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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
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Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Invertebrates
| Why should well-meaning American, Canadian and British parents no longer place a ladybug in the palm of a delighted, expectant toddler? | Pesky Ladybugs! A Semi-serious Quiz (uglybird) |
Both. Unlike the innocuous species of ladybugs indigenous to England and the Americas, the invasive Harmonia axyridis species is likely to bite the hand of an inquisitive child a small bite to be sure, but still a nasty surprise. My own daughter learned this while trying to humanely free some of these nasty creatures from her dormitory room. Some, remembering the unflattering deer quiz I authored because of a beastly deer at a petting zoo threw my three-year-old daughter to the ground may conclude that my excessive devotion to my offspring has once again inflamed my passions. However, consider that the next Harmonia victim may be a child dear to you!
| Which native North American species is a natural predator of the exotic and predatory ladybug, Harmonia axyridis? | Pesky Ladybugs! A Semi-serious Quiz (uglybird) |
None of these. Reminiscent of Australian rabbits, Harmonia axyridis has been introduced into an environment in which it has few natural predators. Tiny wasps and flies parasitize a small percentage of the foreign ladybugs, but the ladybugs' foul taste protects them from birds and ensures that fishermen will not find them to be suitable bait. Dare we import the Australian bird which has been found to feast on the baleful bugs?
| Where is the honeybee thought to have originated? | A Sweet Honeybee Quiz (JuniorTheJaws) |
Asia. The honeybee is thought to have originated in Asia. ( Time Life - Wildlife Fact File).
| What unique behavior do bees use to communicate the location of food to the other bees in its colony? | A Sweet Honeybee Quiz (JuniorTheJaws) |
performs a dance. After spotting an abundant food source, the worker returns to the hive and performs a dance. The movements indicate the direction and distance of the food source. ( Time Life - Wildlife Fact File).
| What kind of bee maintains the colony? | A Sweet Honeybee Quiz (JuniorTheJaws) |
worker bee. The worker bees maintain the colony. For the first two weeks of their lives, they clean the hive and feed the larva. After the tenth day, they begin building the comb cells. ( Time Life - Wildlife Fact File).
| What is the scientific name of the honeybee? | A Sweet Honeybee Quiz (JuniorTheJaws) |
Apis mellifera. Apis Mellifera is the latin word for Honeybee. ( Time Life - Wildlife Fact File).
| What is the hatching time of the eggs? | A Sweet Honeybee Quiz (JuniorTheJaws) |
3 days. The eggs hatch in 3 days. ( Time Life - Wildlife Fact File).
| What is the family name of the honeybee? | A Sweet Honeybee Quiz (JuniorTheJaws) |
Apidae. Apidae is the family name for the honeybee. ( Time Life - Wildlife Fact File).
| What does an unfertilized egg produce? | A Sweet Honeybee Quiz (JuniorTheJaws) |
male drone. Male drones are the result of unfertilized eggs. ( Time Life - Wildlife Fact File).
| What does a fertilized egg develop into? | A Sweet Honeybee Quiz (JuniorTheJaws) |
female worker. A fertilized egg develops into a female worker; an unfertilized egg produces a male drone. ( Time Life - Wildlife Fact File).
| What do the stiff hairs on the middle legs do? | A Sweet Honeybee Quiz (JuniorTheJaws) |
Brush pollen from the front legs. The stiff hairs on the middle legs brush pollen from the front legs. ( Time Life - Wildlife Fact File).
| What crustacean is shaped like a volcano? | Spiders and Other Invertebrates (Morrigan716) |
Barnacle. People often forget they are actually crustaceans.
| Wax secreted from the glands is used to form what? | A Sweet Honeybee Quiz (JuniorTheJaws) |
The combs in the hive. When wax is secreted from the glands, it is used to form the combs in the beehive. ( Time Life - Wildlife Fact File).
| Very young larva feed on what type of food? | A Sweet Honeybee Quiz (JuniorTheJaws) |
Nutritious royal jelly. Young larva are fed on nutritious royal jelly that is produced by the workers. ( Time Life - Wildlife Fact File).
