So Many Bugs!

 I love bugs. So if there’s a bug book coming out, there’s a good chance I’ll try to read it. Today I’ve got three to share with you. the themes this week are: insects, nature, STEM

Funny Bugs: Nature's Most Hilarious Adaptations

by Paul Mason; illus. by Tony De Saulles 

32 pages; ages 6-10

Kane Miller Books,  2023 

What is a bug? In this book, bugs are insects and arachnids. There are zillions* of them out there. Bugs make up over half the species on our planet. 

(*zillions = a lot. REALLY a lot)

Each spread presents some aspect of bugginess, from how they make noises to bugs in disguise. There are bugs that make faces and confusing caterpillars, dancing bugs, and needle-nosed bugs. At the end, kids will have met more than 35 interesting – and sometimes funny – bugs.  

What I like about this book: The comic artwork and dialog make this book fun to read. Plus there are “how to’s” such as how an assassin bug makes lunch. Back matter includes a bug quiz, a glossary (every bit as fun to read as the rest of the book) and a handy index so you can easily find your favorite insects.

Cicada Symphony 

by Sue Fliess; illus. by Gareth Lucas 

32 pages; ages 5-8

Albert Whitman & Company, 2023

There’s a secret you should know:

bugs are lurking down below.

In the earth, nymphs lay in wait

for their turn to … activate!

Written in rhyme, this book introduces children to the life cycle of cicadas – from nymph to adult – and explores how they make their (very loud!) noise.

What I like about this book: The rhyming text is fun to read and will engage a young child’s interest. Secondary text, in conjunction with illustrations, explains more about the life stages of the cicada. For example: how they split the back of their exoskeleton to emerge as an adult, and why they have those bulging, red eyes. If you want to know more about Sue Fliess and her cicadas, check out this year’s arthropod roundtable over at the GROG.

The Secret Life of Bugs 

by Emmanuelle Figueras; illus. by Alexander Vidal 

28 pages; ages 3-5

‎Twirl (imprint of Bayard /group), 2023 

Bzzz … It’s a beautiful spring morning, and worker honeybees are busy collecting nectar and pollen for their hive.

Along with honeybees, readers will discover the secret lives of swallowtail butterflies, a spider, ants, damselflies, and stick insects. A short and quick introduction to familiar insects that most children will see around their homes or neighborhoods. Laser-cut illustrations, on thick paper, emphasize and add texture to the secret parts of bug lives. While they are beautifully done, I notice the thin stencil-like designs begin to fold and tear after a few readings.

Beyond the Books:

Make your own antennae with a paper bag bug headband – just add pipe cleaners and you’re a bug! Directions here. 

Bugs need a place to live. So build a bug hotel and put it where the bugs will find it. Here’s how.

How many ways can you use a fly swatter? Swatting flies, for sure. But what about painting? Here’s how

Crawl like a caterpillar, flap like a butterfly, and buzz like a bee. How many buggy ways can you think of to move or make noise? Write down as many as you can think of, then go do them!

We’ll join Perfect Picture Book Friday once they resume. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.

Explore Outdoors ~ Nomad Bees

Earlier this month I was watching the bees in my garden and saw this one collecting nectar from chive flowers. At first glance it looks like a wasp: thin waist, not very hairy, brightly colored, not collecting pollen. But it’s not a wasp; it’s a nomad bee (Nomada). Any other Wednesday I’d be sending you off on a 5-minute field trip, but I wanted to know how to tell the difference between nomad bees and wasps. 

So I asked entomologist and writer, Roberta Gibson. She wrote the very fun book, How to Build an Insect 

Me: So how do we tell the difference between nomad bees and wasps?

Roberta: There are a few clues, including their unique behavior. They are called nomad bees because they roam around close to the ground, searching for mining bee nests. Also, nomad bees have relatively small mandibles since they only use them to drink nectar and to hold onto flowers while sleeping. Many wasps have much larger mandibles that they use for catching caterpillars or spiders. Finally, if you have access to a powerful microscope, all bees have at least a few hairs with many side branches (also called plumose). Wasps have simple, straight hairs. 

Me: Nomad bees are pretty to look at, but I hear they are sneaky thieves in the bee world.

Roberta: Yes, they steal from mining bees (Andrena sp.). Mining bees dig tunnels in the soil, then visit flowers to gather pollen and nectar. When they return to the nest, the mining bee mixes pollen and nectar together to form a ball of food (bee bread) and lays her egg on top. Her larva will eat that food, grow, pupate and eventually emerge as an adult mining bee. 

Those sneaky nomad bees find the nests of mining bees and lay their own egg on the mining bee’s bee bread. The nomad larva hatches first and kills the mining bee egg. Then it eats the mining bee’s food. 

This behavior – stealing food that another organism has caught or stored – is called cleptoparasitism (also spelled kleptoparasitism). Because the nomad bee lays its egg in the nest of another bee, people sometimes call them cuckoo bees, similar to the cuckoo birds lay their eggs in the nests of other kinds of birds.

Me: Should I be concerned about seeing nomad bees – or other cuckoo bees – in my yard?

Roberta: Probably not. Some types of mining bees are good at hiding their nests, closing up their nests, and keeping vigilant against nomad bees. Cleptoparasites only do well if their hosts (mining bees) are doing well. There are far fewer nomad bees than mining bees. If you want to help bees, the best thing to do is to plant a diverse selection of wildflowers so all bees have a good supply of pollen and nectar throughout the growing season. 

Thank you, Roberta! And I agree, planting more flowers is something we can all do. Check out Roberta's blog, Growing With Science. She has observed different kinds of cuckoo bees visiting her flowers, and posted about them here and here.

More Activities for Pollinator Week

 One way to learn about pollinators and have some fun is to play BINGO. You can download a simple 3 x 3 BINGO card from Keller's Farmstand or, for older kids and adults, check out the 5 x 5 Pollinator BINGO card from Tufts University. Or go wild and create your own BINGO cards featuring pollinators from your area.

If BINGO's not your thing, create a scavenger hunt where people can check off what pollinators they find on an afternoon walk through a park or botanical garden. Or create a butterfly list and visit a butterfly house. 

Looking for more ideas? Click on the Pollinators tab above for links to activities and books - or click here to reach that page (if you're reading on mobile)

 

Whatever you do this weekend to celebrate pollinators, Have Fun!