HOW INSECTS ARE SUCCESSFUL

Reproduction

One feature that makes insects so successful is their ability to reproduce at such large scales. One example of this are termites, these mites reproduce and progressively larger amounts starting with around 12 eggs a day, then laying after the first year or so around 100 eggs per day, and finally a fully mature colony and queen can produce around 1000 eggs every day. This shows why insect reproduction is so important to their success.

Exoskeleton
There are many reasons why insects exoskeletons are main reason they are so successful. In addition to providing armored protection, the beetle's exoskeleton offers functions like sensory feedback and hydration control. This is why exoskeletons are essential to insect success.

Flying

The success of insects during development of flight was due to their small size. Flights for food sometimes encompass distances of hundreds of miles, an example being African grasshoppers. These insects fly together in large groups, sometimes as many as 100 million individuals. Monarch Butterflies are the best known example of flight for the purpose of migration. In the fall, Monarchs gather in great numbers and migrate across the United States to overwintering localities in Mexico. This is how some insects adaptation of flight is essential to their success in survival.

Sight/speed
Insects sight has many affects on their success. Within the color spectrum, the colors that insects see really well are ultraviolet, green, and blue. This helps some insects see pollen/nectar inside flowers, for food that they need. Insect speed is also crucial to insects success. Moths, in contrast to mosquitoes, synchronize their flight muscles with every wing stroke. But, in an evolutionary twist, moths’ ancestors possessed asynchronous flight capability but lost it over time. On the other hand some insects have asynchronous flight capability. The principle of asynchronous beating means that there’s a detachment between the neural commands and muscle contractions. Interestingly, this is observed in only four distinct insect groups.

MADAGASCAR HISSING COCKROACHES

• Exoskeleton, Madagascar hissing cockroach’s exoskeleton is water repellent.
• Antenna, Madagascar cockroach’s antenna are a key adaptation that allows them to sense things around them and when it gets dirty, they clean it off
• They also have six legs that sticks very well by what seems to be sticking to whatever they touch

INTERESTING FACTS

• Meal worms/darkling beetles eat styrofoam and drink from potatoes
• The madagascar hissing cockroach can swim sometimes well, and some don’t swim too well.
• Mosquitoes can flap their wings up to about 800 flaps per second
• One of the final interesting things I learned is that all mosquitoes and butterflies mouths have tube like thing called proboscis