Ask A Scientist General Science Archive

name         Leslie Frisch
status       student
age          9

Question -   Does the color surrounding a bug affect how much it eats?
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I guess it might, but it doesn't have too.  Depends on what kind of bug, and how he's 
feeling today, and what colors you are talking about.

I say colors not color, because there is always more than one color in a bug's life.
There is the color of the bug, and the color of his food, and the color of the place he 
normally eats it, and the colors of different places where the bug won't feel very safe, 
and the colors of some of the predators that always try to eat him.   And
lastly, the color of the box Leslie puts him in.

If your bug eats less in a box of one color than another, maybe it's because it's the same 
color as his food and he can't find the food so often, or maybe it's because the box is 
sky blue and your bug wants a hidden dark place to hide while he eats.  Or
maybe he doesn't care.

Color differences in the surroundings matter more than just one color.  If it's all just 
red, after a day the red might look white to your bug.
To prevent that, always have a little black and a little white somewhere in his box or 
jar.
If each bug gets a white sky and a black floor and a different-colored wall, that might be 
a good experiment.

Try to give them the same amount of light, and from the same direction.  That usually 
matters more than color.
Something like putting colored paper around each jar and thin white paper over the top, 
and put all the jars next to the same window or lamp.
If you want to look in, only allow a small peep-hole in the same direction for each jar, 
and make sure the bug sees darkness or color, not light, when he looks out through  that 
hole.

Many bugs smell with their antennae.  Some bugs, moths and mosquitos I think, can smell 
better when there is light shining on their antennae.  Weird.  This is why they like to 
hang around lights at night.   They need to smell their food to find it, like
it, and eat it.   I think blue light is better than red light, for smelling.
So maybe a moth in a white or light-blue box will eat more than a moth in a dark box or 
a red box.

All these things to think about are complicated, and even when you find the answer for 
one kind of bug, it's not going to be the right answer for another.
Studying behavior is always like this.    All the different animals can have different 
behaviors.

good luck with whatever experiment you choose-

Jim Swenson
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Most insects have colors that match their surroundings, or are designed to attract 
attention. I don't think the colors around an insect would have any effect on how it 
eats.

J. Elliott
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