Severe Winters & Astute Insects

Recently with the record-breaking cold temperature in the World and especially in US, headlines in newspapers suggested that with this freezing temperature there will be fewer insects next spring. Like 






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Why an Insect Molts ?

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Insect molts when it want to grow. Insects grow in increments; in fact, all arthropods do. Each stage of growth ends with molting, the process of shedding and replacing the rigid exoskeleton. People often think molting is the simple act of an insect breaking out of its skin and leaving it behind. In truth, it's a complex process involving hormones, proteins, and enzymes. When Molting Occurs: Insect growth occurs in the stage immediate following egg hatch. As the immature insect feeds and grows, its exoskeleton remains an inflexible container. Eventually, the larva or nymph must shed this unyielding overcoat to continue its development. Without the exoskeleton for protection and support, the insect could not survive. The old exoskeleton cannot be shed until a new one is ready underneath, a process that takes days or even weeks. The Molting Process: When there is no more room for the insect to expand inside its exoskeleton, a hormone triggers molting. The exoskeleton...
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Coleoptera is the most diverse order of insects which include beetles. Coccinellidae is one such family consists of the beneficial beetles known as lady bird beetles. But their name dosen't indicate that these are ladies; they can be either male or female like other species. Determining sex of these beetles is not so difficult as the male is relatively short in size than female. In the case of these beatles; Often a question arise that how a specie reproduce and runs their generation if they are ladies !! There are other insects which are pathenogentic especially some are the diet of these lady bird beetles e.g. Aphids & mealybugs.  However, this is the whole different point but isn't it unreasonable to think that in a specie only female exists ? Its the name of this beetle which is creating all this confusion. So from where this name orginated ? In Middle Ages, Europeans named this as "beetle of our lady" because many pests particularly aphids, mealybugs had be...
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