Home >> Science & Nature >> Insects & Science

What Are Insect Droppings Called?

Insect droppings--while minute and seemingly inconsequential--litter every nook and cranny of the planet. They can be potentially hazardous to humans or quite beneficial to the earth's ecology, depending on the type of insect that has excreted the droppings.

Also Known As
- Frass can include debris from wood-eating insects.
  
  Insect droppings are known by the collective term "frass." Frass includes not only an insect's feces, but also the woody debris left behind by insects that eat wood.
A Variety of Terms
- Fleas leave behind flea dirt.
  
  Entomologists and pest control professionals refer to insect droppings using terms such as excretions, feces, dirt, waste and even poop. Flea droppings are commonly called "flea dirt."
Cat Fleas and Their Dirt
- Flea dirt contains the blood from pets.
  
  The most common type of flea--the cat flea--feeds off the blood of cats and dogs and excretes dirt that is chiefly composed of nearly undigested blood. The larvae of these fleas eat the nutritious flea dirt until they are mature enough to suck the blood from household pets.
Insect Digestion
- Insects have a complete digestive system that includes a tube-shaped alimentary canal through which food eaten by an insect moves in a one-way direction. This canal runs through an insect's body from mouth to anus, where waste is excreted.
Dangerous Droppings
- Chagas disease is caused by a parasite in the feces of the kissing bug. The bug bites a sleeping person, often near the lips, then excretes waste near the same spot. If the excrement is spread by the sleeper into the bite, the parasite contained in the feces is spread to the person.

Insects & Science