Scientific facts about insects
This article is presented to the readers of our company pages in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain on various social media sites. Of course, we present in it a very small number of well-known scientific facts in the world of insects, which constitute a number of the basics in the many insect sciences that are taught in the insect departments of the faculties of science, agriculture, and others around the world.
1) Historically, insects are among the oldest creatures on planet Earth, if not the oldest at all. Scientists specializing in chemistry, especially with regard to radioactive elements such as uranium and others, have proven this by means of what is called the half-life or half-life, as it is sometimes called, to estimate the ages of rocks. These rocks contain what is called an “imprint” or the remains of insects engraved in the rock. Scientific estimates have indicated that insects appeared on planet Earth about 479 or 480 million years ago.
2) The number of insects currently living on planet Earth, i.e. living insects as individuals of different species and genera, is estimated at about ten quintillion insects, i.e. ten followed by 18 zeros, and thus they are the most abundant creatures on planet Earth. The largest known insect weighs 71 grams, which is the giant weta insect; while the smallest insect is a type of parasitic wasp, which is 127.
3) The small size of insects raises important questions such as: Do very small insects such as aphids and thrips have brains?! Newsweek magazine reported that large and small insects have brains and that brains contain hidden depths related to intelligence. Professor Lars Tishtka, Professor of Sensory and Behavioral Ecology at Queen Mary University of London, says that insects have beautifully crafted brains, but they differ from mammalian brains. One of the most famous differences is that they are small in size but very complex, as these brains contain highly branched and complex networks.
4) Insects can learn things, such as that insects that have houses, such as ants and bees, can travel miles from their homes and find their way back to them. This discovery was made about 100 years ago.
5) Insects are divided into two main major types: winged and wingless. Winged means that the insect has wings, while wingless means that it does not have wings.
6) The insect's body usually consists of three parts: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen. The head contains the mouth, eyes, and a pair of antennae that help the insect move. The thorax is also divided into three parts and contains a third of a pair of legs. The abdomen is divided into several parts and contains the digestive system, the reproductive system, the excretory system, and others.
7) Insects feed on a variety of foods, the most important of which are plants, flower nectar, grass, and seeds. While there are insects such as cockroaches and ants that feed on food and drink remains found in homes and garbage places such as bread crumbs, cakes, and milk, there are those that feed on wood such as termites, and those that feed on human and animal blood such as termites.
8) There are many types of movement in insects, some of which fly, such as moths, mosquitoes, and flies, some of which run, such as cockroaches, and some of which crawl, such as larvae.
9) In terms of benefit and harm, there are beneficial insects and harmful insects. Among the beneficial insects are the ant, which eats garbage and cleans the places where those remains were, and the bee, which produces honey and also produces wax, which is used in many things in the world of industry. As for the harmful insects, they are those that cause direct harm to humans and animals, such as mosquito bites.
10- As for our valued customers, insects are of great importance, as some of them are used to treat angina, just as spiders are used. Ant saliva contains substances that help stimulate blood circulation, and fruit flies contain substances that help delay aging. Since the days of the ancient Egyptians, Egyptians have used the wasp to sting a tumor in humans, remove congestion, and reduce its severity.
11) Research has proven that effective materials can be extracted in the field of medicine, such as a substance called “Vixin,” which is extracted from the outer membranes of the insect’s wings. This substance is used in the composition of some medicines, such as skin diseases. From the stomach of the insect, a substance called “micro-arima” is extracted, which protects the insect from microbes, while it is also used in the manufacture of antibiotics. Scientists have discovered a sticky substance in the abdomen of the beetle that has a great ability to destroy pancreatic cancer cells by 70%.
12) Scientists specializing in the manufacture of medicines have extracted from ants, especially from the saliva called ayotic saliva that ants secrete. This saliva breaks down fats by 90% and is also useful in stimulating blood circulation, increasing red blood cells, and spreading nerve cells in the lower brain.
13) Treatment using insects seems unusual, but it is based on the idea of extracting materials from various parts of the insect to treat many diseases that afflict humans, especially chronic diseases and diseases that are incurable.
14) Crime detection scientists and forensic and criminal medicine specialists use flies to detect criminals from the remains of the blood of the dead on the tools used in the crime or on the ground that witnessed the crime or the clothes of the killer and the victim. This specific benefit has been known for thousands of years among the Chinese and was discovered in the axes of the killers used in committing crimes.
What we have mentioned of some facts in this article is a drop in the ocean of insects that have lived with humans for thousands of years, animals and plants, and provide benefits and harms. This does not make us forget that our company in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain specializes in combating harmful insects using various methods, techniques and pesticides that follow the latest published in scientific journals and through specialized social media sites to provide its customers in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain with cultural meals and preventive and therapeutic services using five principles: quality, accuracy, speed, follow-up and comprehensiveness.
Our motto: "Experience is the foundation" We have been working in the field of pest control for in Abu Dhabi & Al Ain more than 17 years
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