JUNE BUGS: The Assassin Bug on Day 178 of 365 Days of Literacy for Kids!

Let’s have a little fun, a little learning and a little YIKES! today with the ASSASSIN BUG:

The Assassin Bug

Aggressive, accurate, ambushing and acutely toxic… the Assassin Bug doesn’t mess around.  It gets an A+ in killing.

The Assassin Bug has a license to kill (other insects, that is).  It uses its beak to stab its insect victims with great speed.  Once the victim is stabbed, the Assassin Bug uses its rostrum to inject a deadly liquid toxin/saliva that dissolves the prey’s tissues.  YIKES! The Assassin Bug then quickly sucks the liquified tissue from the prey.   Double YIKES!

Most species of the Assassin Bug are brown , but some are black or even brightly colored reds and oranges. 

The Assassin Bug has an elongated head, long antennae, a narrow neck, long legs and, of course, its deadly beak.  The beak is short and segmented in 3 parts.  The Assassin Bug also has membranous wings, but the wings do not make the bug a good flier.  An adult Assassin Bug can be 3/4 inch in size.

The Assassin Bug’s killing abilities allows it to go after larger insects than itself.  Farmers are not threatened by the Assassin Bug because it kills garden and crop pests.

Some species of the Assassin Bug are known as kissing bugs.  (I’ll give you the YIKES! before I tell you why.)  Because they are attracted to the soft tissue of human lips and eyelids and may bite while a human victim is sleeping.  Yeah.  YIKES!

Introduce your kids and grandkids to the Assassin Bug.  Tell of its deadly secrets.  Assassin Bugs can give quite a sting if not handled properly, so keep note of that, too.  Explain to your kids that there are more than 6,000 species of the Assassin Bug, and about 100 live and breed in North America.

Join me here each day in June for JUNE BUGS on 365 Days of Literacy for Kids!… a little fun, a little learning and a little YIKES!



 

 

 

 

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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