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.

Bug of the Week ~ The Ladybug

Ladybugs aren’t really bugs at all, they’re beetles!
 Europeans have called these dome-backed beetles by the name ladybirds, or ladybird beetles, for over 500 years. In America, the name ladybird was replaced by ladybug.

A ladybug’s bright colors warn predators to stay away.
 Like many other insects, ladybugs use aposematic coloration to  signal their toxicity to would-be predators. Insect-eating birds and other animals learn to avoid meals that come in red and black, and are more likely to steer clear of a ladybug lunch.

Over its lifetime, a ladybug may consume as many as 5,000 aphids.  Almost all ladybugs feed on soft-bodied insects, and serve as beneficial predators of plant pests. Gardeners welcome ladybugs with open arms, knowing they will munch on the most prolific plant pests.  As larvae, ladybugs eat pests by the hundreds. A hungry ladybug adult can devour 50 aphids per day!