If you’ve been learning about raising monarchs, you’ve probably heard of the monarch parasite: OE spores. In this article, you’ll learn what OE parasites are, how they affect monarchs, and how they are transmitted. What Are OE Parasites? Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) is a protozoan parasite that affects monarch and queen butterflies. OE protozoan is a single-celled …
Dena Haines
Ladybug larva has often been confused as a harmful pest, especially when spotted on a milkweed plant. Sometimes the furry ladybug caterpillar gets squished, thinking that it is dangerous to garden plants. Monarch eggs are distinctive from ladybug eggs. Monarch eggs are white in color and laid one at a time. Ladybug eggs, in contrast, …
To raise monarch caterpillars at home, you’ll need a few supplies. There are some great commercial options for rearing monarch larvae. In this guide, you’ll learn the monarch butterfly supplies needed to raise from instar to adult butterfly. But you don’t have to spend a lot of money to successfully do this. Many of the …
How long does the metamorphosis from monarch egg to adult butterfly take? In this guide, you’ll learn about the four stages and the five instars of the monarch life cycle. The images and descriptions will help determining the instar of each monarch caterpillar you discover. The five stages (instars) of a Monarch butterfly take roughly …
You may be surprised to learn that most bugs and other arthropods living in your yard do not feed on nor harm plants. Most insects pass by on a pilgrimage or simply have innocuous behaviors. Other insects will even eat and destroy whatever species of pest you have. The are many insect predators. They include …
No one likes tiny black bugs in their home, but before you grab a broom or a bottle of bug spray, it pays to know what you’re fighting. Different species have different eradication methods. Let’s talk about small, black pests and what they could be. There are many tiny black bugs that could invade your …
When you see a bug flying around near you, you might worry about it stinging you. Wasps, bees, and hornets are similar, it’s often hard to figure out which ones are around your home. An easy way to tell the type of bug plaguing you is with a look at bee vs wasp vs hornet …
How many legs do insects have? Do all insects have 6 legs? Knowing how many legs is an important step to identifying the animal you’ve discovered. In this post, you’ll learn about 6 legged insects, with examples and photos. Insects have 6 legs, as part of their morphology. If an animal has more (or less) …
If you thought bugs and insects were the same things, you’re not alone. A lot of people use the two words interchangeably, but they don’t have the same meaning. You may even hear a scientist using the word bug as a generic term for an insect. However, in a technical sense, the two words have …
Most people know that spiders have 8 legs. And if an animal has six legs, it’s an insect, not an arachnid. But do other animals also have eight legs? Do all spiders have 8 legs? It is a myth that only spiders have 8 legs. Some other 8-legged animals include mites, ticks, scorpions, pseudoscorpions, and …