Summer is here and so are the bugs! All 983 of them or at least that’s how many live in the state of New York. But in the whole world, there are roughly 10 quintillion bugs!! Here’s what that number looks like in case you were wondering: 10,000,000,000,000,000,000. And, to put that into perspective there are 200 million bugs for every ONE of us!
Carpenter bees drilling holes in our decks and houses, spider crickets hopping into our houses, butterflies flying from flower to flower, ants forming trails to our crumbs, and flies as big as birds are buzzing around our heads. But, as much of a nuisance bugs can be, humans wouldn’t be able to survive on this planet without their help. They do everything from pollinating our crops to cleaning up waste to generating $57 billion in revenue for the U.S. economy. What bugs do for us and the health of the planet is pretty amazing.
The Nine-Spotted Ladybug
This rare spotted beauty is the official New York State bug and can be found on the endangered species list. If you do get to see one, it is probably on its way to its next meal of tiny plant damaging insects like aphids, mites, and leaf hopper larvae. Did you know that a ladybug can eat up to 60 aphids in a day? Add that to all the other bugs it eats over its 2 year lifetime and that’s almost 5,000 “yummy” bugs. No wonder gardeners love these guys!
Do you want to help this species of ladybug get off the endangered species list? Then head over to The Lost Ladybug Project website to find out how YOU can “Save the Day!”
Ladybugs are definitely a sight to see and their story is pretty cool too! To discover more fun facts about ladybugs check out these books on Hoopla or check out the MyLibby app or any Suffolk County Library while we are closed for construction.
The Carpenter Bee
Ever hear that loud buzzing noise above your head? That’s the sound of a carpenter bee looking for its next home. They can be a huge nuisance to your house and your trees by drilling holes for their nests, but that’s it. They are actually great pollinators for our flowers, veggies, fruit, and other plants. Carpenter bees do a better job at pollinating then the other bees. Their special buzz pollination benefits plants by getting them to produce greater quantities and larger fruit and/or veggies.
To get to know more about bees in general, fly over to Hoopla, the MyLibby app, or another Suffolk County Library for these fun books:
For all those other creepy crawlers and the people that study them (entomologists), the shelves of any Suffolk County Library are crawling with them….books that is! Discover the amazing world of bugs with us today!
