Most of Earth’s habitats are home to insects, which make up over half of all living organisms. They evolved many times depending on resources. Insects dominate all other creatures with over a million species and more suspected.
More than one-third of the 100,000 bug species native to the US live in Texas. Reading about all Texas insect species might take a day or three. They’re countless! This article will include Texas’ 8 most frequent insects and other fascinating statistics.
Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are found in most ecosystems beyond Antarctica, but they are most abundant in warm tropical equatorial regions. Texas attracts the bug due to its climate.
They spread malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, and Zika, which kill many people annually. The family has many mosquito species, but only some feed on human blood. Most species are inconspicuous and under an inch. Instead of seeing the mosquito, you may hear its buzzing.
Termites
Texas has two primary termites: Formosan Subterranean and Southeastern Drywood. These insects have harmed homes across the state for years. Texas has termites in Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, Houston, Amarillo, Midland, and others. Unfortunately, termites thrive in Texas’ extreme humidity and dampness. These nasty parasites cost the US economy billions annually in property damage.
Roaches
Texas’ warm, humid climate and high population make it ideal for cockroach reproduction. Cockroaches can go a month without food and a week without water. More intriguingly, they can survive without their heads for over a week. Only about 30 of the 4,500 cockroach species are pests. The largest common cockroach is the American, which may grow to 1.6 inches long and 0.28 inches (7 millimeters) tall.
Bugs
Beetles are pests like other creepy crawlies. These wonderful, diversified insects are lovely and vital to the environment and ecosystem. Given its size and insect diversity, Texas is full in insects, notably beetles. Texas has only a few beetle species: stag, leaf, dung, June, ox, ground, and oil.
Flies
Despite annoying people and spreading diseases, these insects perform many vital ecological functions. After bees, flies are the second most common pollinators and help remove animal carcasses. They also advance human knowledge by being researched genetically. Over 125,000 species have been named, but there may be a million. The obvious ones are house, horse, and blow flies, but mosquitoes, midges, and gnats are also in the same sequence.
Earwigs
House and garden earwigs are easier to spot. Texas is plenty of them, which can be irritating when they enter homes. Adults and nymphs have “pinchers” or forceps-like features on the back of their brown to black, somewhat flattened bodies. Three well-developed legs allow them to reach one inch in length. Only a couple of Texas’ 10 species are widespread.
Aphids
These are soft-bodied insects of the Hemiptera order, with diverse body forms. Aphididae has an estimated 5,000 species in 24 subfamilies. Aphids can be pests due to their rapid reproduction. Aphids are mostly found in the southeast and southwest of the US, but sometimes elsewhere. Aphids are tiny, 1/16 to 1/8 inches (1.5 to 3mm). Aphids are soft-bodied and resemble pear-shaped fruit due to their narrow head and broad abdomen.
Ants
The number of known ant species is over 12,000, but 14,000 is more likely. Ants likely developed from wasp-like critters when flowers appeared 100 million years ago. Ant species vary in size and color. Ants with wings can fly, expanding their domain. They are social insects with a complex social system where each ant has a role.