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Caddis Flies: are extremely
important in a aquatic environment since the larvae feed largely
on mosquito larvae.
Carrion Beetles: these beetles
dig the soil from beneath small dead animals such as birds and
mice until they are covered completely. eggs are then laid by
the beetles on the bodies and the larvae feed on the decaying
flesh.
Cuckoo Wasp: an external parasite
of wasp or bee larvae.
Damsel Bug: feeds on a large
number of insects but especially on aphids and caterpillars.
Damselfly: the naiads (immature
stages) feed on mosquito larvae, and the adults on mosquitoes
and moths.
Dragonfly: the naiads feed on
mosquito larvae, and the adults on mosquitoes and moths.
Ichneumons: are parasites of
many pests, e.g. the larvae of wood wasps, horntails, sawflies,
butterflies and moths.
Ladybugs: the larvae and adults
feed on aphids.
Mayfly: often emerge in large
numbers from lakes, and both larvae and adults are important
as fish food.
Milkweed Butterfly: of which
the most common member is the monarch butterfly. The larvae feed
on milkweed - a common field weed.
Praying Mantis: eat large numbers
of insect pests.
Predacious Diving Beetles: a
large group of aquatic beetles usually in ponds and quiet streams.
Both larvae and adults are predacious and feed on a variety of
small aquatic animals.
Scarab Beetles: feed on decomposing
plant material and carrion.
Sphecid Wasps: Digger Wasps
and Mud Daubers. Each egg is deposited on a caterpillar or other
insect ( such as cicada) which is paralyzed by stinging the "food"
and egg is then stored in a nest dug in the ground, in the hollowed
stem of a plant, or fashioned of mud and suspended from the underside
of a structure such as a bridge.
Spider Wasp: most larvae feed
on spiders which are captured and paralyzed by the adult wasp,
and placed in a cell in the ground. Eggs are then layed on the
spider.
Stone Fly: some species are
predacious in the naiad stage, and fish also feed on them.
Water Boatmen: some species
are said to eat larvae of mosquitoes, but probably their chief
food is algae or the ooze from the bottomof the pond.
Water Scavenger Beetles: resemble
predacious diving beetles but live on decaying organic matter
in water.
Water Strider: the food of both
nymphs and adults consist of living and dead floating insects
and other aquatic organisms.
Many fruits and vegetables and
ornamentals require an insect, (usually a bee) to pollinate their
flowers so that seeds may develop. |