For Kansas City kids and families

All Star Bug Academy

A fun place for kids to learn about insects, spiders, and the tiny creatures living around Kansas City. Some bugs help nature. Some bugs are harmless. Some bugs can bite, sting, spread germs, or damage homes.

Meet the Bugs Bug Safety Rules

🔎

Learn

Kids can learn what common pests look like, where they live, and why they show up around homes.

🐝

Protect

Not every bug is bad. Bees, butterflies, spiders outside, and many other creatures help nature do its job.

⭐

Stay Safe

Kids should look, learn, and tell an adult. They should not touch, spray, smash, or disturb unknown bugs or nests.

Bug guide

Meet the Bugs

Here are some common insects, spiders, and pests kids may notice around Kansas City homes and yards.

🐜

Ants

Tiny teamwork experts

Can become a problem indoors

★Ants live in colonies with workers, queens, and sometimes winged swarmers.
★They follow invisible scent trails to food and water.
★Some ants inside walls may point to moisture problems.

All Star Safety Tip: If ants keep showing up inside, tell a grown-up. Ants inside walls can sometimes mean hidden moisture, and moisture can also attract termites.

🏠

Termites

Hidden wood destroyers

Serious home pest

★Termites eat wood and other materials that contain cellulose.
★They often stay hidden, so damage can happen before people notice them.
★Spring termite swarmers can look a little like flying ants.

All Star Safety Tip: Never ignore termites or termite swarmers. A grown-up should call a professional for an inspection.

🪳

Cockroaches

Fast kitchen invaders

Health-related pest

★Cockroaches like food crumbs, water, warmth, and hiding places.
★They can squeeze into tiny cracks and come out at night.
★Keeping kitchens clean helps, but infestations usually need professional treatment.

All Star Safety Tip: Do not touch roaches or roach droppings. Tell an adult if you see them in kitchens, bathrooms, or cabinets.

🕷️

Spiders

Eight-legged hunters

Usually helpful outside

★Spiders are not insects because they have eight legs, not six.
★Many spiders help by eating flies, mosquitoes, and other bugs.
★Some spiders should not be handled.

All Star Safety Tip: Look, but do not touch. Ask a grown-up before getting close to any spider.

🐝

Bees

Pollinator helpers

Helpful and important

★Bees help pollinate flowers, gardens, fruits, and vegetables.
★Honey bees and native bees are important for the environment.
★Bees may sting if they feel threatened.

All Star Safety Tip: Stay calm around bees. Do not swat at them. Give them space and let a grown-up handle nests near people.

🐝

Wasps

Bold nest defenders

Can be dangerous near people

★Wasps can build nests under eaves, decks, playground equipment, and shrubs.
★Some wasps can sting more than once.
★They can become aggressive when their nest is disturbed.

All Star Safety Tip: Never throw things at a wasp nest. Stay away and tell an adult right away.

🦟

Mosquitoes

Tiny flying biters

Biting pest

★Mosquitoes breed in standing water.
★Even small water sources like buckets, toys, birdbaths, and clogged gutters can matter.
★Only female mosquitoes bite.

All Star Safety Tip: Dump standing water with a grown-up's help. Wear repellent when adults say it is okay.

🕷️

Ticks

Sneaky outdoor hitchhikers

Biting pest

★Ticks wait in grass, brush, leaves, and wooded areas.
★They can attach to people and pets.
★Checking for ticks after outdoor time is important.

All Star Safety Tip: Ask a grown-up to check for ticks after playing outside, especially around tall grass or woods.

🛏️

Bed Bugs

Tiny nighttime travelers

Indoor pest

★Bed bugs can hide in mattress seams, furniture, cracks, luggage, and bags.
★They do not mean a home is dirty.
★They are very hard to eliminate without a plan.

All Star Safety Tip: Tell an adult if you wake up with mystery bites or see tiny bugs near a bed or couch.

🪲

Roly-Polies

Little armored recyclers

Usually harmless

★Roly-polies are also called pill bugs.
★They are crustaceans, not insects.
★They like damp areas and decaying leaves.

All Star Safety Tip: They are usually harmless outside. If lots come indoors, there may be too much moisture nearby.

🦟

Fleas

Jumping pet pests

Biting pest

★Fleas can jump far for their size.
★They can bite people and pets.
★Pet bedding, carpets, and shaded yard areas can become flea spots.

All Star Safety Tip: Tell a grown-up if pets are scratching a lot or if you notice small jumping bugs.

🪲

Stink Bugs

Shield-shaped wall climbers

Occasional invader

★Stink bugs often move indoors when weather changes.
★They are named for the odor they can release when crushed.
★They usually do not damage homes, but they can be annoying.

All Star Safety Tip: Do not smash them. Ask an adult to remove them carefully.

Helpful or harmful?

Not every bug is a bad bug

Some bugs pollinate flowers. Some recycle leaves and dead plants. Some eat other pests. Pest control should protect families, homes, pets, and pollinators whenever possible.

Helpful or mostly helpful

Can become a problem

🐝 Bees

🦋 Butterflies

🕷️ Many outdoor spiders

🪲 Ground beetles

🐞 Lady beetles outside

🌿 Praying mantises

🏠 Termites

🪳 Cockroaches

🛏️ Bed bugs

🦟 Mosquitoes

🐝 Wasps near people

🐜 Ants inside walls

Important

Bug Safety Rules for Kids

Look, but do not touch.

Never disturb nests, hives, or swarms.

Do not pick up spiders, ticks, wasps, bees, or unknown bugs.

Tell an adult if bugs are in a bed, kitchen, bathroom, or wall.

Do not spray pesticides yourself.

Ask a grown-up to take photos from a safe distance.

Bug detective challenge

Become a Bug Detective

When a child finds a bug, the goal is not to touch it. The goal is to observe it safely and tell a grown-up.

🔎How many legs does it have?
🔎Does it have wings?
🔎Was it found inside or outside?
🔎Was it near food, water, wood, a bed, or a pet area?
🔎Did you see just one bug or a lot of them?
🔎Can an adult take a clear photo from a safe distance?

Kansas City bug seasons

What bugs show up by season?

Spring

Ants, termite swarmers, spiders, wasps starting nests, ticks

Summer

Mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, wasps, ants, spiders

Fall

Stink bugs, boxelder bugs, spiders, crickets, lady beetles, rodents moving indoors

Winter

Cockroaches, spiders, bed bugs, rodents, occasional indoor ants

Parents and homeowners

Found a bug at home?

Have a grown-up take a clear photo from a safe distance. All Star Pest Solutions can help identify whether it is harmless, helpful, or something that needs professional attention.

Call or text

(913) 738-STAR

(913) 738-7827

Guaranteed Service. Guaranteed Results.

Contact All Star

All Star Bug Academy

Learn

Protect

Stay Safe

Meet the Bugs

Ants

Termites

Cockroaches

Spiders

Bees

Wasps

Mosquitoes

Ticks

Bed Bugs

Roly-Polies

Fleas

Stink Bugs

Not every bug is a bad bug

Bug Safety Rules for Kids

Become a Bug Detective

What bugs show up by season?

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Found a bug at home?

Get Fast Answers Before the Problem Gets Worse