grown to between 1.5 - 1.8 cm. That's big for a beetle.
They live in woodland, parks and hedgerows. The best place to find them is in dead tree trunks.
This beetle is called the Great Diving Beetle. They live in water and have strong jaws which helps them catch and eat large prey such as fish. They are brown and black with yellow coloured legs and trims around the head and thorax.
They can grow up to 4 cm. You will find these beetles in ponds and lakes.
Get your child to draw their favourite beetle and share their picture with us. They might just win a little prize.