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Stick Insects
Just as the name implies, they look like a stick, with legs. Entomologists are still working on grouping these animals. Many newly discovered species have not been formally described but there are about 3,000 species classified and the list is growing.
548 Questions
Is the Tropical stick insect the largest insect in the world?
no! the stick insect is not the largest insect living but the longest insect living today.....
Walking sticks rely on their camouflage adaptation to protect them from predators. Their coloring and shape makes them appear to be part of the plant they are on. Some species of walking stick have the ability to secrete a foul smelling liquid that deters potential predators.
How many body parts does a stick insect have?
Stick Insects are insects, so like every other insect species, they have six legs.
How many stick insect species come from Europe?
It is impossible to say how many individual stick insects are in the world - but there could easily be many millions.
As for species, there are at least 3,000 different species of stick insect that are known, but there could easily be more that haven't been discovered yet.
Are walking sticks really poisonous?
Stick insects are neutral. They eat leaves. They are not harmful, but are preyed upon by lizards and birds. Fish may even eat any stick insect eggs. the are not beneficial either they are a just simple cool looking bug
How often do stick insects molt?
4-5 times in thier lifetime so about once a month then will spend the rest of thier life as an adult for about 4-8 months.
How to tell the difference between stick insect pooh and eggs?
Stick insect eggs look like small seeds, and are generally dark brown in color. They are rounded and are fairly easy to separate from droppings because they look nothing alike.
Does a walking stick have 6 legs?
Walking sticks have 6 legs. Their legs are very brittle. Some can survive with only 4 legs if they fall off.
Do stick bugs die after they lay eggs?
Hi,
I have the same question too. I have three stick bugs and one laid eggs for about one week and now seems to be sick (isn't moving around a lot). I think she is dying and wonder if this is just a natural progression. . .
Stick insects sleep on leaves, on twigs, on sticks, or in trees. Some are nocturnal and they sleep during the day.
Why does pollen stick to the legs of an insect?
most insects have small hairs on their legs and when they are around pollen, when they fly or walk on flowers it gets stuck.
Do stick insects have ears in their knees?
They do not have ears, but can sense sound by feeling vibrations of the air. Their sense of smell is their most important sense.
A stick bug (AKA stick insects, walking sticks and technically Phasmatodea) eats Dog food.
I had the same question as I recently allowed a stick bug into my house.
I've seen these guys probably a dozen times in my yard and this particular one seemed to call my name.
I put him on one of my house plants and went looking for what they eat. Imagine my dilema when I realized they eat leaves and I put it on one of my plants.
I do not keep the bug in a container... and it seems to be just fine staying where it is (for the time being anyway).
So back to the answer. Here are the types of leaves it seems they will eat and I will give a link to a page I found to be useful when bringing this bug into my home.
Types of leaves it eats:
blackberry bramble, ivy, privet, oak, rose, hawthorn, pyracantha, strawberry leaves or beetroot leaves
Great Resource Link:
http://www.teacherwebshelf.com/classroompets/insectsandco-walkingsticks.htm#I4
The #14 in the link above should bring you right to the food section of the page, although I do recommend reading the entire page.
yes some stick bugs are dangerous. the really thick ones are
Where and how does a walking stick lay her eggs?
Female stick insects begin to lay eggs about a week or two after the have reached adulthood. Some species of stick insects have males to fertilize the eggs, but all species will lay eggs without needing the help of a male if there is not one present.
A female stick insect will then lay eggs nearly every day for the rest of her life.
Why your stick insect has turned black?
Not all stick insect species have red front legs. The Indian Stick Insect is very well known for its bright red found on the inside of its front legs. It is not clear why it is coloured in such a way, but there are some possible reasons: Red could distract a predator from eating it, as many animals will refrain from eating a bug with red colouring as this often means they are poisonous or don't taste nice. Many harmless creatures, like stick insects, use this tactic as well.
Another possible theory is that the red is for communicating to other stick insects of the same species.
What kind of habitat does a stick insect live in?
Stick insects are found all over the world, but mostly in tropical regions. As they live on leaves they are found mostly on trees and bushes where the twigs are similar to their own appearance.
Walking sticks are found all over the continental U.S.. They love Oak trees and can actually become a problem if there are enough of them because they can damage the trees.
They like dry, tall trees usually in Texas, or California
How do walking stick insects camouflage?
Blends in with it's surroundings, and it looks like a regular twig. Mind you, in my 4th grade year my friend Alexia picked a walking stick to throw at someone, but I realized it was moving! SHe dropped it and screamed, and it stood still. 60% chance it will get away.
Why do stick insects have long legs?
It is possible that the insect may be sick, or dying, but there may also be many other causes. It is best to take your insect to a vet, as they will be able to tell you the exact cause and course of treatment.
How much does a stick insects food cost?
