Insect dowel. The common mayfly is born for a wonderful night-long flight. Where do insects live?

In nature there are many strange representatives of the animal and flora. Each of them surprises us in its own way. Nature does not skimp on surprises. One of these unique wonders is considered stick insect.

It is characterized by the fact that it can simply merge with the environment in which it lives. This phenomenon is called phytomimitry in scientific circles. Translated from Greek, this word means a living imitative creature.

Someone to imitate stick insect depends primarily on the place of its permanent habitat. He can so merge with nature, take on, for example, all the shapes and colors of a stick on a tree, that it is simply impossible to see him.

There are types of stick insects, and there are about 2,500 species in total, that are simply impossible to notice against the background of the bark or foliage of trees. Incredible amazing ability insects have long attracted people.

Features and habitat

These unique insects prefer to live in the tropics and subtropics. They like dense bushes, shallow lawns with tall grasses, forested areas. An important condition for them is a good and sufficiently humid environment.

They are found in India, the South of America, Australia, and European countries. Length stick insect depends on the habitat and the species. It can vary from 2 to 35 cm. There are also giant stick insects, the length of which is even greater.

The color of insects is dominated by brown and green tones. Each type has a different shape. Body shape of stick insects, which live on tree branches of thin and long structure.

They have a head, inconspicuous and not conspicuous, an elongated body and long limbs. Both in real life and on photo such stick insect difficult to distinguish from a branch. Insects living among the foliage have the same wide and green body.

All types of stick insects have a structure similar to all insects with a head, chest, abdomen, antennae and legs. About oral apparatus It can be noted that the insect is of the gnawing type. Its skin consists of a hard chitinous layer. This layer covers the hypodermal cells with the pigment they contain.

Thanks to these pigments, the insect's body acquires one or another color necessary for it. The change in color can be influenced by the most various factors. Eg, abrupt change temperature regime or lighting may be the impetus for this.

True, this process lasts in a slow rhythm. Some stick insects are also equipped with wings and elytra. But in flight, almost all of them are not particularly strong. There are species of these insects that have spines on their bodies.

Another amazing and unusual feature of stick insects is the fact that for one male in nature there are approximately 4000 females, which are much larger. larger in size.

Why are there such serious deviations from the norm we are all familiar with? The fact is that female stick insects are able to lay eggs without males, which is scientifically called parthenogenesis. Another interesting fact is that from eggs resembling a flask, laid by one female, only those similar to her are produced.

The stick insect still has many secrets unknown to people. This insect is still on the verge of being studied. In another way, the insect is called a ghost, specter, or phantom.

There are types of them that are difficult for us to understand to this day. tubifex stick insects, for example, they try to stay in colonies. They hold on to each other with the help of their limbs and build something like suspension bridges from their bodies. Other species of these insects prefer to live in formed tubers.

There are those who, in order to scare the enemy, release unpleasant aromas, or even begin to regurgitate food, thereby trying to disgust the enemy.

Currently very popular among lovers of strange pets Annamese stick insects. In appearance, they are very reminiscent of a green twig. They are kept in special containers.

For their good development and further reproduction, proper and nutritious nutrition is important. Generally house stick insects - These are not only some of the most outlandish creations of nature. They are one of the least picky pets.

Character and lifestyle of the stick insect

Information about stick beetles so little is known about how they spend their daily life little is known. By nature, these creatures are excellent camouflages. Nobody in the world can do it the way they can do it. They can seriously be called champions of camouflage.

They can do this not only because their appearance, and also because they have catalepsy, which is characterized by amazing flexibility. Thanks to this gift, the insect has the ability to bend its body to the most unnatural and incomprehensible positions to the human mind.

Another super quality of theirs is the ability to freeze for a long time in one of these positions. The stick insect is in a state of catalepsy for several hours. This does not affect his well-being in any way and does not create inconvenience.

An insect can come out of such a trance under certain circumstances. But it has been noted more than once that even injuries cannot make them move and somehow betray their presence.

If a stick insect is in real danger and he was not prepared for it, he falls to the ground dead and pretends to be dead. He remains in this position until the danger passes.

There are times when they lose one of their limbs in order to escape. They experience this loss absolutely painlessly. Moreover, there are species of stick insects that are capable of growing a new limb.

These night dwellers in daytime, avoiding all sorts of unpleasant moments in life, they try to sit quietly, merging completely with external environment. As soon as dusk falls, stick insects go out to hunt for food.

