Do Bugs Have Lungs?

Insects don't have lungs, nor do they breath through their mouths, but they do have respiratory systems. Like humans, they capture oxygen and release carbon dioxide, the waste product of the respiratory system. Unlike humans, however, oxygen is not carried through circulating blood, but instead through a complex network of tubes called tracheae.

  1. Features

    • Insects need to take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide to live.

      Oxygen enters the body of an insect through pores called spiracles, located on each side of an insect's abdomen and thorax. There are usually two spiracles on either side of each segment of an insect's body. Spiracles contain muscles that contract and relax air flaps, controlling the rate in which the air enters and exits the body.

    Function

    • An insect's respiratory system consists primarily of an intricate system of tubes.

      Air passes from the spiracles into the tracheae trunk which continues to divide into smaller tracheae tubes, carrying the air into all the cells of the body. Carbon dioxide enters the tracheae through the same tubes until it is released through the spiracles.

    Purpose

    • Insects use spiracles to seal out, as well as to store, water.

      An insect can seal the spiracles to retain water or keep water out. This is how aquatic insects are able to survive under water without drowning. They simply hold in air until they resurface. Non-aquatic insects use this same method to keep from drowning during wet weather and can also hold water to prevent dehydration during dry periods.