"New Life"

Below consists a few photos from Ingo Arndt who won the 2012 Fritz Polking Award. These photos entitled new life explores the birth of new insects. 

The first Image captured the moment a fly breaks through its puparium, which is the hardened larval skin that encloses the pupa.

World's Heaviest Cockroach

The world's heaviest cockroach is the Australian burrowing cockroach can grow up to three and half inches long, and they weigh about the same as a parakeet. 

They can weigh up to 35g and measure up to 80 mm

Believe it or not these insects are becoming popular pets in Australia!

The Australian burrowing cockroach eats dry Eucalyptus leaves, and by doing so they serve an important function in Australian ecology; they recycle nutrients from the dry Eucalyptus leaves back into the earth.

Though wingless and slow moving, they can live for up to ten years. And unlike the cockroaches you’re used to, these creatures bear live young.

Mothers & Their Young

All Images found online | No copyright infringement intended | All rights belong to their rightful owners

Damselfly Dew Drops

Image: David Chambon via The Scientist

Ever wonder how this happens?

Insects  have waterproof exoskeletons which cause the water to ball up on their surfaces. 

You can see the small balls of  morning dew on the damselfly pictured above

Terminology

Exoskeleton: is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body

How does a bee stop the queen mating with other bees ?

Wasp Vs Red Back Spider

A redback spider-hunting wasp dragging its paralysed redback prey back to its nest. 

Image: Florian and Peter Irwin

Main source of Article

In this scenario one would more than likely believe the redback spider would win hands down. However in this instance with a specific species of wasp, it seems the wasp comes out the winner.

It was during a recent study at the university of Adelaide, scientists  discovered a native wasp to Australia which is clearly a predator of the redback Spider!!!

The wasp has since been renamed the "red back spider-hunting wasp" after a family in Western Australia witnessed the wasp paralyse the red back spider in their backyard.

The fascinating part of this discovery is that the adult red back spider-hunting wasp is no bigger than the red back spider. Scientists believe the wasp stings and paralyses the red back spider, but does not kill it. The wasp then drags the redback to its nest where it lays eggs on the spider & once the eggs hatch the redback spider becomes lunch for the wasps newly hatched larvae.

Redbacks are one of the most dangerous spiders in Australia and are mostly found within and around houses. However one issue does arise with the re introduction of this wasp on a larger scale, the wasp does not need to hunt all the time, which means that the although the wasp is just following its natural instinctive behavour and lowering the red back population, it will not eradicate the red back.

If you have a problem with red back spiders, feel free to contact us on 1300 760 045 or visit our website 

Spider Webs - Stunning

                                      All Images found online | No copyright infringement intended | All rights belong to their rightful owners