Hobbies And Interests
Cochineal Scale Insects
Arizona has various true bugs, aphids and cicadas, including the cochineal scale insect. These soft-bodied insects are typically found on prickly pear cactuses and other species of cactus, where they pierce the plant's skin with their beaklike mouths and suck the juices out. During the nymph stage, cochineal scale insects coat themselves with a white waxy substance to protect against desiccation and the sun. These bugs produce a deep red pigment often called cochineal, or carmine. Historically, carmine has been used as a food and clothing dye. Its use as a food additive is making a comeback due to concern over artificial dyes.
Palo Verde Beetle
Palo Verde beetles are large, fierce-looking beetles with extremely long antennae and spikes on their thorax. Although these beetles are harmless to humans, they can grow as large as 8 inches in length and fly through the air in the evenings during the summer months. Although the adult Palo Verde beetles do not eat, they can stay in their grub form for up to three years, during which time they feed on tree roots. These grubs are capable of causing massive destruction and damage, and typically, once someone notices the effects on the branch growth, the infestation is too far along the person to resolve.
Trap-Jaw Ant
Trap-jaw ants have jaws, or mandibles, that can open 180 degrees. These ants keep their jaws open wide and slam them shut on prey as it passes by. The jaw movement of the trap-jaw ant is the fastest recorded movement by an animal and has been measured at speeds of 148 mph. Trap-jaw ants can also snap their jaws closed against the ground to propel them away from potential predators. Trap-jaw ants tend to hunt alone and are easily identified thanks to their pronounced mandibles. They may attempt to bite you if you pick them up, so handle them with care.
Tarantula Hawk
The tarantula hawk is a type of spider wasp that hunts tarantulas. Every bit as vicious sounding as the name suggests, female tarantula hawks use hooked claws and a large stinger to paralyze tarantulas. They then drag the spider back to a nest, where they lay one egg on the tarantula's body. When the egg hatches, the tarantula hawk larva climbs inside the spider and feeds on it. After pupation, the adult tarantula hawk emerges from the spider and repeats the process. These wasps typically do not bother humans, but they will sting if provoked. The sting of the tarantula hawk is one of the most painful insect stings.