Can't wait for spring! 🌞🌼🐝

Common yellowjacket,
Vespula vulgaris
(08/2020 in Oberursel, Germany)

Until around mid-August they mainly feed on protein in form of insects or meat. This is how they supply the larvae. As soon as the adults no longer have to take care of the brood, they need sugar to survive. That's why they get annoying. But that's no reason to kill or torment them. They do valuable services: pollinate plants and keep the environment clean. In contrast to the wasp, humans have a large brain.

My buddy C-7 (Coccinella septempunctata) 🐞🌞

The sloth enjoyed a sunny Sunday along with Mother Nature! 🌞🌼🐝 ⠀
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🎶 Music: "Delta Blues"
👤 by Stefan Kartenberg 🔖 2020 - Licensed under
Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)

Just a bark-eating zophoba beetle. In addition to isopods and springtails, they take care of the cleanliness of my corn snake terrarium. They cope better with the conditions in the terrarium than isopods and springtails. In the nature of their Central and South American homeland, they feed on guano from fruit-eating bats. In my terrarium they eat undiscovered remains of my snake. However, you should make sure that the zophobas don't take over. They could become a stress factor and life risk for the main residents. The larvae also like to eat styrofoam, from which many back walls are made. They eat almost everything! That's why it's important to keep an eye on it. Since zophobas pupate only in isolation, there is only a small risk of overpopulation (depending on the interior). Also, the larvae from the terrarium shouldn't be fed to other animals because this could spread diseases. If you notice that they become too many, you can put wet pieces of bark in the terrarium. An hour later you collect the bark together with the larvae and kill them friendly in the freezer. The easiest way is to collect the adult beetles and allow only a few to lay eggs. Because of these peculiarities, I cannot fully recommend it, but I have had good experiences myself. We're all pioneers with different experiences.

🏨🐜 News from the insect hotel:


Oops! Post #404! Time for a bug report! That's my bud, the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys). Since 2011, this species has been detected in Germany and comes originally from East Asia. They are also found in North and South America. Often on house walls, they sometimes get lost inside. They can't survive the winter in warm houses, so I left it free.🕊

🏨🐜 News from the insect hotel:


That's my bud, the stink bug! I thought of it as a different species, but thanks to a friendly hint I know that it's the introduced species Halyomorpha halys. Since 2011, this species has been detected in Germany and comes originally from East Asia.

It sat on my finger for about 8 minutes.☝ Then my patience was over. It has nothing to do with the little gift that made it to me.💩😂 I was hoping it would fly away, for recording.😐 It's very affectionate.😅😘 This stink bug has been with me for at least a month now. Sometimes it lands on my desk and struggles to get back up.😂 Stupid sweet little bug!❤ I'm very happy about this roommate, but I've just read that they don't survive the room temperatures in winter. Next time I see it, I free it! 🤗

Crane fly,
Tipula sp.❤
(05/2003 in Oberursel, Germany)

Isn't it beautiful?😍 Crane flies are completely harmless.😁 Many believe they are huge mosquitoes.😆 Their mandibles are only suitable for absorbing water and nectar and can't penetrate through the skin.☝ What can end fatally, however, is to get the giggles from people panicking around the whole apartment.😂🙈🙉🙊




Do you see behind the wings these small stems with the thickening at the end? In evolutionary terms, these are reduced wings and serve as orientation. They are called halteres and are a fascinating development of Mother Nature. Many other flying insects have that too. Simply said, the halteres swing through the wing movements, and as the animal changes direction, the vibration also changes.💡

🌸🚁 Marmalade hoverfly (male),
Episyrphus balteatus
(06/2019 in Oberursel, Germany)

Marmalade hoverflies always follow the nice weather! 🌞 This species belongs to the migratory insects and forms dense seasonal swarms. In autumn, these travel from Central Europe to the Mediterranean region (vice versa in spring). The hoverflies cross the passes of the low mountain ranges, the Pyrenees and the Alps! 👍🐝



🎶 Music: "Hey, Are You Here?"
👤 by Kara Square 🔖 Licensed under
Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial 3.0 🔊 Sound effect: "Helicopter"
👤 by navaneetha kris 🔖 Licensed under
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

My new roommate "Piñata DeBicho"! 🤗
It's a conehead mantis (Empusa pennata).
But you shouldn't believe everything. ☝
There is also some evidence that it comes from the planet Remulak! 👾🚀
Who cares! Just let the little conqueror march a bit! 😍


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Music: Mixed parts of "Haze" by Doxent Zsigmond (2018) and "Muy Caliente" by Apoxode (2019). Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0)