IN Lately People have an increasing desire to have some kind of curiosity at home. Stick insect at home– this is one of those miracles. Important for those who want to know buy a stick insect, that it is undesirable to take this fragile creature with your hands.

You should also not touch its sensitive back, which in some species may be decorated with sharp spines. To move the insect, you can simply use a pencil or paintbrush. He's not cowardly. He can sit and move comfortably on a human hand.

Generally stick insect content It is not difficult and does not require large expenses. But the person who has it at home is considered the owner of perhaps one of the strangest and most interesting curiosities in the world.

Nutrition

All types of stick insects prefer to feed plant foods. Their favorite treat is leaves of trees and shrubs. Each species has its own preferences in this food.

They choose a safe night time to get food. But even at night they cannot be completely safe. Therefore, caution is paramount for them at this time.

They prefer to search for provisions for themselves alone. But among them there are species that do this in large flocks and can disfigure an entire tree in one night.

For domestic stick insects, the presence of greenery is important all year round. Therefore, breeders have to take care of this. They store food frozen and feed it to their pets every day. If your supplies are running low, you can try feeding the stick insects a leaf of hibiscus or tradescantia, they will not refuse such food.

Reproduction and lifespan

Insects go through several molts throughout their lives. After the last of them, the female becomes able to bear fruit. Offspring appears as a result asexual reproduction, which is fraught with the appearance large quantity females

In order for their species not to disappear, there must be at least some possibility of fertilization with the help of males. This happens sometimes. After which the male, having fertilized the partner, transfers the spermatophore to her.

From this method of reproduction, young individuals of different sexes are born, main goal which at first is gluttony. They strive to get to food as quickly as possible. The lifespan of these amazing insects is no more than a year.

Ensuring safety is an important factor in the evolution of insects and their defense mechanisms. Naturally, the most effective method to avoid danger - to become completely invisible.

Invisible, ghost - this is what people call the stick insect. Even scientists identified him as a member of the ghost squad.. Not because they walk at night and scare people, but because they are invisible. It seemed like a twig, a snag, and suddenly he began to move his mustache.

There are more than 3,000 species of insects. Their main task is to camouflage themselves well among the vegetation. The homeland of these insects is Indochina. The bulk of stick insects live in countries with tropical climate. Although there are species that are also found in Russia on Far East.

Characteristics

The stick insect is a master of disguise and makeup. To avoid becoming prey, he acquired many defense mechanisms. They have an amazing feature: the shape of their body resembles tree branches or leaves. Most of the time it hangs on a branch. By completely merging with the plant, the stick insect becomes invisible. It can be mistaken for a thin twig, leaf or twig.

They are active mainly at night. The day is spent in a frozen state, firmly clinging to the branches. Suction cups on the tips of the legs allow you to hang even upside down. The exoskeleton is remarkably similar to the bark. And the joints imitate knots on branches. The insect eats the entire leaf, leaving not a single piece that could give away its location.

They are characterized by the phenomenon of catalepsy - imaginary death. When in danger, he literally dies. And he won’t get out of his stupor for anything in the world. Even if you bend it like a branch. Frozen in such an awkward position, the stick insect will not react even if its wing or leg is torn off, which it can grow back during the next molt. And when the threat cannot be overcome, the stick insects stand on their long hind legs and raise their tail, imitating a scorpion. And if such a demonstration of strength does not frighten the enemies, then the males release their protective liquid, with a characteristic unpleasant odor reminiscent of peanut butter.

If a stick insect moves, it is never in a hurry. Moves slightly swaying as it goes. So, he doesn't look like an insect. This is how a thin blade of grass sways in the wind. Usually stick insects crawl upward. It's not comfortable down there. It's dark and there are predators.

Stick insects are prey for birds. The bird sits on a branch for a long time, looking for an insect among the branches and foliage. Waiting for him to move at least a little. As soon as the stick insect performs any action, the bird will grab it with its beak.

Description

There are stick insects different sizes . From 2 to 35 centimeters. This is the longest insect on the planet. It has 6 long thin limbs. Small head. Their color is green, brown or gray. Moreover, they can change the color of their body. The upper skin cells of an insect contain pigments that, depending on various stimuli, such as light, moisture, or even blood pressure inside the insect, can change their color from green to brown.

