Most ladybugs enter diapause over winter, a state similar to hibernation. They overwinter as adults, becoming active when the weather warms in spring. Ladybugs of the world There are over 6,000 species of ladybug in the world, with these attractive…
Ladybugs are often called the gardener’s friend, as the vast majority of species help us out by eating aphids and other sapsucking insects that may damage plants. The best way to attract them into the garden is to give them…
A tiny ladybug may appear completely defenceless against its much larger predators, such as birds and rodents, yet luckily they do have a few tricks up their sleeves. From bright warning colours to a hard outer shell, even to the…
Grasshoppers have three principal means of making sound; stridulation, crepitation and orally. Stridulation is using their back legs to rub across their wingcases to create a kind of buzzing. Crepulation involves pulling their wings taunt to create a crackling sound.…
Most grasshoppers are solitary and do not gather in large numbers. Some species do swarm however, in particular those grasshoppers we call locusts. Grasshopper infestations occur when large amounts of food becomes available, meaning numbers increase rapidly. What is a…
Locusts are a type of grasshopper that undergoes morphological changes when high densities of the individuals occur. Locust swarms can reach plague proportions, damaging crops and causing economic loss to rural communities. What is a locust? The title locust is…
