Your bug questions answered

Do spiders sleep? Why are cicadas so loud? Bug expert Phil Sirvid answers some of your more unusual questions.

Do spiders sleep?

Surely with all those eyes spiders need some rest.

What is a bug? Insects, arachnids, and myriapods

What is a bug? Strictly speaking, a bug is an insect in the group Hemiptera – it must have piercing mouthparts. Cicadas are Hemiptera, but spiders aren’t.

Why are cicadas so loud?

What is that noise cicadas make, and why is it so loud?

Why are sandfly bites so itchy?

Sandflies: Why they bite, why those bites are itchy, and are they different to sandfleas?