What is an Insect Order?
For your 4-H entomology collection, you need to know to which “order” each of your insects belongs. As you may have learned in science or biology class, an “order” is a group of related animals. All mammals, for example, belong to the order Mammalia. Because there are so many different kinds of insects (1 million and counting), they are divided up into over 30 different orders. You are probably familiar with many common insect orders already. All of the flies (including house flies, mosquitoes, horse flies, and others) belong to the order Diptera. All moths and butterflies are in the order Lepidoptera. The beetles are in Coleoptera. These are just a few examples. The key included presented in this section will give you the characteristics to accurately tell the difference between insect orders. With a little practice, you will be able to recognize most insects without using a key. Taking a Closer Look Because insects are so small, seeing the differences between them is difficult, and f
