Show threadMicha BaumJan 26

@ShaulaEvans
Some leaf beetles produce toxins which they can secrete through glands on their back.

...other leaf beetles feed on poisonous plants, "collect" the toxins and secrete them (sometimes chemically modified).

... and *some* leaf beetle larvae keep the toxins of the plants inside their digestive tract making their feces toxic. Their anus is at a position where they shit on their own back producing a protective "fecal mask". No shit.

#BugFacts #fecology

Show threadStewart RussellOct 24, 2024

My phone reminded me that this is also the number for Squid Facts, as I had texted them back in May last year.

Text "Squid" to 1-833-724-8398

#BugFacts #SquidFacts

Stewart RussellOct 24, 2024

I mean, who wouldn't?

(Want a bug fact? Text "Bugs" to 1-833-724-8398)
As seen in the window of Port Carling Public Library
#bugs #BugFacts #library #PortCarling

NoahMay 11, 2023
House centipedes are pretty common here in Virginia. I know a lot of folks don’t want them in their homes because bugs with lots of legs tend to gross people out. I get it. Much like the spider hanging out in the corner eating the mosquitoes you don’t want, these end up being pretty beneficial though. They’re carnivorous and eat unwanted pests like moths, carpenter ants, and termites. They do also eat spiders when they can get to them so if you’re arachnophobic, bonus for you! #BugFacts
Great Soft Jelly ThingDec 7, 2022

Termites are also really cool not only for their badass architecture but they also have one of the most interesting caste systems in insects.

Termite mounds have a queen and a king. They are the fertile breeding pair while the rest of the mound is infertile and divided into soldier or workers. Soldier termites can also have either giant jaws or a little organic gun on their head that shoots toxic glue.

#termite #bugs #bugfacts #insects

Show threadRockarioOct 21, 2020
TIL: Elytra (you know, from Minecraft) is the name for the hardened fore-wings that you see on some species of bug and beetle. The part that you think of as their "shell" that gets deployed so they can fly with their hindwings.
#BugFacts
Show threadRockarioOct 20, 2020

TFW you're trying to find out what a Stag beetle eats, then you find out they basically don't.

They're the kind of bug that just gets real fat as a larva and survives on fat stores and fruit juice. #BugFacts