As a kid I loved bugs, I thought they were pretty interesting. In Utah, there were a lot of potato bugs a.k.a Roly Poly, I used to love to pick them up, watch them curl up in a ball and wait for them to open back up again. We saw things like praying mantis’ stuck to our homes with cocoons, potato bugs, garden snakes, etc.. My daughter, on the other hand, is utterly disgusted by every creepy-crawly, even ladybugs! She likes to see spider webs from afar, but when she gets closer to them she starts to worry. Even though she doesn’t like them she still wants to know about them. They are interesting even if they are bizarre-looking. The whole reason for this post is for you to feel safe with the creepy crawlies your kid is playing with or just trying to learn more about them, so let’s get to it:
Harmless Bugs That Kids Can Touch
- Ladybugs
- Boxelder Bugs
- Fireflies/Lightning Bugs
- Mantis
- Roly-Poly aka Pill Bug aka potato bug
- Katydids
- Caterpillars
- Daddy long legs
Fun Facts to Share With Your Kiddos
Ladybugs
are actually just beetles, but because of their vibrant color and polka dots farmers began to refer to them as ‘Lady Beetles’. If a ladybug leaves wetness, they think you are a predator and have released an odorous deterrent to keep you away! Their spots are also meant to ward off predators, they aren’t really a determination for age. They eat aphids and other mites that destroy plants and crops.
Boxelder Bugs
Boxelder Bugs are a swarming bug that live on boxelder trees, bushes, maples, and scrub oak trees. Boxelder bugs love sunlight and can be found swarming homes on the south side of the home. In larger infestations, they can cover an entire house during the day. Boxelder bugs don’t bite and are harmless.
Fireflies/Lightning Bugs
Fireflies are a member of the beetle family they get their light through a chemical reaction that happens within their abdomen. When the firefly bug inhales it causes a reaction with a chemical they have called luciferin causing a cold light to appear through their abdomen. Fireflies are fun to catch and keep for a little while in a jar. I do recommend releasing them after you have your fun catching them. It is a beautiful sight to encounter on a warm summer night.
Praying Mantis
are often kept as pets and they hide by using camouflage! They can bite, but humans are not targets. They eat other praying mantis’, and insects. Praying mantis can live up to a year in captivity. Do your research on habitat if you’d like to keep one of these guys/ gals for a while. Roly-Poly/ Pill Bug They have 10 legs! They eat dead plants and live ones too. If you decide to keep this little creature, you can feed it raw potato, veggies or fruit. Caterpillar I used to let caterpillars crawl on my arm and hands growing up and that is okay, but they can also be harmful with the little bristles that contain toxins to keep them safe, can cause rashes on humans and be uncomfortable to touch.
Katydids
look exactly like a leaf and they are nocturnal and there are over 2,000 different kinds in the world!
Daddy Long Legs
are really fun to look at and unlike the story, we were told when we were kids, this spider doesn’t have toxic venom and has too small a mouth to bite. It is just a regular little spider with venom strong enough for prey only. These bugs are safe to touch and play with you can build a habitat with a cardboard box, and some organic materials where the bug was found to keep it alive and hopefully release before you have to have the ‘what happens when things die talk’ with the kids.
Bugs Your Kid Shouldn’t Touch
There are some bugs out there that look like fun but they aren’t
- Black Widow As adults, we know that this spider is a killer, his venom is 15x stronger than a rattlesnake, be sure to let your kids know that this is not a spider to be messed with.
- Bees are amazing to our ecosystem but to people, not so much. Bees sting and are territorial. Beware of a sting, especially if you may be prone to an allergic reaction.
- Red Fire Ant these guys are the worst! They will bite your toes and leave pimple-like bumps on your skin that itch and fill with puss.
- Centipede means 100 legs! They don’t actually have 100 legs but, they have enough to squirm pretty fast away from predators. Although you could handle a centipede I would advise against it because they bite, though not life-threatening it can be cause for a couple of days with pain.
Summary
Bugs can be fun as long as you make sure that you know what you are doing. I hope you werte able top learn some cool stuff in this post and that you will enjoy all the cool bugs in your area that there are to play with.
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