A practical side of having a larger understanding of insect life forms is that we often see only a small part of the complete life cycle of a particular species. Three stages in the life of every insect Insects pass through three predictable stages during their lives. While still in the shell, an embryo will form and develop. Following eclosion, the immature will feed and grow. Eventually the immature will give rise to the sexually mature adult .
Insects have a wide variety of ways of placing their eggs, often in hidden or protected places.
This can occur in the soil or on plants, for example. These are typically numbered, e.g., first instar. Each instar is separated by a molt. The name of this type of metamorphosis means literally no metamorphosis . This may seem a bit strange at first but is very descriptive.