Evelyn Chua See Ching, 11.
Our young readers had a lot to say on the on the topic, Pesky Insects.
Some insects destroy food crops like rice, fruit trees, and livestock. These insects suck the sap of shoots, puncture, and lay eggs in plants and fruits. The larvae that are produced will spoil the fruits.
However, while some species of insects are somewhat troublesome, hundreds of thousands of species help mankind and nature and are really amazing to learn about.
Here is the second batch of letters from our readers.
“I hate lizards. It’s because these creatures like to poop everywhere. This makes my house very dirty. Also, they hide in dark places, like behind cupboards, air conditioners and clocks. I wish I don’t see them in my house,” writes Wong Cheng Yang, eight.
Zhaara’ Shariffullah, eight, writes: “I dislike beetles because they are noisy and smelly. Plus, they poop everywhere.”
“Mosquitoes are the most annoying insects because I always get bitten by them. Sometimes, I use insect repellent to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. I dislike its itchy bites, and annoying buzzing sounds. Plus, they carry diseases too,” writes Jayden Tan Li Sheng, nine.
“I am scared of bumblebees. They have a sharp stinger. They have wings that buzz as they fly. They make sweet honey from the pollen of flowers. They lives in places that have flowers. I like the honey they make, but not the creature itself,” writes Evelyn Chua See Ching, 11.
“Of all insects, I don’t like ants. Ants like to crawl on my food. An ant has three pairs of legs and three body parts (head, thorax and abdomen). These little insects always eat up my snacks and honey. So, I dislike ants,” writes Wong Zheng Qian, 11.
“l don’t like spiders. It’s because the spiders like to live everywhere dark. It has eight legs, two body parts (cephalothorax and abdomen) and two feelers (pedipalps). The spider spins many cobwebs in different parts of my home. Some spiders are poisonous,” says Karen Wong Zi Ying, 12.
“I don’t like mosquitoes because they drink human blood. Plus, these insects carry viruses. It has a head, thorax and abdomen,” writes Bernice Chan Xuan Ting, 11.
Bethany Wang Qi Syuen, seven, writes: “I don’t like mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are most active during dawn and dusk and can be dangerous. When they bite, they may pass on serious diseases like dengue, malaria and Zika virus to people.”
Eleven-year-old Denise Chan Xuan Hui is terrified of centipedes because they are venomous. “I don’t like centipedes. It has two antennas, a long trunk and many legs. It can inflict pain when it bites humans. I find these creatures disgusting. I would be terrified if I see a centipede in my bathroom.”
“I don’t like bees because they sting people,” writes Mandy Tang, five.
ITEM: Children (and even adults) love watching cartoons. Popular cartoon characters include Timmy the lamb from Timmy Time, Thomas the tank engine from Thomas and Friends, and Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants. Which is your favourite cartoon character, and what do you like best about them? Don’t forget to send us a drawing too!
E-mail your contributions to lifestyle@thestar.com.my by Sept 23.
Please put “”STARCHILD: My Favourite Cartoon Character”” in the subject line of your e-mail.
Scanned drawings should be in jpeg format, with a resolution of 200 dpi.
Your contributions must carry your full name, age (open to children aged 12 and below only), gender, phone number and address.