Insect behaviors tell us a lot about how an insect adapts to its world, about predator-prey relationships, and about evolution.
Did you ever wonder why so many insects circle around your porch light?
Since some insects eat very specific plants or prey, they must have a way to distinguish one taste from another. How does an insect taste its food?
Insects rely largely on their sense of smell to find mates, locate food, and avoid predators. You may know that most insects use their antennae to smell, but how does the insect decipher what it's smelling?
Most insect behavior is genetically programmed, or innate. A caterpillar with no prior experience or instruction, can spin a silken cocoon. But can an insect change its behavior as a result of its experiences? In other words, can insects learn?
It's not quite as easy for us to tell whether insects sleep the way we do. They don't have eyelids, for one thing, so you'll never see a bug close its eyes for a quick nap. So what's the answer - do insects sleep?
Plant-eating insects may eat a variety of plants, or specialize in eating only one kind. Either way, no plant-eating insect will eat every green thing it finds. There must be some way for insects to know which plant is which, and to find the right food plant for its own species. How do they do it?