Only males can fly. They can flutter from branch to branch like dragonflies or praying mantises. In females, the wings are not sufficiently developed.

Female stick insects lay their eggs by dropping them down. Their larvae hatch on average after six months. If it happens that at the time of the need to lay eggs there is no male, then the females lay eggs without the participation of males. True, in this case, only female individuals are born. Due to the ability of females to reproduce independently and only of their own sex, in nature the number of females significantly exceeds the number of males.

They grow during the molting period. Born small and to grow they need to shed several times. In 4 months he can make 6 molts. After molting, they eat their skin.

Now stick insects are confidently gaining popularity among people. More and more often you can find this insect living safely at home. It's interesting that when proper care The lifespan of insects in captivity increases to one and a half years. When in their normal environment these insects live no more than a year . It's connected with weather conditions region of residence. The big advantage is that they do not require special care.

The most common types of stick insects for home breeding:

• Annamese;
• Philippine;
• Australian;
• Indian.

To keep a stick insect at home, you need to have a special aquarium - an insectarium. Better vertical. Place calcined sand or coconut substrate on the bottom. The thickness of the soil should be at least 3-4 centimeters. They also need dry leaves and sticks.

These insects molt while clinging to a branch.. Therefore, they simply need larger branches. It is good to provide them with living plants and vessels with a narrow neck. All stick insects are moisture dependent; they love warm, moist air. This is one of the important conditions. It is necessary to spray the inside of the aquarium 1-2 times a day. Drops of water settle on the glass, which the stick insect happily licks off. They feed on green or dry leaves. For the winter, you need to dry or freeze the leaves.

Plants whose leaves they feed on:

• hibiscus;
• tradescantia;
• raspberries;

Can live in company. Not aggressive towards each other. They are completely harmless to people. They don't bite. Despite their appearance, beetles are peaceful insects.

Stick insects are the most suitable and calm pets. You can keep them without problems, even if you live in the apartment big family with kids . Stick insects take up little space at home. He eats little and monotonously. And finally, he's just fun to watch.

stick insect– amazing insect, it belongs to the order of ghosts. There are more than 2500 species of them. Outwardly, it resembles a stick or leaf. You can verify this by looking at photo of stick insect.

He also has a head with antennae; body covered with chitin; and long legs. The stick insect is recognized as the longest insect. A record holder lives on the island of Kalimantan: its length is 56 cm.

On average, these insects are from 2 to 35 cm. Their color is brown or green. It can change under the influence of heat or light, but rather slowly. They are responsible for this special cells containing pigments.

On the small round head there are eyes; by the way, stick insects have excellent vision, and a gnawing type mouthparts capable of overpowering branches and hard veins of leaves.

The body is narrow or with a flattened abdomen. The legs are covered with thorns or spines and look like stilt sticks. They end with suction cups and hooks that secrete a sticky liquid.

The stick insect can move quickly using this, even along a glass wall. Some species have wings, which they can use to fly or glide.

These amazing stick insects live in the tropics and subtropics near fresh water bodies. Most of all they love thickets of succulent bushes. Although there are exceptions, the Ussuri stick insect can also be found in the Far East of Russia, in the Caucasus and in the mountains Central Asia.

Character and lifestyle of the stick insect

Stick insects- these are masters of phytomimyry, or simply camouflage. If he sits on a branch in bushes or trees, it is simply impossible to find him. Thanks to its body shape, stick insect looks like a twig.

But his enemies react to movement, so he is also characterized by thanatosis. At the same time, he falls into a stupor and can be in the most bizarre and unnatural position for a very long time.

While camouflaging, a stick insect can be in the most bizarre and uncomfortable positions for a long time.

Stick insects begin their movement at night, but even then they do not forget to take precautions. They cannot be called nimble insects. Very slowly and smoothly, freezing at every rustle, they move along the branches, eating succulent foliage.

This is a fairly large non-flying insect, 12 cm long and one and a half cm wide. Now, having artificially propagated the population, they have allocated an entire island as a reserve, having previously destroyed all the enemies.

Black beetles, unknown to ordinary summer residents, appeared on garden plots and summer cottages back in June. "Inform Policy" found out what kind of pests these are and how to fight them.

Why is spanka dangerous?

In Khoshun-Uzur, these beetles completely ate up the potato bushes. They also eat beets and peas. I sprayed all the plantings with Iskra several times, and the beetles seemed to have disappeared,” says village resident Darima Dugarzhapova.

