Surely many of you know about the existence of grasshoppers. These jumping insects live in almost all regions of our country. The only exception is the northern regions with an unfavorable cold climate. After reading today's article, you will understand how many grasshoppers live.
Brief Description of the View
Grasshoppers can be recognized by an elongated torso and a laterally compressed head, on which two faceted oval eyes are located. Depending on the species, the body length of the insect can vary from one and a half to fifteen centimeters. They have three pairs of legs that perform various functions. So, the rear muscular limbs are for jumping, and the two front pairs are for walking.
Those who do not know how many grasshoppers live in captivity will also be interested in the fact that the distance the insect jumps up to twenty times the total length of its body. The function of the organs of touch is assigned to the sensitive antennae. Some species of grasshoppers have two pairs of wings, used not only for flights, but also as a defense.
Lifestyle
These insects prefer loneliness. Those who are trying to figure out how many grasshoppers live do not hurt to understand that they do not have their own home. They live among trees and bushes. In extremely hot weather, insects hide all day in the grass, leaving shady shelters in the morning.
Throughout the summer, grasshoppers publish voiced melodies. These sounds are the result of vibration. They intensify when insects raise their wings. Singing males allows them to attract the attention of females and show rivals that this territory is already occupied.
Power Features
Those who do not yet know how much grasshoppers live at home will be interested in being predators. The basis of their diet consists of caterpillars, butterflies and other small insects. In some cases, they can feed on larvae, as well as weaker representatives of their own species.
Waiting for his victim, the grasshopper quietly hides in the grass. Then he grabs her four forelimbs and immediately eats it. If you have difficulty finding insects, grasshoppers can eat grass, plant stems, tree buds, foliage, flowers, and certain varieties of cereal crops.
Reproduction and development
Those who are interested in how long a grasshopper lives without food should understand that the mating season of these insects begins in late July and ends in the first half of September. Their mating lasts for 45 minutes. After that, the female eats the spermatophore. This process can last up to fifteen hours. As for the male, then fifteen minutes after the end of mating, he resumes his singing.
For masonry, the female selects a suitable place and digs a not too deep hole there. At one time, it can produce about a hundred eggs of a greenish tint. All of them have an elongated cylindrical shape, and their length is about six millimeters.
With the onset of cold weather, adults die, and the eggs remain buried to a shallow depth throughout the fall and winter. In the spring, after warming the surface soil layer, larvae emerge from them, which after five molts turn into young insects.
For those who are interested in how many grasshoppers live, we will answer that, taking into account all the stages of their development, the duration of their existence is slightly more than one year. During this time, he manages to turn from an egg into an adult. If you skip the early stages of the development of the insect, then it lives only one summer and dies with the onset of cold weather.
Interesting Facts
Having figured out how much grasshoppers live, it should be noted that most of the varieties of these insects do not bring much harm. The exception is only those individuals that destroy tea and citrus plantations.
These insects are a familiar ingredient in many dishes of national Chinese cuisine. They are also eaten by Asian and African Aborigines.
A grasshopper has quite powerful jaws, so its bite can be quite painful for a person. Often these insects are kept in captivity as pets. Chinese breeders managed to breed several breeds, representatives of which are distinguished by beautiful singing. The cost of one such individual can reach twenty dollars.
Grasshoppers live in spacious aquariums, the bottom of which is strewn with sand. To avoid the cannibalism inherent in adults, butterflies, spiders, flies, vegetables and fruits should be present in their diet. It is also recommended to feed them with lettuce leaves, berries and unripe ears of wild cereals.
In the period of laying eggs, it is advisable for females to plant one by one. Otherwise, they can begin to divide the territory, which will inevitably lead to fights and eating their own kind.