Bug Olympics

If the world held a Bug Olympics, we would be amazed by astounding athletic feats and new and different world records set by tiny competitors. Of course there would be gold medals for strength and speed and agility, but there would be new categories of competition, too, like the most explosive bug and the best glue stick….
 
Please send me your favorite bug athletes. I’ll add them to the list.
Email me at tonialbert@tricklecreekbooks.com.
 
Best glue stick: Weaver Ant larva
 
Weaver Ants build their nests by rolling up leaves and sticking them together. They get the “glue” they need by picking up a larva and squeezing its abdomen to make it produce a sticky silk thread. The larva isn’t hurt and doesn’t struggle. Maybe it likes being a glue stick.
 
Worst dressed bug: Assassin Bug nymph
 
The Assassin Bug nymph dresses itself in sand grains and dead ants. Its outfit isn’t very attractive, but it provides good camouflage and attracts other ants, which the Assassin Bug nymph is glad to eat.
 
Most explosive bug: Bombardier Beetle
 
When a Bombardier Beetle is threatened, it squirts burning chemicals from the tip of its abdomen in a series of explosions of heat, color, and noise.

Fastest sprinter: Tiger Beetle
 
A Tiger Beetle, the fastest insect on earth, can run two feet per second, which is only 1.5 miles per hour, but if the beetle were as big as a horse, its speed would be 250 miles per hour.
 
Best gymnast: Springtail
 
A Springtail can jump 40 times its own length to escape predators. As it flies through the air, it does one or more back-somersaults.
 
Coolest bug: Wooly Bear Caterpillar
 
A Wooly Bear Caterpillar can survive an Arctic winter with temperatures as low as -90 degrees. The caterpillar produces a natural antifreeze that enables it to slowly become frozen except for the very innermost part of its cells. In the spring, it thaws out and crawls away.
 
Best weight lifter: Rhinoceros Beetle
 
A Rhinoceros Beetle, which is as large as a mouse, may be the strongest animal on earth. It can lift about 850 times its own body weight.
 
World’s smallest insect: Fairyfly
 
Fairyflies are tiny, tiny wasps less than .2 mm long, the size of a period at the end of a sentence.
 
World’s largest insect: Titan Beetle
 
The Titan Beetle can reach more than seven inches in length. It can inflict a painful bite, too.
 
Best sleeping pill: Pill Millipede
 
When a Pill Millipede is attached, it oozes a special chemical that makes its attacker sleepy. The Pill Millipede can put a Wold Spider to sleep for 12 hours. Maybe it should be called a Sleeping-pill Millipede.
 
Best soldiers: Army Ants
 
Tropical Army Ants march in an army of millions, up to 65 feet across. They eat almost anything in their path, including small animals.
 
Best snorkeler: Whirligig Beetle

Whirligigs have compound eyes that are divided into two, with one pair above the water and one pair below. Since they can see both above and below the water surface, they can watch for enemies such as a heron or a fish at the same time.
 
Most numerous: Leafhoppers
 
There are more leafhopper species worldwide than all species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians combined. In a field full of leafhoppers, there may be several million per acre.
 
From Busy with Bugs by Toni Albert. Check it out!

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