Black beetles harmed residents not only of the regions of the republic, but also residents of the suburbs of Ulan-Ude. In summer cottages, potatoes also suffered the most from the spanka.

These beetles are serious pests. They eat the green parts of potato plantings, thereby reducing its yield. In addition to potatoes, beetles also feed on some vegetables (they eat young shoots) and legumes (peas, soybeans, beans, beans, alfalfa), and less often grain crops, says Anatoly Kushnarev, professor of the Department of Plant Growing and Grassland Management of the Belarusian State Agricultural Academy, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences.

Where did the pests come from?

Hot, dry weather contributes to the appearance and spread of spanka. Due to the prevailing heat, pests have spread across a large territory of the republic. There are especially many of them near the forest,” says Anatoly Kushnarev.

The black-headed fly, or, popularly, Spanish fly, eats the leaves of cultivated plants.

Within two or three days, only a thick stalk remains from a potato bush, shares Darima Erdyneevna, after which it becomes inappropriate to talk about the future harvest.

Period most active spanks - end of June - mid-July. In the driest years, its “activity” lasts longer. First, the beetles make themselves known in the meadows. They fly, eat greens and then, having gained strength, move to crops and garden plots.

On garden plot It’s impossible to walk by and not notice the fly. Black oblong beetles are concentrated in 10 - 12 pieces on each bush. The appearance of the leaves may also cause suspicion - on initial stage When destroyed, they resemble stubs with many holes.

How to fight?

You need to start fighting the black-headed spank much earlier than it settles in your garden plot or field. The beetle larvae overwinter in the soil at a depth of 5 - 8 centimeters. Therefore, in late autumn or in early spring When the ambient temperature is still low, plowing of the soil is necessary. On the surface, future beetles will die.

If the shpanka has already settled in the garden, then spraying remains the most effective and, perhaps, the only method. It is important to have modern factory-made sprayers on hand. They have a dispenser and reduce the chances of “overdoing” with chemicals. This is very important, since today's drugs are potent, and their dilution in water requires strict adherence to the instructions.

It is better to spray plants early in the morning or in the evening, at a temperature no higher than 25 degrees. On a hot afternoon, the procedure can be harmful. The most favorable condition for spraying is cloudy, but not rainy weather. Wind speed should not exceed two meters per second. When spraying, you should try not to get it on other crops, especially tomatoes.

The most effective drug to combat spank is Iskra. It should be applied locally, trying to target only beetles. It is important to destroy the pest quickly so that it does not have time to seriously harm your garden. If there are very few insects, you can collect them by hand, advises Anatoly Kushnarev.

However, beetles must be collected with caution. They contain a caustic substance - cantharidin. It gets on exposed parts of the body (arms, neck, face) and causes inflammation of the skin or an abscess (hence the second name of the beetles). Penetration of cantharidin into the blood through wounds leads to poisoning of the body. Therefore, you should not crush beetles, but you should use gloves to collect them.

Description

Mayfly (Latin Ephemeroptera - from the Greek “ephemeron” - fleeting, quickly passing, and “ptera” - wing). Mayflies are an ancient order of winged insects, including about 1,500 species, distributed throughout to the globe except for the Hawaiian Islands Pacific Ocean and Saint Helena Island Atlantic Ocean. Mayflies are formed from larvae that live in silt and clay soils below the water level.

Characteristic features of mayflies are three (less often two) thin long tail filaments at the end of the abdomen. The mass emergence of mayflies occurs in mid-summer in the evening and lasts only a few days. The emerging mayfly literally fills the entire air space above the river and falls into the water like snow flakes, which is why its second name comes from - blizzard.

Mayfly larva, or "granny", is also a good bait. Larvae live in clayey soil underwater shore or in dense tangles of underwater plants. The larvae are whitish in color, have two antennae in front and three fleecy tails in the back.

