National Network for Equitable Library Service

Yikes! Spiders! Mites on my eyelashes? Some bugs are harmless, some are just gross and some are downright scary! * Human follicle mites live on the skin of our eyelashes, eyebrows and nose. * The insect population of Earth is estimated to be 10,000,000,000,000,000,000; insects outnumber humans 1,492,000,000 to one. * Fleas are to blame for spreading many diseases, including the famous Black Plague. * The lowly mosquito is responsible for no less than 1.5 million human deaths per year. * In order to match the jump of a froghopper, a human would need to jump 216 meters high. * Watch out when you kill a wasp or an army ant -- the dying bug releases an attack pheromone that alerts its sisters, and a raiding party can number 500,000. * When Human botfly larvae burrow under your skin, the remedy is to block the air hole with tape or petroleum jelly to asphyxiate the larvae. * When ticks gorge themselves on human blood, they can increase 200 to 600 times their original weight -- it's like going for lunch and coming back weighing as much as an elephant! * And so much more…