Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite
	
Did you know that bedbugs don't really bite? Some insects chew; some insects suck. The difference is in their mouthparts.

Insects make up more than half of all living creatures. They are the largest group of animals on earth. Some insects chew; some drill or poke a hole and suck up nectar or blood.

Grasshoppers, ants, and caterpillars are chewing insects. They have pincers on the sides of their powerful jaws that grab food and bring it close. The jaws of carpenter bees and termites are strong enough to chew through wood!

Butterflies have a coiled, straw-like sucking tube, called a proboscis (proboss-kiss). They use this mouthpart to poke a hole in a flower and suck up nectar. Other piercing and sucking insects - like bedbugs, mosquitoes and horseflies - have a more complicated proboscis. This sucking tube has thin, sharp ends that cut into the victim and make blood flow. This blood becomes a tasty meal for hungry flies and mosquitoes.









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