4-H Entomology
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I get an insect box and how much does one cost?
Many 4-Hers incorporate a bit of wood working into their entomology project by building their standard display box to contest specifications. In order to do this, follow the instructions in the 4-H Introduction to Entomology - MSU-ES pub 317 or in the information sheet MSU-ES IS653. These publications have been recently revised so that the dimensions of the boxes are now equivalent to the Cornell Insect Drawer (OD - 19 X 16.5 X 3"). Standard display boxes may be purchased from the Entomology Department, Clay Lyle Entomology Building on the MSU campus. Cost of a box for a 4-Her is $30.00.
Other sources of insect boxes are:
- BioQuip Products, www.bioquip.com, 310-667-8800
- Carolina Biological Supply, www.carolina.com, 1-800-334-5551
- Ward’s Natural Science, www.wardsci.com, 1-800-962-2660
Where can I get insect pins and how much do they cost?
4-H insect collectors, and any other serious collector, should use insect pins for holding and displaying their insect specimens. Insect pins may be purchased from the sources listed above. Insect pins can also be obtained from the Entomology Department at MSU. Ask your youth agent to call (662-325-2085) and order the pins for you. The cost of the pins is $6.00 per package of 100 for 4-Hers.
How can I identify my insects?
The study of entomology can get as involved as one really wants to get, but most of the time 4-H collections are confined to identification of insects to ORDER and to common name. The Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America, by Arthur V. Evans, 2007, by the National Wildlife Federation is the standard field guide recommended for 4-H insect identification, but there are many other excellent and useful field guides, including those by Audubon and the Petersen’s field guide series.
The method mostly used by 4-Hers is 'picture comparison.' Any key with a good set of plates which shows the most common families and species of insects works to help get identification of the specimens. Some readily identifiable characteristics can also be used to separate and identify insects. Most professional entomologists will submit specimens to museums for taxonomic verification if they require identification to Genus and species.
What are our state insects?
Many states have selected insects as one of their state symbols. Mississippi's state insect is the Honey Bee. We also have a state butterfly, the Spicebush Swallowtail pictured below:
Other state insects include:
- Alabama - monarch butterfly
- Arkansas - honey bee
- California - California dogface butterfly
- Colorado - Colorado hairstreak butterfly
- Connecticut - European praying mantis
- Delaware - convergent ladybird beetle
- Florida - Zebra Longwing
- Georgia - honey bee (insect); tiger swallowtail (butterfly)
- Illinois - monarch butterfly
- Iowa - ladybug
- Kansas - honey bee
- Kentucky - viceroy butterfly
- Louisiana - honey bee
- Maine - honey bee
- Maryland - Baltimore checkerspot butterfly
- Massachusetts - ladybug
- Mississippi - honey bee (insect); spicebush swallowtail (butterfly)
- Missouri - honey bee
- Nebraska - honey bee
- New Hampshire - ladybug
- New Jersey - honey bee
- New Mexico - tarantula hawk wasp
- New York - nine-spotted ladybird beetle
- North Carolina - honey bee
- Ohio - ladybug (insect); tiger swallowtail (butterfly)
- Oregon - Oregon swallowtail butterfly
- Pennsylvania - firefly
- South Carolina - Carolina mantis
- South Dakota - honey bee
- Tennessee - ladybug and firefly
- Utah - honey bee
- Vermont - monarch butterfly
- Virginia - tiger swallowtail butterfly
- Washington - green darner dragonfly
- Wisconsin - honey bee
- Wyoming - western swallowtail butterfly
What are the requirements for entering my collection in the 4-H Insect Collection Contest?
Collectors must be 4-Hers and they must have a minimum of 50 insects and 10 orders.
Insects should be pinned on insect pins and have date/locality/collector and common name identification labels on each specimen. Refer to Publication 317, 4-H Introduction to Entomology, for instructions on preparing a winning collection. Specimens should be exhibited in a standard display box.
My insect collection is falling apart, all the specimens are twirling around on the pins and little piles of dust keep appearing below the large specimens. What's wrong?
Insect collections should always be protected from scavengers which will infest and destroy the pinned specimens. These tiny scavengers are dermestids (carpet beetles). They can be eliminated from your collection by placing moth balls or crystals in the box to keep it sanitized. Be sure to anchor the 'protectant' well. Damaged specimens often are irreparable and must be replaced.
What are chiggers?
Chiggers are a large group of tiny mites which parasitize all classes of vertebrate animals, except fish. They are ectoparasites as immatures feeding on skin cells. They do not suck blood, but inject an enzyme which digests skin cells allowing the mite to eat.
What are the characteristics of an insect?
Insects are arthropods with the segments of the body fused to form 3 distinct body regions: head thorax and abdomen. The head bears the eyes, one pair of antennae and the mouthparts. The thorax bears 3 pairs of legs and in most cases one or two pairs of wings.
How far can a flea jump?
Fleas have been known to make leaps up to 13 inches, about 200 times the length of their own bodies. This would be equal to a 900 foot jump by a six-foot man. Fleas can jump about 8 inches high.
Why do honey bees dance?
Honey bees perform the waggle dance to communicate the direction and distance of a resource such as water, a patch of flowers, or a source of other needed materials to its fellow workers. The dance gives concise information. The waggle dance is also used by scout bees to give a new swarm of bees the location of their new home.
Are insects good to eat?
Insects are a good source of energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals for many people in the world. Leviticus 11:21-22 indicates that the locust (grasshopper) and its kind were edible food during Biblical times. Americans are generally turned off by the thought of eating insects, but we eat them unknowingly almost every day. Some insects that are commonly eaten in other countries are silkworm pupae in the orient, termites in Africa, and palmworms and giant waterbugs in Southeast Asia.
What is the most destructive insect pest in the world?
Anopheles mosquitoes which transmit malaria are without doubt the most destructive of all insect pests. In 1990 there were 270,000,000 cases of malaria and about 2,000,000 deaths caused by this disease.