భారత పర్వతాలు

Insects (కీటకాలు)

— 75% of all animal species! ~1 million described, 5-10 million estimated. Class Insecta in Phylum Arthropoda; 6 legs, 3 body parts (head-thorax-abdomen), antennae, often 4 wings. Most important groups for kids: (1) Honey Bees (Apis spp.) — Apis cerana indica (Indian honey bee) + Apis dorsata (Rock bee giant) + Apis florea (Dwarf bee) + Apis mellifera (European introduced). Pollinate 70% world's crops! ₹260 billion economic value India. 3 castes: Queen (1, lays 2000 eggs/day), Workers (50,000+ female sterile), Drones (males breed only); honey from nectar, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax. Bee-keeping (Apiculture) — NBHM National Bee-keeping & Honey Mission. (2) Butterflies (Lepidoptera) — 1500+ Indian species; lifecycle: egg → caterpillar → pupa → butterfly; pollinators; flagship: Indian Common Crow, Painted Lady, Monarch, Indian Mormon, Glassy Tiger; Western Ghats endemic species. Migration: Monarch butterfly migrates Mexico-Canada 4800 km generations; Painted Lady Africa-Europe-North 12,000 km year. (3) Ants (Formicidae) — 15,000 species worldwide; eusocial; Queen + workers + soldiers; chemical communication (pheromones); fire ants, weaver ants, carpenter ants. Telugu carpenter ants destroy wood; fire ants painful sting. (4) Mosquitoes (Culicidae) — disease vectors (malaria — Anopheles, dengue/chikungunya — Aedes); only females bite for blood for eggs. (5) Spiders (Araneae — actually arachnid not insect 8 legs) — silk producers. (6) Cockroaches — 350M years old; survivors. (7) Termites — wood digesters. (8) Beetles — 40% all insect species; ladybug, dung beetle, weevil. (9) Crickets, grasshoppers, locusts. (10) Dragonflies — fastest insects 50+ kmph; mosquito predators. Crisis: Bee colony collapse — 30-50% bee population lost since 2006 globally; pesticides (neonicotinoids), habitat loss, parasites; without bees food collapse 50%. Action: organic farming, native flower planting, no pesticide. Telugu connection: Telangana Honey Mission 2018, AP Bee Pollination.