“Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced.” So said William Bradford, five-time governor of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts’ early days. He certainly had the credentials and track record to make this observation valid.
Bradford was one of the pilgrim leaders who guided his followers out of the Netherlands and to a primitive New England (New Netherlands in those days) wilderness. They clawed their way past harsh winters, inhospitable natives, and the threat of potential French and Spanish attack.
With Bradford at the forefront, the colony weathered the hard times to become a stable and prosperous settlement. His charges had been deposited at the right location and were able to successfully use all the resources available.
While panhandle Florida in April is in some ways a far friendlier environment than a wintery New England, native insects are now busy establishing themselves in new and unpopulated sites around the area. They persistently leave many a fresh, and hungry, “colonist” in rarely noticed locations.
Leaf-footed bugs are currently returning to activity in the region. This “piercing-sucking insect” will be targeting the tender new foliage for its meals. As the weather continues to warm, this pest will grow and produce more plant damaging progeny.
Eggs are deposited in isolated and concealed spots. Once the drop-off occurs, the parent leaves for parts unknown, just like the Mayflower after visiting Plymouth Rock.
The small, isolated eggs are left to the whims of fate, defended only by luck and the camouflage skills of a departed mother. Other insects, reptiles, and birds search incessantly for these quick meals available with little effort.
The incubation period is usually quick, lasting only a few days. Hatching into a new world only complicates the challenges for insects with no model to follow and left with only instincts to direct their survival attempt.
The new insects usually arrive in quick succession, but disperse as fast as they can walk or crawl away from the hatch site. This first stage is sometimes the nymph phase in certain insects, such as ladybugs.
The nymph phase requires massive energy intake to support rapid growth and development. The search for food begins almost as quickly as they break out of the egg.
The most common food is plant material, usually leaves and tender stems. Some nymph stage insects are picky eaters and will dine on a limited selection of plants, while others will eat almost anything green.
This plant munching is usually noticed if it involves someone’s landscape plants or turf grass. While many adult insects are considered desirable, their nymph stage is considered a pest.
As with adolescence in children, this problem phase passes relatively quickly. These insects emerge as adults after a respite as a pupa.
Other insects, such as grasshoppers, develop a hard exterior coating called an exoskeleton soon after hatching. Their developmental stages are referred to as instars, and some insects may go through as many as five instars.
Eating all the time, exoskeletons are outgrown and shed by the insect. Some sheds are deposited whole and are easily identified, with others flaking off as rarely recognized remains of a particular species.
Many times, these too are first noticed when foliage and turf go missing from a yard. As they pass through the advancing instar stages, these insects are easier to identify and target.
Insect growth rates outstrip any other animal on Earth. From small beginnings, these north Florida natives can be hundreds of times larger in a few weeks and produce even greater numbers as the spring passes into the summer. Though they may be small, their presence is definitely felt throughout the region.
Leave a Reply