One month ago, I posted on box elder bugs, noting that they feed on the female box elder trees and not the males. I did not know why.
Sheila Goforth from Ijams recently got a wonderful new book, "Bringing Nature Home" by Douglas Tallamy into our gift shop. The answer to the riddle was inside.
Tallamy writes, "Because these insects primarily eat seedpods, they favor the female trees, which routinely produce copious amounts of seeds. Females lay their eggs in the spring near piles of box elder seeds from the previous fall."
But, of course. And it turns out they are a little more specialized than I originally believed.
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2 comments:
Hiya Lyn,
A very dapper looking bug - the Hemiptera have some of the smartest colour schemes, I think.
Rob :)
Hello Rob.
Yes. The Hemis do not get the attention that the beetles do. It's a shame.
I hope all is well in your part of the world.
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