neville parkWent cicada-ing among the big willows down by the lake last night and was gloriously rewarded!
These are dog day cicadas, _Neotibicen canicularis_.
But not every cicada emerges successfully. My first find was this partially emerged cicada being rapaciously devoured by the big carpenter ants (_Camponotus_) that also live in the willows. They were carrying away great hunks of meat in their jaws. Seeing this, I was surprised that any cicadas managed to molt successfully at all!
#bugstodon #insects #cicadas #ants #predation #Hemiptera #Cicadidae #Hymenoptera #Formicidae
(cc @futurebird for _Camponotus_ having a good time)
myrmepropagandist@nev Yeah... they can be a little harsh like that. Well at least the girls had a good day... if not the cicada.
@futurebird they are the undisputed rulers of that patch of willows!
I also saw the biggest _Camponotus_ I've ever seen, like "I didn't know ants got this big in Canada" big. A queen? (Pointer finger for scale.)
Yes! That is a de-alate queen. She has mated and thus removed her wings and is currently looking for a place to live. If you see such a queen you can catch her and have a pet colony. With such a big robust colony already in the area it would also help her to maybe get relocated to a different old tree. (If her sisters find here they will not be kind anymore-- she's probably from the big colony that's already there...)
@futurebird thanks! This was in a different area. She seemed like she was pretty busy (it was hard even getting a photo of her) so I let her do her thing.
Albert Cardona@nev
Wow what a scene. Moulting renders insects vulnerable. A while back I witnessed how a hornet Vespula germanica chewed on the soft wings of a moulting Egyptian bird grasshoper, Anacridium aegyptium http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/91574142
I too wonder why insects have such a weak point. Only social insects, who protect each other, are spared. Others have to dig themselves into crevices, like solitary bees, yet are still subject to predation.
#iNaturalist #Hymenoptera #Orthoptera #predation #entomology #insects #locusts #wasps #wasplove
@nev
Wow what a scene. Moulting renders insects vulnerable. A while back I witnessed how a hornet Vespula germanica chewed on the soft wings of a moulting Egyptian bird grasshoper, Anacridium aegyptium http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/91574142
I too wonder why insects have such a weak point. Only social insects, who protect each other, are spared. Others have to dig themselves into crevices, like solitary bees, yet are still subject to predation.
#iNaturalist #Hymenoptera #Orthoptera #predation #entomology #insects #locusts #wasps #wasplove
@albertcardona I've seen a red velvet mite predating a molting crab spider!
Some spiders hang from a thread of silk which reduces the risk somewhat (though not if they're on a tree trunk as I often see happening). Others make a thick silk bag they enclose themselves in.
El Duvelle@nev oh noo
nathanlovestrees@nev wonderful! Just had one emerge on the side of my garage yesterday!
직박 
(곰팡이무서워)@nev I love this
Jeffrey J. Dean