Kids Ask Dr. Bug about the curious things found in the garden

What can I do to help the bees?

Three things: plant flowers, leave some bare soil, and don’t use pesticides. Bees need flowers for their nectar, pollen, and their stems. The nectar is like an energy drink – it has sugar and gives the bees energy. The pollen is more like a protein bar – supplying protein and nutrients. If the flowers have pithy or hollow stems, they can offer a place for many kinds of bees who lay their eggs in the stems. It’s a good idea to leave the stems in place through the winter and early spring so the baby bees can finish developing.

For the bees who prefer to make their nests in the ground, leave some bare soil – not covered by rock or bark mulch. When the leaves fall in autumn, let the leaves cover the ground to protect overwintering bees.

Be very careful with pesticides – they kill insects, including bees. Most insects are good! If you do have pest insects in the garden, there are a lot of things you can do to manage the pests while letting the good insects live. Some examples include hand-picking pests and dropping them in a container with soapy water, using plants that are resistant to diseases and pests, and following the label instructions if you need to apply a pesticide starting with the least toxic method that gives effective results. These are part of Integrated Pest Management, also known as IPM.

Some great plants with beefriendly flowers are serviceberry trees, crabapple trees, cone flowers, asters, sunflowers, bee balm, Joe Pye weed, basil, lavender, chives, borage, and zinnia.

How can the idea of IPM be shared with more people?

You can help! First, people need to know what IPM is and why it is important. Integrated Pest Man- agement (IPM) uses science and a variety of techniques to manage pest insects and create a healthier environment for all living organisms (except the pests). IPM strategies include monitoring; identifying the suspected pest (often it is beneficial!); evaluating if the insect is causing damage, and if it is causing damage, if you need to act; preventing problems before they occur, such as by using resis- scan the QR code to see and share the poster.

What is the normal number of eggs for insects to lay?

Each insect species has its own typical number of eggs that females will lay in their lifetime, but there is not a “normal” number of eggs for insects overall. The Australian ghost moth has been reported to lay 29,100 eggs. On the other extreme, prefer to keep their tails, lizards have evolved to be able to break their main body away from their tails if needed. The tail is helpful for balance and impressing a mate, the rest of the lizard (head, organs in the body, and legs) is necessary to survive. When the tail detaches, it wiggles for a while which is confusing for the predator and can even provide enough of a meal so that the predator doesn’t need to keep searching for the rest of the lizard. So, while it is stressful and painful to lose its tail, at least it survived. Many lizards can regrow their tail, although it may not be a big and impressive as the original tail. NOTE: even though detaching their tail is a neat trick, please do not purposely cause lizards to do this. tant plants, rotating crops, and using good sanitation practices; taking action when needed using the least toxic method that gives you effective results; and finally, keep inspecting for potential problems.

Why are there so many fungi and bacteria species that we don’t know about?

Advantages of using IPM strategies include healthier plants, lower costs, reduced threats to the environment and people, and you’ll get to see more beneficial insects in the garden!

To help get the word out about what IPM is and what it is about, the Entomological Society of America created a poster that gives steps and examples about how to use this method. This poster is also easy to share with others. Click here (https://bit.ly/ESA-IPM) or some large dung beetles only lay 2-5 eggs. For the species that lay many eggs, many do not typically survive to adulthood. The insect species that lay fewer eggs invest a lot into each egg and where it is laid so that each egg has a better chance of survival. Some insects don’t lay eggs at all! Rather, some insects are born alive like you were born! Unlike the years it took for you to learn how to walk and feed yourself, these insects take care of themselves right away. An example of insects born alive is aphids. Interestingly, female aphids can even be pregnant when they are born!

Why do lizards lose their tails?

While I’m sure lizards would

Many fungi and bacteria species are very small, and many related species look very much alike. This can make them hard to tell apart. In fact, we don’t have a very good definition of what the word “species” is for some groups of fungi and bacteria because they do not fit the same species definition of other organisms. More research is needed to learn about all the different species on this amazing planet we call home. We will also need more scientists and new ways of looking at life, behavior, and habitats to make these discoveries. Maybe you’ll be one of these scientists!

Do you have questions for Dr. Bug? Send them to ReallT@Missouri.edu or https://bit.ly/KidsAskDrBug Please include your name and age. To help me learn what you learn from this column, consider filling out this survey: https://bit.ly/KidsAskDrBugSurvey