Bug Note Episode 1: What Is a Bug?
About Episode 1
In this week’s episode, host Daniel Potter chats with Christy Bills, NHMU’s Invertebrate Collections Manager, and Dr. Jason Cryan, NHMU’s Sarah B. George Executive Director and trained entomologist, to answer the complicated question, “What is a bug?”
While many of us might see a small, crawling critter and label it a bug, the scientific term “bug” is appropriately applied to a specific group of insects. In fact, many of the backyard bugs we know and love aren’t “true” bugs at all — though many of them are insects. Listen to the podcast here or scroll down to watch the video version.
Insects belong to a large and diverse group called hexapods (“six legs”), and hexapods are part of an even larger group called arthropods (“jointed legs”). There are four main groups of arthropods, including arachnids (spiders and mites), crustaceans (crabs and shrimp), myriapods (things with many legs, like centipedes or millipedes), and the aforementioned hexapods (insects with six legs). Of those four groups, hexapods are the only ones that can have wings.
Hexapods (insects) are further divided into smaller groups – orders. Of these, the order Hemiptera are technically the “true bugs.” In addition to having six legs like their other hexapod buddies, the diagnostic feature common to all true bugs is that their mouthparts have evolved into a structure like a drinking straw, specially adapted for feeding on liquids.
Bug Note on YouTube
Check out the extended version of Episode 1 on YouTube. Be sure to like and subscribe to receive notice of upcoming episodes.
Is It a Bug?
Test your insect knowledge!
| Cicadas | Yes, cicadas are true bugs. |
| House flies | No, house flies are hexapods, but not true bugs. |
| Aphids | Yes, aphids are true bugs. |
| Butterflies | No, butterflies are hexapods, but not true bugs. |
| Water striders | Yes, water striders are true bugs. |
| Beetles | No, beetles are hexapods, but not true bugs. |
| Bed bugs | Yes, bed bugs are true bugs. |
| Spiders | No, spiders are arthropods, but not hexapods or true bugs. |
| Leafhoppers | Yes, leafhoppers are true bugs. |
| Trilobites | No, trilobites are arthropods, but not hexapods or true bugs. |
About Bug Note
Bug Note is hosted by Daniel Potter, a science writer who's also worked in the world of public radio for many years, and who loves fresh air and storytime. He's joined by Dr. Jason Cryan, NHMU’s Sarah B. George Executive Director and trained entomologist, and Christy Bills, NHMU's Invertebrate Collections Manager, as well as other bug-loving guests. Video production by Blank Space. The podcast is created in collaboration with the Natural History Museum of Utah, with the expertise and support of its scientific, philanthropic, marketing, and education teams. Special thanks to NHMU friend and insect enthusiast Ted Fridirici.
Frequently Asked Questions
Authors
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By Olivia Barney
Olivia serves as NHMU’s Marketing Copywriter/Coordinator, where she collaborates across departments to craft engaging stories that help bring groundbreaking research projects to life. She might be the Oxford comma’s number one fan.
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By Jason Cryan, Ph.D.
Areas of Expertise • Museum administration and leadership • Evolutionary biology • Entomology • Plant-feeding insects of the Order Hemiptera • Planthoppers, spittlebugs, treehoppers Background Jason Cryan, Ph.D., serves as the fourth executive director of the Natural History Museum of Utah. With its rich, 50-year history as the most important natural history museum in America’s...
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By Christy Bills
Areas of Expertise • Insect collection curation • Science communication • Fireflies in the Western U.S. • Community Science Background Christy joined the Museum staff in 1998 and has been managing the invertebrate collections with the help of volunteers and interns ever since. Moving from 19th century technologies, she shepherded the collection from outdated housing to archival...
