Category Archives: Insects – Other

Katydid

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While doing a little hiking in Brecksville Reservation I came across a Katydid. Their great camoflauge is obvious. When looking straight down at one, it can be very difficult to detect in a field.

And while looking at one from the side, it appears to be a leaf. They can use their leaf-like wings to take flight if necessary.

Katydids eat a wide variety of vegetation. Males are capable of generating sound by rubbing their wings together. Females hear them with an “ear” located in each front leg.

They can be distinguished from grasshoppers by their long antennae, which may exceed their own body length. Females (like this one) possess a sword-shaped egg-laying structure called an ovipositor.

The Katydid is to the night what the Cicada is to the day, filling the night with its song. To some it sounds like it is saying “Katy did, Katy did, she did, she did,” over and over again. We don’t know what Katy did, but that is likely how the Katydid got its name.

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Chinese Mantis

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While walking through this field, a large flying insect attracted my attention as it soared by. I noted its landing spot and decided to check it out.

The “Praying Mantis” is truly a remarkable creature with a striking appearance and curious habits. Its name comes from the way it holds its front legs up the front of the body as if it were praying.

They grab and hold onto their food (mainly other insects) with their front legs, which are pointy to provide a good grip. They blend in well with their surroundings, allowing them to ambush unsuspecting bugs. Mantids commonly remain quiet in one place until another insect comes within reach.

One of the most unusual characteristics of the mantis is that it’s an “auditory Cyclops” – it is the only animal known to listen to its world through one ear. The ability of mantids to cock their heads from side to side is unique among insects; it is the only insect that can look over its shoulder.

First introduced into the United States in 1896; Chinese Mantis are native to China. Nurseries and garden centers sometimes sell their egg cases and as a result, they have a wide distribution in the United States. The Chinese Mantis is most commonly seen in late September and early October either resting on plants or fluttering through the air.

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Cicada Killer

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Lately, with the “dog days” of Summer upon us, I’ve been seeing these big bugs. Cicada Killers are large, solitary, ground dwelling, predatory wasps. It is interesting to watch them scan the stems of plants as they search by sight for their quarry – Annual Cicadas.

The female Cicada Killer will paralyze a cicada with her sting, bring it back to her burrow, lay an egg on it and seal the burrow. A grub will hatch from the egg in a few days, eat the cicada and overwinter underground in a hard cocoon which it weaves.

During the past two years a bit of “driveway drama” played out as a Killer subdued a Cicada in my yard. Check out how fast the two insects were spinning in this classic stuggle between life and death.

Despite their large size and fearsome appearance, male Cicada Killers cannot sting and females rarely sting people. Males live for only two weeks or so. After a short life of intense patrolling, fighting and mating, they then die. Females live about four weeks, but work even harder than the males, digging many burrows and hunting.  In a typical season 100 female Cicada Killers will clear over 16,000 Cicadas from the surrounding area.

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