What family contains the true dung beetles called Scarabaeinae?
Answer
Scarabaeidae
78 Insects Trivia Questions with Answers
78 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Insects trivia covers the biology, behavior, classification, and everyday names of some of the planet’s most diverse animals. Questions may ask you to identify Scarabaeinae as the true dung beetles, recognize Locusta migratoria as the migratory locust, or name the hardened forewings of beetles: elytra. Other clues explore fleas, leafcutter ants, aphid honeydew, disease-carrying mosquitoes, and bed bugs.
This category works well for biology classes, nature clubs, family quiz nights, and pub-quiz teams. It rewards careful attention to scientific names as well as common ones. Players may need to connect an insect with its order, a behavior with its ecological purpose, or a medical concern with the species involved. The questions range from familiar household pests to specialized entomology vocabulary.
What insect species has the binomial name Locusta migratoria?
Answer
Migratory locust
What name is given to the hard forewings of beetles?
Answer
Elytra
What insect order is made up of fleas?
Answer
Siphonaptera
What fungus-growing insects cut fresh leaves to feed their underground gardens?
Answer
Leafcutter ants
What sweet liquid is excreted by aphids and collected by ants?
Answer
Honeydew
What insect is the adult form of a caterpillar in the family Papilionidae?
Answer
Swallowtail butterfly
What insect order includes cockroaches and termites?
Answer
Blattodea
What insect order includes grasshoppers, crickets, and locusts?
Answer
Orthoptera
What genus contains the desert locust?
Answer
Schistocerca
What insect order is commonly called the twisted-wing parasites?
Answer
Strepsiptera
What elastic protein helps power the jumps of fleas?
Answer
Resilin
Which butterfly is considered the world's largest by wingspan?
Answer
Queen Alexandra's birdwing
What genus contains periodical cicadas with 13- or 17-year life cycles?
Answer
Magicicada
The Colorado potato beetle is a major pest of what crop?
Answer
Potato
What is the scientific name of the German cockroach?
Answer
Blattella germanica
What fruit fly species is a classic model organism in genetics?
Answer
Drosophila melanogaster
Coccinellidae beetles are commonly called what in North America?
Answer
Ladybugs
What insect order contains beetles?
Answer
Coleoptera
What insect order includes butterflies and moths?
Answer
Lepidoptera
What wasp is known for hunting tarantulas and laying eggs on them?
Answer
Tarantula hawk
What insect's resinous secretion is used to produce shellac?
Answer
Lac insect
What insect is the source of the red food dye carmine?
Answer
Cochineal
What insect's nymphs create frothy 'cuckoo spit' on plants?
Answer
Froghopper
What dragonfly species is recorded as the fastest flying insect?
Answer
Austrophlebia costalis
What insect's larvae glow in the caves of New Zealand?
Answer
Arachnocampa luminosa
What termite species builds the tallest mounds, reaching up to 9 meters?
Answer
Macrotermes bellicosus
What insect has the fastest wingbeat frequency of any insect?
Answer
Forcipomyia midge
What insect holds the record for the longest body length?
Answer
Phryganistria chinensis
What insect's aquatic larvae are commonly called wrigglers?
Answer
Mosquito
What insect lays its eggs in a foamy case called an ootheca?
Answer
Praying mantis
What insect's pupal stage is called a chrysalis?
Answer
Butterfly
What insect order's larvae are called caterpillars?
Answer
Lepidoptera
What term is used for a male honey bee?
Answer
Drone
What insect causes the most human deaths each year?
Answer
Mosquito
What insect's eggs are called nits?
Answer
head louse
What insect's larvae are called 'wireworms' and are agricultural pests?
Answer
click beetle
What ant has the fastest snapping jaw, with a powerful bite for its size?
Answer
trap-jaw ant
What ant is known for having the most painful sting of any insect?
Answer
bullet ant
Insects trivia — quick answers
What are good Insects trivia questions?
Strong insect trivia questions ask about scientific names, insect orders, anatomy, life cycles, ecological relationships, and medically important species. Examples include identifying elytra, recognizing the migratory locust, naming aphid honeydew, and identifying the mosquito species Aedes aegypti.
How hard is Insects trivia?
Insects trivia can be easy for questions about ants, mosquitoes, beetles, or bed bugs, but harder when it uses taxonomy and binomial names. Knowledge of insect anatomy, classification, and ecological interactions gives players a significant advantage.
What are elytra?
Elytra are the hardened forewings of beetles. They form a protective covering over the delicate hindwings and abdomen when the beetle is not flying. During flight, the elytra usually open while the membranous hindwings provide lift and propulsion.
Which mosquito spreads dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika?
Aedes aegypti is a major vector of dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. It is strongly associated with human environments and commonly breeds in small containers holding standing water. Its role in disease transmission makes it one of the most important mosquitoes in public health.
What is honeydew in insect biology?
Honeydew is a sweet, sugary liquid excreted by sap-feeding insects such as aphids. Ants often collect it and may protect the aphids in return, creating a well-known mutualistic relationship. Honeydew can also support the growth of sooty mold on plant surfaces.