O.K. People, besides the original twelve mentioned at the start of this thread, here is an additional list that you all have mentioned, and a few more. Keep 'em coming. I'm curious how many there are.
1) Crickets- These are "any of various grass-hopper insects of the family "Gryllidae", the males of which produce a characteristic chirping sound (which I think is done by rubbing their wings together)"
2) Earwigs- Apparently this is "any small elongate insect of the order "Dermaptera", with a pair of terminal appendages in the shape of forcepts. (I would call them "claws" like a crab or lobster, but smaller. Apparently this insect was thought to crawl into the human ear.
3) Mites- The name "Hildamite" was mentioned, but I don't know what that is.They belong to the same family as Spiders, which are grouped under "Arachnids". Apparently there are over 30,000 species of mites in the world.
4) Lice- This was not mentioned, but just remembered this one. They are a parasitic insect "Pediculus Humanus" which infest the human hair and skin, and can transmit various diseases in unsanitary conditions. Head lice is what kids seem to get at school and then bring it home with them. They are quite disgusting. There are about 2,700 species of biting lice in the world.
5) Ticks- Any of a variety of bloodsucking Acarids of the families Argasidae and Ixodidae, which attach themselves to the skin of dogs, cattle, and other mammals, and may transmit disease to humans. There are some 73,000 species of Mites and Ticks around the world.
6) Fleas- A small wingless jumping insect of the order "Siphonaptera" feeding on human and other blood. There are some 1,800 species of these around the world.
7) Walking Sticks- These are of the "Stick and Leaf Insects" group classified as "Phasmida". There are about 2,500 species of these in the world.
8) LadyBugs- This is a "Coleopterous insect" of the familty "Coccinelladae" with wing covers usually of a reddish-brown colour with black spots." They are commonly found in gardens, particularly around the potato plants.
9) Termites- A small antlike social insect of the order "Osoptera", which is very destructive to timber. We've all heard horror stories of termites infecting a wooden house, particularly the frame and the beams, and the whole house falls apart. A Queen termite can lay one egg per second for more than 14 years. This gives a total of 400 Million babies from one queen. There are some 2,300 species around the world.
10) Slugs- Small shell-like mollusks of the class "Gastropoda", which are often destructive to plants. Slugs, Snails and Whelf are in this group, for which there are some 35,000 species in the world.
11) Frogs- Any of various small amphibians of the order "Anura", having a tailless, smooth-skinned body with legs developed for jumping (as distinct from toads). Any of those with a smooth skin and leap rather than walk.
12) Toads- Any frog-like amphibian of the family "Butonidae", breeding in water but living chiefly on land, especially those that have a dry, warty skin, and walk rather than leap. Many people believe that toads will give you warts, but that is a superstition. As a group, Frogs, Toads, Neals and Salamanders constitute some 4,200 species around the world.
13) Caterpillars- These essentially form the larvae of the butterfly or the moth. Humans have more than 600 muscles. An average-sized Caterpillar has over 2,000 muscles.
14) Butterflies- Any diurnal insect of the order of "Lepidopters", with knobbed antennae.
15) Moths- Any of the large group of Insects, which together with Butterflies, constitute the order "Lepidoptera", and are distinguished from butterflies (in most instances) by nocturnal activity, hairlike or slender attennae that are not clubbed, thicker bodies, duller colouring, and wings closed or folded when at rest. There are some 136,800 species of moths and butterflies around the world.
Rod P.
