Hello folks who wonder the reason woodlice are not aware of all the latest gossip about the Kardashian sisters is because they have been living under a rock for all this time,

Spring is finally here, which means it's time to cash in on the opportunity of posting those wildflower pictures on Instagram with #natureisbeautiful and get those easy likes. But while everyone is distracted with these colorful flowers, there is an interesting story taking place on the sidelines away from the limelight. All we need to do is, stop to smell the flowers, freak out if you can't smell them (relax people, it's a covid joke) and then look around the flowers.

One of the things you would likely see on the plants or grasses, away from the limelight of flowers are aphids.


These little green insects are like green colored sugar candies walking around to snack up on the sugars the plants are making in the kitchen. Just like jelly beans, aphids are found in a range of colors, but that is a topic for some other time. And just like jelly beans, they will be frequently seen hanging out in a group.


Aphids hate to be lonely, away from friends and family. That is why these recent social distancing guidelines have been tough on them. So, they said, if we cannot travel to meet our families as per the CDC guidelines, why not start a family close to us. And so they did. You see, aphids are largely composed of females who will pop out daughters like people popped out bread from their oven at the start of the pandemic. No male aphids necessary here, at least for some time. They will soon need one, when they need help to jump start their car. So, if you observe these aphids and are lucky enough, you might see one pooping out something.


Aphids usually just poop liquid honeydew which is a sugar rich poop (Ants make sure that no aphid poop is wasted. Read more here), so if you see something solid, it is more likely they are giving birth to a daughter. After 3-d printing their daughters, they will twerk to gently separate the kid from their bodies.


Sometimes when the mom is in a hurry, she might not be as gentle with her daughter and they might fall head first on the floor. Well even aphids need a good laugh at someone else's expense sometimes.


But sometimes, if you look carefully, you might see one aphid that looks a little pale, a little different from others. "What's your deal?" you ask it. Why don't you like to be surrounded by friends or family? Social isolation is bad for your mental health and it might be killing you slowly", I say. But it has other things to worry about, there is something else that is killing it slowly.


You see, this aphid has been impregnated by a parasitoid wasp (No, it wasn't consensual if you are curious) and is host to the wasp larva eating it from inside.


"When is your baby due?", I ask. But I get no response. Below is the wasp larva wiggling around the body of the aphid, making itself at home.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Did you learn something new in this post? Let us know in the comments below

Tags

acorns adventure adventures algae alligator american crow ant cricket ants aphids aquatic snails arachnids argentine ants bananas bark beetles barklice barnacles bats beaver bees beetle beetles bird lice birds black-tailed deer bloodworms bristletail bug bugs bumblebee butterflies calicoflower canada goose cardinal carpenter bees carrots caterpillars cave centipede cockroaches common murres coot corvids court case crabs crawfish crayfish cricket crickets crow crustaceans damselflies death deer diatoms dock dragonflies earwigs eggs egrets elephant seals eucalyptus european starlings eyes farallon island ferns fingerprints fishes flea flies floods florida flowers fly freshwater snail frog frogs fundraiser fungus fungus-eating lady beetles galls gannet geckos geese goats goldfinch gophers grasshopper green dock beetle green heron green lacewing guest post gull gulls harvestmen hawks herons hike history honeybees house sparrows india insects isopods jumping bristletails jumping spiders juncos katydid kayak lacewing lady beetles land snails leaf miners leafhopper lice lichens lizard lizards lynx spider maggots Magpie mallow marsh megabats midges mildew millipede mites moles mosquito moths mouse spider nematodes nettles newt newts night nuthatches oaks owl paper wasps parasite part 2 pavement ants pelicans pigeons pill bugs plants pocket gophers pollen pollination pollinators poppy praying mantis pseudopupil pupa quail rabbits rat roach roadkill rove beetles salamander salmon sandpiper scat scorpion Scorpions sea lions sea otters sea urchin seals seeds shorebird shrimp silverfish skunk snails snakes social media solifuges sparrows spider spiders springtails squirrel squirrels starlings stilts stinger sun spiders surf scoter swallows tarantula termites thrips ticks towhees trees turkey turkey vulture turtle venom vernal pool vultures warblers wasps water boatmen webspinners whales wildflower wolf spider woodpeckers Wren wrens yellow jackets youtube

Featured Post

The case of the missing grasshopper

Hello folks who wonder if crime does not pay well at least the benefits are hard to dismiss, This case is about Gregory , a band-winged Gras...