They are roughly I don't know how to describe them in the proper way but they weigh about as much as 10 ml of water.
Answered by Sam aged 11
Where do water stick insects live?
The Water Stick Insect is the largest water insect in Europe. You might think it would "stick out" with it's 4 centimeter length (7 centimeter including the breathing tube). But strange thing is, you easily overlook this large bug in your dipping net, where it's taking a stiff and dead posture to mimic a little stick; and with its legs pressed against the body you take it for a piece of old reed. So, with the debris of water plants you scooped up, you unknowingly throw it back into the water. The specimen of the photo surprised me by its sudden movement, otherwise I would have done the same... It turned out to be a young specimen, its breathing tube still being short.
with shed skin
Water Stick Insect
During its stay in a little plastic bucket, to my disappointment it seemed to float dead on the surface one day, by then I didn't know it was just the shed skin: it had moulted. Later I saw the bug on the bottom, still pale, with the fullgrown breathing tube. And it kept surprising me how, every time I wanted to take a peek, it seemed to have disappeared between the water plants and only came in sight after I poked a little bit with a small stick. It's a fascinating animal that easily grows up in an aquarium. I raised up two from the larval state and put them back in their original pool. For a full grown Water Stick Insect the tank must have a minimal height of 20 centimeters.
Very often you have to look hard to find the animal again, the picture on the left the animal is better visible because lighting and background are helping. In its habitat it hangs motionless between the Floating Pondweed stems (Potamogeton natans), by its long mid and hind legs which are held slanted backwards. There's the creatures favorite hiding spot, in the dim light it becomes a stalk itself and disappears from the view of its predators and prey. Very slowly it moves up backward until the long breathing tube touches the water surface. Almost unnoticeably the long, slender body then rises and sinks a millimeter with each breathing in and out, because of the difference in upward pressure. The front legs, the scythes of this Spirit of Death, are held ready for a greedy welcome. Like the front legs of the Water Scorpionthe feet(tarsi) snap like a pocket knife in a groove in the thigh part (femur) and form a merciless trap, from which no insect leg ever gets free alive. They seem to close in an autonomic reflex. It appeared to me that small animals are trapped when they walk over the front legs, holding them for harmless stalks. It reminds me of a flesh-eating plant. This "silent vegetable" carnivore has risen stealth murder, the beloved way of gathering food in pond and ditch, to a high state of art. The reflex of the front legs harvests smaller animals, and when the eyes spot a bigger prey the Water Stick Insect moves very slow untill the target is in reach - and with a quick draw the game is seized.
eating May fly larva
The prey is brought to the head, the short, flexible beak is thrusted into the victim, which is then sucked out. I don't know whether the Water Stick Insect inflict a painful nip to a human finger. Some articles say they may, but my specimen had no intention. During its meal the bug is often capable of catching new prey in a free front leg. Non struggling small prey is often kept on the beak without support of one of the front legs, so the Water Stick insect sometimes carries three victims: one in each leg and one on the proboscis. It may even catch two small animals simultaneously with the two legs! )¹
Some investigators think flies, that have fallen on the water surface are the stick-insect's main source of nutrition. They are good in catching them anyway: the bug stretches the supporting legs, so it bends slowly upwards, and with a quick haul the fly is dragged under water.
Mating is during springtime. The eggs are inserted into decomposing plants on the water surface. They are equipped with two wires that might have a role in air supply.
Water Stick Insect larva
THE LARVA
As with all bugs the larva already resembles the perfect insect. They have a short breathing tube and still miss the wings. The body is spotted, this gives them camouflage between smaller water plants. No wonder I discovered this specimen only after some days in the aquarium. They are just as good in hunting as there parents and grow fast. After a few moults they are adult, the breathing tube is short until the very last molt.
Water Stick Insect moulting
Larva, stealth hunting
The Water Stick Insect can be found in quiet waters between Floating Pondweed. It is able to swim a little and has been spotted swimming in more open water. This bug is close related to the much flatter Water Scorpion, Nepa cinerea. This may seem improbable, but at a closer look the similarities are striking: the small head, the long respiration tube, the food trapping front legs, and the life habits. Taxonomically both the genera Nepa and Ranatra are placed in the family of Water Scorpions (Nepidae). In America the genus Curicta )² is found, which looks like an intermediate between the Water Stick and the Water Scorpion. Water Stick Insects walk quicker and better than Water Scorpions when on land and some specimen are able to fly, though this has always been doubted. There are reports however of whole "flocks" of Water Stick Insects and an investigator found a large number stuck on a roof which had just been tarred, the bugs probably mistook the dark shining tar for a water surface. (Many flying water insects land on unnatural shining surfaces like dark cars and greenhouses). The flying Water Stick could be held for a large crane fly and thus not be recognised, though at a closer look it should be spectacular large! )³
