Ask A Scientist© Biology Archive

Author:      underdog
Text:        Why do insects lay so many eggs?

Response #:  1 of 1
Author:      moodywj
Text:        Animals have two ways to make sure that they leave offspring in 
the world, so that their genes survive.  One is to have few children and care 
for each one intensely (humans do that).  The other is to have huge numbers of 
offspring, so that even though many die enough survive.  That is what insects 
do.  Most of those eggs, or the larvae they give birth to, will die in one way 
or another, so there have to be many of them.