Entomology for the completely uninterested!
Shield bugs (Palomena prasina) appear in May, having hibernated as imagos, (the last stage in it's metamorphosis) during the winter. They fatten for a month and then mate in June, (hence the term 'Glorious June), The female lays her eggs in hexagonal batches of 25 to 30, and a single female will lay three to four batches. After the eggs hatch, they enter a larval stage and remain together in sibling communities, it's always nice when families stay together don't you think. This is made possible by the excretion of an aggregation pheromone.
I remember when our kids were young, at a local country show, being the responsible parents we are, we 'misplaced' a child! A few peaceful minutes passed before the errant youngster was rounded up; an aggregation pheromone would have come in handy then!
The green shield bug displays different colouration during each nymphal stage, light brown, black or green-black, and in the final stage, the imago, is bright green with short wings. Usually the imago stage is reached in September and Palomena will soon be putting her summer wardrobe away in preparation for hibernation in November.
So there you have it for today and not a rock or a lighthouse in sight.
The track for today, as Palomena might say 'It's my Life'
Check out those hairstyles! Nicky Clarke gets everywhere, one day masquerading as DT, the next, he's the frontman for Talk Talk!
Entomology for the completely uninterested!
Shield bugs (Palomena prasina) appear in May, having hibernated as imagos, (the last stage in it's metamorphosis) during the winter. They fatten for a month and then mate in June, (hence the term 'Glorious June), The female lays her eggs in hexagonal batches of 25 to 30, and a single female will lay three to four batches. After the eggs hatch, they enter a larval stage and remain together in sibling communities, it's always nice when families stay together don't you think. This is made possible by the excretion of an aggregation pheromone.
I remember when our kids were young, at a local country show, being the responsible parents we are, we 'misplaced' a child! A few peaceful minutes passed before the errant youngster was rounded up; an aggregation pheromone would have come in handy then!
The green shield bug displays different colouration during each nymphal stage, light brown, black or green-black, and in the final stage, the imago, is bright green with short wings. Usually the imago stage is reached in September and Palomena will soon be putting her summer wardrobe away in preparation for hibernation in November.
So there you have it for today and not a rock or a lighthouse in sight.
The track for today, as Palomena might say 'It's my Life'
Check out those hairstyles! Nicky Clarke gets everywhere, one day masquerading as DT, the next, he's the frontman for Talk Talk!