The Cochineal is an insect which is famous for which the crimson dye, carmine, is derived from. This insect is actually a parasite which is native to both tropical and sub-tropical Mexico and South America. It lives on cacti and feeds on the cacti’s moisture as well as its nutrients. A drawing of the Cochineal
The Stag Beetle is one of the most widely known bugs in Europe, although recently their numbers have diminished. This small creature became famous, after the artist Albrecht Durer painted a picture of it in real-life size, and this painting was sold for 175 000 Deutsche Marks, which was a very large sum at that
The Common Earwig, also known as the European Earwig is a rather peculiar looking bug with a pair of impressive claws. The name comes from a common superstitious belief that the creature can crawl in a human’s ear and pierce the eardrum with the claws. When in danger, the Earwig may indeed seek shelter in
The Hickory Horned Devil is the caterpillar larvae of the Regal Moth. The eggs of the Regal Moth hatch approximately 7 – 10 days after being laid. Initially the larvae is very small and of a yellowish condition, this will not last long however as the larvae will quickly become darker. As a young larvae
There is an insect in New Zealand that grows nowhere else in the world It is a sort of grasshopper type of insect that is unique to this area, and found no other place on earth. The natives there have always called it the Weta, which means, in their native Maori, “The god of bad
Native to Australia, the jungle nymph stick is an incredible sight to behold. It measures well over 6 inches in most cases and has a nasty looking array of thorny spikes on its body, which is bright neon green in color. The spines can be a half inch long, and stand upright. Jungle Nymphs have
The walkingstick, lives in deciduous trees in North America. Due to its shape it is called many other names, among them prairie alligator. Usually occurring in the easterly half of the United States it has been seen in every state east of the plains and many in Canada. Walkingstick Recently it has also been seen
One of the most remarkable inhabitants of the insect kingdom is Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Butterfly It ranks as the very largest butterfly in the world. This butterfly can have a wingspan of almost a foot wide. It is rare to see it, as its home is in a coastal area of New Guinea, and it
The pecan weevil is a tree insect which can do great harm to the trees they are named after. The adults are a light brown or grey, and are about 12 mm long, with a very long beak that can be as long as its own body. The male is not quite as large as
The green tree ant found in Northern Australia is a type of weaver ant found in many other places in the world. The Australian ant is called either the green tree ant, or the weaver ant the weaver ant comes from a skill of theirs, because they build a nest out of woven leaves. The