The mayfly order is divided into several families:

• Family Baetidae. Representatives of the family live mainly in stagnant bodies of water and are characterized by legs pointing to the sides.
• Family HEPTAGENIIA (Heptageniidae). The larvae have a moderately elongated body, flattened in the dorsoventral direction. Their legs are long, tenacious, their tail filaments are long - these larvae deftly crawl among stones and underwater plants.
• Family Mayflies (Oligoneuridae). The larvae are distinguished by their large size and compressed body, and their tail filaments are short, shorter than the length of the body.
• Family MAYFLY (Ephemeridae). Their larvae have an elongated cylindrical body with strong burrowing legs. These larvae dig tunnels in the clayey soil of slow-flowing rivers.
• Family Prosopistomidae. The larvae of this family are distinguished by a very wide, leaf-shaped, compressed body; their gills are hidden under the lateral processes of fused segments, so that they form a gill cavity. The tail appendages of these larvae resemble the fork of lower crustaceans. These larvae live in fast streams under stones.

There are about 2,000 species of mayflies known in the world. About 250 species have been recorded in Russia, about 100 of them are found in the European part. Our most common mayflies belong to the families Double-tailed, Thin-skinned, Seven-day and True mayflies. The most numerous and smallest are two-tailed mayflies. And the largest Russian view- common mayfly, 15–20 mm long, with brown wings.

Finding and catching mayflies

Mayfly larva

Around the end of June, a gradual exodus of larvae from the water begins and winged insects, reminiscent of butterflies. Their aerial dance cannot be confused with the dance of any other butterfly: the insect quickly flies up, then smoothly falls and takes off again. The mayfly dances in the meadows adjacent to the water. If you happen to see this, then you will already know that a mayfly larva lives in this river or stream. To find out where there are mayflies and where they are not, you need to scoop up and disassemble the coastal mud. Sometimes the presence of a larva can be detected without this: in the coastal zone, numerous holes are visible on the clay bottom - these are larval passages. The larva does not like creeks and backwaters, where there is eternal stagnation and there is not even the slightest flow of water. The mud there is stinking, and the grandmother does not live in it. There are water burros, dragonfly larvae, leeches, etc., but no mayfly nymphs. There is no granny in clean sand either, and if there is, it is very small. Most of it is on the clay bottom the color of dark ocher. Where there are a lot of larvae, collecting them is not difficult even without any auxiliary equipment. Just a piece of board or a canna lid is enough, since the depth of the hole does not exceed 6 cm. The slurry is scooped onto the shore and the whole thing is dismantled, rinsed and moistened with water. The larvae are very clearly visible: they are disturbed and they are moving, all that remains is to collect them in a spacious container. When disassembling, you need to be careful, as with any living creature: many are harmless, but there are also those that bite, such as the smooth water bug. Its sting is strong and painful, like that of a wasp. It is called the water wasp. And there’s a lot of glass everywhere now, so don’t relax.

To wash the larvae, it is most convenient to use a special scoop made of steel mesh with a cell diameter of up to 5 mm and a volume of up to 4 liters. It is attached to a long pole, and if the shore and water allow, then it can be done without a pole. By and large spring water A washing bucket made of mesh, like those used by bloodworms, is indispensable. They throw him into the water on a strong rope and begin to drag him to the shore with short jerks. At first the bucket slides along the bottom, but after a couple of jerks it sinks into the silt, and you slowly pull it towards you. You can tell by the heaviness that the bucket is full, then you can safely pull it out of the water. The contents are washed in it, then the remainder is poured out and the nymphs are selected. You can take an ordinary metal bucket and do everything exactly the same. After you pull it ashore, dump out the contents and disassemble it, moistening it with water. On big rivers You can’t do without a bucket at all, since the larva is located at a distance from the shore, at a depth of 1.5 to 4 m.

Mayfly for catching

Features of fishing for mayfly

For fishing, short (~ 3 m) bamboo rods with a hard tip are used. The fishing line is used 0.5...0.4 mm and a piece longer fishing rods at ~0.6 m. The float used is medium-sized, white (highly visible at night), foam plastic; The fishing line is clamped in it with a goose feather. The weight is oval, round, weighing 10...5 g. The hooks must be sharp, with an elongated shank, of medium size; A leash of ~25 cm is required, usually made of fishing line (0.2…0.3 mm is suitable).

They go out to fish for mayflies in the dead of night. The boat is stopped at the entrance, positioned across the current, on the side of the rolling water. Right next to the side of the boat, for fun, they throw 2…3 balls of bait made from dry flies mixed with clay.

A bait of several mayflies is placed on a hook; The tackle is thrown into the water and carried out so that the bait moves just above the bottom. Because of the darkness, the fishing line is held taut with the rod. Bites are determined by the shocks that are transmitted to the hand; sometimes it can be felt by the heaviness that appears on the fishing line.