Thursday 15 February 2024

Trash Bug Versus Mealybug: Unique Insect Interaction Filmed for First Time  

Closeup of a lacwing larva on a green leaf with an adult mealybugs in front of it. The mealybug adult iscovered in a fuzzy white wax. The lacewing larva is larger, translucent grayish in color with hints of brown, legs akin to an adult insect, and many short thin hairs on its back. It also has two long mandibles with which it can pinch and grab prey or other material. Amid the hairs on its back is a large pile of white mealybug wax and other natural material that the larva has collected and placed there. In the image, the lacewing larva's left mandible contacts the orange fluid released by a mealybug through a slit-like opening, or ostiole, on its back.

This post Trash Bug Versus Mealybug: Unique Insect Interaction Filmed for First Time   appeared first on Entomology Today - Brought to you by the Entomological Society of America.

"Trash bug" lacewing larvae voraciously feed on mealybugs and then camouflage themselves in the mealybugs' wax and other debris. But mealybugs can fight back with "reflex bleeding," oozing out fluid that gums up the lacewing's mouth. An entomologist and macrophotographer captures one-of-a-kind photos and video of this predator and prey behavior. [Read more]

The post Trash Bug Versus Mealybug: Unique Insect Interaction Filmed for First Time   appeared first on Entomology Today.



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