Bookworms are actual insects that bore holes in books. A major book-feeding insect is a paper louse that feeds on microscopic mould in poorly kept books.
100 Mind-Blowing Insect Facts
Some fungi create zombies and then control their minds. The tropical fungus Ophiocordyceps infects ants’ central nervous systems. Once it has been in an insect’s body for nine days, it has complete control over the host’s movements. According to National Geographic, it forces the ant to climb trees, then convulse and fall into the cool, moist soil below, where fungi thrive. Once there, the fungus waits until exactly solar noon to force the ant to bite a leaf and wait for death.
The insect population of the world is 1 billion times more than the world population. The world has 7 billion people living today. If you take that and multiply it by a billion, that’s a scary thought.
Peanut butter contains insect fragments. According to the DFA, about 100 grams of peanut butter can include 30 or more insect fragments inside it. This includes hairs, scales, shed skin, etc.
Jelly beans are coated with insect juice. Jelly beans and candy corn are usually coated with shellac, a substance made from the secretions of a Thai species called kerria lacca. However, you probably won’t see this ingredient in the list: the industrial term for it is “confectioner’s glaze.” This secret ingredient gives your favourite confectionery that delicious sheen.
The praying mantis is the only insect that can turn its head. Praying mantises are the only known insects able to rotate their heads from side to side.
There are about 91,000 different types of insects in the United States. Think that’s a lot? There are about 1.5 million different insect species in the world!
The largest land animal in Antarctica is an insect: the columbola (which looks like an earwig). Penguins are considered marine animals.
Sloths eat leaves, twigs, berries, fruits and the occasional insect or small animal.
Termite queens live longer than any other insect. Some scientists estimate that they can live as long as 100 years.
The praying mantis is the only insect that can turn its head.
The fastest insect on Earth is the Australian tiger beetle, Cicindela hudsoni. Clocking in at 5.6 mph, this incredible insect runs so fast, it has to slow down to see anything.