Well, isn't that a fun little riddle! The insect you're thinking of is a "roach." Roaches may not be everyone's favorite critter, but they're just trying to find their place in this big, beautiful world. Just like every little bug out there, they have a role to play in the circle of life.
It is an abbreviation, one example being Dr. for a doctor.
neon, pony, page, cage, gone
abdomen abysmal
The only capital letters which produce the same letter after being rotated 270 degrees are the letters 'O' and 'X'
dreidel
velvet
The school subject you're looking for is "History." It has 8 letters, and the 5th letter is "l."
soldier
The longest word consisting strictly of alternating consonants and vowels is 27 letters long.That 27 letter word is honorificabilitudinitatibus.It is a medieval word which translates to "the state of being able to achieve honours". It most famously appears in Shakespeare's work "Love's Labour's Lost".
testes
Bern (Switzerland)
Silverware is 10 letters, but not the ones you need. How about chopsticks?