Bug of the Week ~ The Walking Stick

Walking Stick Pest Control Las Vegas Pest Control Western Exterminator Las Vegas Henderson NV
The Australian walking stick mimics leaves.

Although you don’t come across walking sticks often in Las Vegas and Henderson, our pest professionals have spotted the insect on valley trees and shrubs. Stick insects are so named for their effective camouflage among the woody plants where they feed. They’re typically brown, black, or green, with stick-shaped bodies that help them blend in as they perch on twigs and branches. Some even wear lichen-like markings to make their disguise more authentic. Stick insects imitate twigs swaying in the wind by rocking back and forth as they move.

Almost all stick insects have a body that is not exclusively designed for movement or efficiency, but also designed for camouflage. Their body and legs are elongated and some, like the australian walking stick have projections on their legs and body to mimic leaves or other natural occurring material.

Stick insects can shed and regenerate their limbs to escape attacks by predators.

Stick insects can shed and regenerate their limbs. Should a bird or other predator grab hold of a stick insect’s leg, it can still make an easy escape. The stick insect simply gives up the leg, using a special muscle to break it off at a weak joint. Juvenile stick insects will regenerate the missing limb the next time they molt.

Stick insects don’t bite, but they aren’t defenseless.

Stick insects can shed and regenerate their limbs.

If threatened, a stick insect will use whatever means necessary to thwart its attacker. Some will regurgitate a nasty substance that will put a bad taste in a hungry predator’s mouth. Others reflex bleed, oozing a foul-smelling hemolymph from joints in their body. Some of the large, tropical stick insects may use their leg spines, which help them climb, to inflict some pain on an enemy. Stick insects may even direct a chemical spray, much like tear gas, at the offender.

 

Resource: Debbie Hadley / About.com

 

Bug of the Week ~ Giant Katydid

Giant katydids may look a bit frightening, but they are very gentle!  This is the largest species of katydid in the world. These incredible insects come from the forested mountain slopes of tropical Malaysia. During the day, they remain motionless and use their camouflage to avoid predators. At night, they use their long antennae to find food and look for a mate. The males produce an extremely loud, high pitched noise to call for a female.

Katydids are related to grasshoppers, so they look similar, but notice the long antennae and leaf-like appearance of the wings. These characteristics distinguish them from their grasshopper relatives, which have short antennae and wings folded flat over the back.

Most katydids eat leaves, but some are active predators that eat other small insects. Here is Las Vegas, our Katydids are much smaller and can provide natural pest control in the garden. A final interesting note about the katydid is that they can predict the weather. They begin singing about three months before the first hard frost and after it hits, they become silent.