How many grasshoppers live? A short description of an insect

Surely many of you know about the existence of grasshoppers. These jumping insects live in almost all regions of our country. The only exception is the northern regions with an unfavorable cold climate. After reading today's article, you will understand how many grasshoppers live.

Brief description of the species

Grasshoppers can be recognized by an elongated trunk and a head squashed from the sides, on which are located two faceted oval eyes. Depending on the species, the length of the body of an insect can vary from one and a half to fifteen centimeters. They have three pairs of legs performing various functions. So, the rear muscular limbs are designed for jumping, and the two front pairs are for walking.

For those who do not know how many grasshoppers live in captivity, it will also be interesting that the distance the jumping of an insect jumps can be twenty times the total length of its body. The function of the sense organs is assigned to sensitive tendrils. Some species of grasshoppers have two pairs of wings, which are used not only for making flights, but also as protection.

Lifestyle

These insects prefer solitude. Those who are trying to figure out how many grasshoppers live will not stop understanding that they do not have their own home. They live among trees and bushes. In particularly hot weather, insects spend days hiding in the grass, leaving shady shelters in the morning.

Throughout the summer grasshoppers make ringing melodies. These sounds are the result of vibration. They intensify when insects raise their wings. Singing males allows them to attract the attention of females and show rivals that the territory is already occupied.

Features of food

For those who do not yet know how many grasshoppers live at home, it will be interesting that they are predators. The basis of their diet is caterpillars, butterflies and other small insects. In some cases, they can feed on larvae, as well as weaker representatives of their own species.

Waiting for his victim, the grasshopper quietly hides in the grass. Then he grabs her with four forelimbs and immediately eats. When difficulties arise with the search for insects, grasshoppers can eat grass, plant stems, tree buds, foliage, flowers, and selected varieties of cereal crops.

Reproduction and development

Those who are interested in how much a grasshopper lives without food should understand that the mating season of these insects begins in late July and ends in the first half of September. Their mating lasts for 45 minutes. After this, the female eats the spermatophore. This process can last up to fifteen hours. As for the male, then fifteen minutes after the end of the mating, he resumes his singing.

For masonry, the female chooses the right place and digs a not too deep pit there. At one time it can produce about a hundred eggs of a greenish hue. They all have an elongated cylindrical shape, and their length is about six millimeters.

With the onset of cold weather, adult individuals die, and eggs remain buried for a small depth for the entire fall and winter. In the spring, after heating the surface layer of the soil, larvae appear from them, which after five lines turn into young insects.

Those who are interested in how many grasshoppers live, we answer that, taking into account all the stages of their development, the duration of their existence is slightly more than one year. During this time he manages to turn from an egg into an adult. If you miss the early stages of development of the insect, it lives only one summer and dies with the onset of cold weather.

Interesting Facts

Understanding how many grasshoppers live, it should be noted that most of the varieties of these insects do not cause any particular harm. The exception is only those individuals that destroy tea and citrus plantations.

These insects are a familiar ingredient in many dishes of national Chinese cuisine. They are also eaten by Asian and African natives.

A grasshopper has rather powerful jaws, so his bite can be quite painful for a person. Often these insects are kept in captivity as pets. Chinese breeders managed to breed several breeds, whose representatives are distinguished by beautiful singing. The cost of one such individual can reach twenty dollars.

Grasshoppers settle in spacious aquariums, the bottom of which is strewn with sand. To avoid cannibalism peculiar to adults, butterflies, spiders, flies, vegetables and fruits should be present in their diet. They are also recommended to be fed with salad leaves, berries and unripe ears of wild cereals.

In the period of laying eggs of females it is desirable to arrange one by one. Otherwise, they can begin to divide the territory, which inevitably leads to fights and eating their own kind.