Hey, Fedi. I have a favour to ask you.

Jen · 3/03/19/living-inside-your-grandmother-the-wonderful-world-of-aphids/

@afewbugs @ghouston @ShaulaEvans they really are amazing little things!

Ants farm them on some of my fruit bushes, so at the right time of year I get to see babies, adults, and winged adults up close. It's fascinating to watch how the ants care for their herd.

Grumpy Old Techie 🕊️

@ShaulaEvans The first computer bug was an actual bug

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hopper#Anecdotes

Exxo

@ShaulaEvans I mostly love other kinds of animals, but this one is really interesting for me as a mathematician

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodical_cicadas#Predator_satiation_survival_strategy

Kay :heart_bi: :tinoflag:

@ShaulaEvans Another bug related fact is New Zealand's competition to be elected as #NZBugOfTheYear!

Voting is done online so probably determined by humans but I guess New Zealand Entomological Society are open to any votes that meet their criteria.
️ 🪲 🪰 🪳 🦗
https://bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/2026-bug-of-the-year-nominees/

Lucky ✨

@ShaulaEvans BUG FACT: at least a few times a year I see a cool beetle, go "wow!!! Cool beetle!!!", grab it and let it walk all over my hands and arms for several minutes, and then realize I forgot what blister beetles look like yet again

Micha Baum

@ShaulaEvans
Some leaf beetles produce toxins which they can secrete through glands on their back.

...other leaf beetles feed on poisonous plants, "collect" the toxins and secrete them (sometimes chemically modified).

... and *some* leaf beetle larvae keep the toxins of the plants inside their digestive tract making their feces toxic. Their anus is at a position where they shit on their own back producing a protective "fecal mask". No shit.

#BugFacts #fecology

Micha Baum

@StevenLawsonPhotography @ShaulaEvans Male scorpion flies offer a piece of prey (smaller insects) to the females. The females feed on it while mating takes place.

Jules she/her

@emmadavidson @ShaulaEvans oh wow we also have a blue butterfly symbiotic with ants in the UK! It never occurred to me that this sort of relationship could be happening with species across the world! https://www.dorsetbutterflies.com/species/chalkhill-blue/

TayFoNay, Sigh-D

@MurmeltHier @ShaulaEvans

SteveJB

@ShaulaEvans Probably already knows about this, but it's always good for chuckle:
The Tarantula Hawk is neither a tarantula, nor a hawk. It's a wasp. It's the only wasp who's venom does no tissue damage. It's attacks the nervous system and paralyzes it's prey: the tarantula. The venom's action is so specific that it does not kill the spider, but renders it helpless. The wasp drags the spider to a prepared nest where she lays eggs inside the spiders body. When the the eggs hatch, the larvae use the living spider for food, being careful to avoid vital organs, keeping the spider alive as long as possible.

The sting is harmless to humans, although it's known as the most painful sting of any insect. According Matt Simon, of Absurd Creature of the Week: "There are some vivid descriptions of people getting stung by these things,” says invertebrate biologist Ben Hutchins of Texas Parks and Wildlife, “and their recommendation was to just lie down and start screaming, because few if any people could maintain verbal and physical coordination after getting stung by one of these things. You're likely to just run off and hurt yourself. So just lie down and start yelling."

Oh, and these lovely ladies are big!

MostlyTato

@ShaulaEvans
Dragonflies spend far more of their life under water in their larval stage. The nymphs have an extending, spear like mandible to capture prey. They also have jet propulsion!