Insect Trivia

• In the United States, there are about 5,000 species of bees.  Only a few kinds of bees make honey.

• Over 20,000 species of insects can be found in Kansas.

• In Kansas, the fall migration of the Monarch butterflies usually peaks in mid-September.

• The honeybee is the official state insect of Kansas.

• Ladybugs, or Ladybird Beetles as they are properly identified, are considered "beneficial insects" because they prey on aphids, mites, scale insects, and other insects that can harm plants or crops.

• Monarch butterflies can fly an average of 30 miles per day and usually migrate at low altitudes, even though they can fly as high as a mile above land.

• Walkingsticks resemble twigs and are plant feeders.

• Honeybees can't see the color red and won't visit blossoms that are red.

• Only female mosquitoes are bloodsuckers.  The males feed on nectar and ripe fruit.

• Bees are the most important insect pollinators.