Three Kings of the Insect World

Three Kings of the Insect World

When you think about the king of the jungle, an image of the mighty lion comes to mind. What about the insect kingdom? They might be small, yet insects can be top predators and rule their niche with their sharp teeth and a killer instinct.

King of the Air

When it comes to aerial acrobatics the dragonfly rules the sky. Dragonflies come equipped with four wings. Each wing can be moved independent of the others. Dragonflies can move straight up and down, backwards, upside-down, and hover. When flying forward they can reach speeds up to thirty miles per hour. All that might be impressive, but it is their predatory skill that makes them king of the air. A lion only catches about fifty percent of the prey it goes after. The dragonfly catches ninety to ninety-five percent. That means if you’re an insect and a dragonfly sets its sights on you, there’s little chance of escape, you’re going to be dinner.

King of the Sand

Take one look at an Antlion and you’ll know it isn’t nice. Armed with massive pincers, the antlion is built to kill. You can watch them in action. Find yourself an antlion pit, catch an ant and drop it inside. The ant will try to escape, but the sides are too steep and soft. If the antlion is hungry, it will start throwing sand at the unsuspecting ant. The antlion will then strike the ant with those massive jaws, inject venom, and pull the victim under the sand. The venom turns the insides of the ant into a frothy soup which the antlion drinks. After lunch is complete, the antlion larva will toss the carcass out of the hole, clean up the trap and get ready for you to toss in another ant.

King of the Frogs

The Epomis larva wiggles its antennae and moves around, trying to draw a frog’s attention. Once the predator locks on, it is all over… for the frog. The amphibian closes in on the seemingly helpless larva and attacks. The larva dodges the tongue strike and launches itself at the would-be predator. Using sharp mandibles, the larva attaches itself to the frog’s soft underside and begins to feed. Young larva drink body fluids, larger ones are big enough to chew and will slowly eat the frog down to the bones. In laboratory tests, scientists found that the larva can avoid the frog’s tongue almost every time and when they cannot; the larva begins chewing on the inside of the frog’s stomach. The frog regurgitates the intruder and the larva attaches itself to the frog’s belly. When a frog meets Epomis, Epomis wins every time.

Pointe Pest Control

If you have insects ruling over your home, a call to Pointe Pest Control will end their reign. Our technicians can dethrone any insect king. If you have an insect infestation call Pointe Pest Control today.