It turns out that while all bugs are insects, all insects aren’t bugs.

So if you’re an insect, I guess maybe you get a little tee’d off if some well-meaning six-year-old picks you up and calls you a bug.

If you want to stop your own little one (or yourself) from making that mistake, here’s how you can tell the difference.

True bugs belong to the order Hemiptera, of which there are around 40,000 members. They have a long, straw-shaped mouth for slurping liquid, segmented antennas, and two pairs of wings that are translucent at the tips. Many are also aquatic.

They also undergo what’s called an “incomplete” metamorphosis, because the offspring look similar to the adults version. Common species are aphids, planthoppers, bed bugs, and shield bugs.

Ladybugs, butterflies, bees, and ants do not actually qualify.

Insects, on the other had, includes all members of the class Insecta, which is the largest class in its phylum (Arthropoda). They have segmented bodies, external skeletons, and three sets of legs.

Since the order Hemiptera is part of the class Insecta, all bugs are insects. Insects that do not meet the criterion to be classified into Hemiptera, though, are not bugs.

And now you know.

Don’t go around misclassifying those ladybugs now that you do.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read a story that reveals Earth’s priciest precious metal isn’t gold or platinum and costs over $10,000 an ounce!