To many people, the word 'bug' means any unattractive insect. Historically this is correct because the word 'bug' is a very old English word which originally meant ‘any strange creature that was small and horrid’.

The word bug today describes a group of specialised insects that have particular characteristics such as piercing and sucking mouthparts in the form of a jointed beak. Most bugs such as the Greenshield Bug and the Saucer Bug suck plant juices, while other bugs attack other insects like the aptly named Assassin Bug.

True bugs are also known as 'half wings' because a forewing is halved. The inner half of the wing closest to the body is hard and horny whilst the outer half is thin and membranous. Most bugs do in fact fly and are terrestrial, however, there are many bugs that are aquatic and these include the Pondskater, Water Boatman and Water Scorpion, Water Measurer and Water Stick Insect which are all described in the pond life section.