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Category: insects (Page 40 of 89)

Bug of the Week: Green Lacewing Life Cycle

January 28, 2015 / / 2 Comments

Today’s find is the egg of a green lacewing.

lacewing-egg-croppedLacewing eggs are pretty easy to identify because they are on the end of a hair-like stalk.

A few months ago I found a good example of a lacewing cocoon. Time to make an green lacewing life cycle infographic!

lacewing-life-cycleInfographicGreen lacewings are considered to be beneficial insects because the larvae are predators of scales, whiteflies, aphids, small caterpillars and other potentially pesty insects.

The pupa stage forms within a cocoon that is usually hidden on a branch or twig. The lacewing cocoon may be mistaken for a spider egg case because the silk resembles spider web.

The adults are light green with delicate wings and golden eyes. If disturbed from a leaf they will fly during the day, but are more active at night. The females generally lay their eggs at night.

We’ll probably be seeing more and more of these as our weather warms and the wildflowers start to bloom. Just a few more weeks.

Bug of the Week: Brown Soft Scale

January 14, 2015 / / 0 Comments

We have some dwarf pomegranates growing in our back yard.

dwarf-pomegranate-fruit

Last week I noticed one of the fruit was pale and had brown spots.

brown-scale-pomegranate-1

A closer look revealed some insects. Do you see them?

brown-scale-pomegranate-12

I have to admit the brown discoloration makes it difficult to pick out the insects.

brown-scale-pomegranate-1103

Here’s a better look. Those ovals with the brown stripe down the middle are brown soft scales.

How did they get there? The stage of scale insects that move are the hatchlings, called crawlers. Usually they don’t move far, but sometimes the crawlers may travel on animals or be dispersed on the wind.

Once on a suitable plant, the crawlers insert their sucking mouthparts into the plant and remain in place throughout the rest of their lives. Not a very exciting existence, if you ask me.

parasitised-brown-scale

Do I need to be concerned about the scales? Nope, because I noticed the black lump. It doesn’t look like much, but it is the offspring of a parasitic wasp. Soon those scales will be history.

If you’d like to see the wasps and some other organisms that use scales for foods, see oak scales at Nature Posts.

Bug of the Week: Insect Eggs

January 7, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Have you ever wondered about where insects go in the winter?

It turns out that different kinds of insects have different strategies for avoiding the stresses of winter.

insect-eggs

I found two examples of one strategy this morning. The tactic is for the female insects to lay eggs in the fall. Eggs are often more resistant to cold and drying out than other life stages and can be hidden in protected places. In the spring, the eggs hatch and start the cycle again.

This cluster of eggs is on a grapefruit leaf. It will be interesting to find out what kind of insect they hatch into.

praying-mantis-egg-case-12

Here is the second example. It is an egg case of the Mediterranean mantis,  Iris oratoria. The female mantis has added a layer of hard foam around her eggs to further protect them.

Have you found any overwintering insects lately? What was their strategy to protect themselves from the cold?

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