| The exotic species of ladybug imported into the US to control agricultural pests has proven to be a voracious predator but not just of aphids. For the larvae of which other species is Harmonia axyridis a pitiless predator in both North America and England? | Pesky Ladybugs! A Semi-serious Quiz (uglybird) |
All of these (Moths, Butterflies, Other ladybug species). In 2004, when Harmonia axyridis was first sited in Britain, an alarmed BBC ran a story under the headline 'Deadly ladybird' sighted in UK. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/essex/3715120.stm) A horrified British geneticist (Dr Majerus of the Cambridge genetics department) was quoted as saying, This is without doubt the ladybird I have least wanted to see here. In this chilling news account, the British public was solemnly warned about the voracity of this loathsome predator.
| Once ladybugs (or ladybird beetles) were the delightful, safe and friendly insects of childhood. Even the source of the name given to these lovely creatures testified to their perceived beneficence. To which lady did the name ladybug originally refer? | Pesky Ladybugs! A Semi-serious Quiz (uglybird) |
Our Blessed Lady (the Virgin Mary). The Europeans of the Middle Ages were well aware of the beneficent roll of ladybugs as pest controllers. Hence, according to Barb Ogg, an educator from the University of Nebraska (http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/AsiaLadyBeetle.shtml), ladybugs were originally named Bug of Our Lady" after the Blessed Virgin. Is it possible that future generations will be more inclined to associate these insects with a Shakespeare villain?
| Ladybug, ladybug
Fly away home
Your house is on fire
Your children do roam
Does this ancient English verse indicate that ladybugs were an invasive pest even in Merry Old England? | Pesky Ladybugs! A Semi-serious Quiz (uglybird) |
No. The nursery rhyme actually makes reference to the practice of burning the fields after which the beloved insect could fly away home. Ironically, the aphid eating ladybug pupae were consumed in the flames.
| Is an earthworm an invertebrate? | Spiders and Other Invertebrates (Morrigan716) |
yes . Source: Reader's Digest's North American Wildlife.
| Is a sponge a plant or an animal? | Spiders and Other Invertebrates (Morrigan716) |
animal. Sponges feed by taking in water and filtering out small organisms and debris.
| In a misguided attempt to control aphids, from 1979 to the 1990s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released the problematic Harmonia axyridis ladybird species on multiple occasions in which American state(s)? | Pesky Ladybugs! A Semi-serious Quiz (uglybird) |
All of these (California, Pennsylvania, Georgia). One can only charitably assume that those responsible for the multiple importations of these pests were ignorant of the multiple unwanted features of these loathsome insects. Still, some feel that the current populations of these bothersome bugs entered the United State through a Southern Louisiana port after attempts to establish Harmonia axyridis for pest control purposes failed.
| How many wings does a honeybee have? | A Sweet Honeybee Quiz (JuniorTheJaws) |
4. The honeybee has four wings. They are attached in pairs. ( Time Life - Wildlife Fact File).
| How many eggs does the queen lay a day? | A Sweet Honeybee Quiz (JuniorTheJaws) |
up to 1,500. The queen lays up to 1,500 eggs a day. ( Time Life - Wildlife Fact File).
| According to uknature.co.uk, the hideous harlequin ladybird beetle Harmonia axyridis did not reach British soil until 2004. Is there reason to believe this invasive, exotic ladybug made its way to Britain on its own? | Pesky Ladybugs! A Semi-serious Quiz (uglybird) |
Yes. From Asia, the pesky insect made its way through the European continent, apparently crossing the Channel in the summer of 2004. It is now well-established and crowding out native ladybird species. A previously quoted BBC account seemed to imply an American origin of the pest. This demonstrates that Harmonia axyridis is far from harmonious. Its coming to England is already threatening to have an unwholesome effect on British/American relations. Still, dwelling on the probable French origin of the first British Harmonia could be equally damaging to international goodwill.
 Frequently Asked Questions about Invertebrates
- What sea animal is considered the link between vertebrates and invertebrates? ( goto )
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