Stick Insects - "For you were made from dust, and to dust you shall return"

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By Patrick Kitzel and Grayson Brant
Image result for stick bugs Imagine the sound of hundreds of small feet running, kids screaming, and caution thrown to the wind. This was the site on a Tuesday night at Bethany Elementary School. They were having a STEM night to promote the sciences, and our Insect Ecology class came to join in on the fun. It was quite the task with so many hyper and energy-filled kids running around fragile and delicately pinned insects. To capture these small tornadoes’ attention, we placed dissecting microscopes out with insects to be examined by these children. It was a hit! They were fascinated by this new and bewildering miniature world. All of a sudden, they could see the locusts that they had only ever heard during the summer and never seen, the grasshoppers that had only hopped on them to scare them, and the beetles previously unknown to them. Yes, some were repulsed by the gross, spike ridden beings, but many more were captivated by them. To the side of the table were even more insects pinned in boxes for students to observe. They especially loved seeing the comparatively giant butterflies and beetles. 
There were a few problems though. Remember how I said that caution was thrown to the wind? Yeah, I meant it. On one occasion, a ball flew out from behind a group of standing adults and landed directly in the middle of one of the boxes of pinned insects! It caught us all by surprise! Luckily, nothing was seriously damaged… at least yet. Another incident involved a student wanting to touch one of the pinned insects. He came up to me and asked “Can I touch this?” but before I could say anything, he reached out and smashed one of the insects to nothing more than a pile of dust. That’s right. In an instant… BAM! The tiny creature was no more. Our fallen comrade was none other than a type of stick bug, specifically Phasmida diapheromeridae. 
Image result for phasmida diapheromeridae         The fallen warrior, Phasmida diapheromidae, belongs to a family of stick insects. Stick insects, or commonly called, stick bugs, are invertebrates that live up to three years. Stick bugs are as they sound, insects that resemble the twigs that they live on. These “twig-like” insects can range from half an inch to 21 inches long. They mimic their surroundings with coloration similar to the habitat they dwell within. Stick insects are typically found in the tropics, subtropics, and temperate regions. They spend most of their time motionless and hidden under plants, where they find themselves active at night (nocturnal). Stick bugs’ body plan is designed to avoid predators, so when in contact with predators, they do not have many defense mechanisms. They will typically shed a limb if they are in their enemies grasp, or may swipe at predators with their spined legs. If you are interested in reading more about stick bugs there is a simple overview of them here: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/group/stick-insects/
Almost all stick insects are divided into two families: Phasmatidae and Diapheromeridae. Phasmatidae contain some of the world’s largest insects and some bulky, winged insects. Diapheromeridae contains both winged and wingless species of stick insects. Within the diapheromeridae family, is the one in the spotlight, Phasmida diapheromeridae.     
Image result for stick bug life cycle Diapheromeridae will typically lay a 100 (sometimes 1000) eggs per season. These eggs can be planted in soil or in hollow sections of plants. The eggs will contain a nutrient rich shell that ants enjoy to feed on. The interesting part about this is when ants feed on this shell, they bring it back to their home and even after all the nutrients have been digested from the egg, the embryo will be left unharmed. The eggs will have time to develop and after leaving their egg, will go through a process of molting (4-8 times before adulthood). Something different about stick insects is when they molt, they typically will eat their leftover skin. They reach maturity after three months to a year. Females are typically larger than males due to their need for egg storage and larger mouths for more food intake. Male stick bugs are very rare to find, and due to this, they typically reproduce through parthenogenesis. Unfertilized eggs will develop on their own and will resemble the females that produced them. 
The Phasmida diapheromeridae is one insect not many people will be able to see in their lives. If you do, take some pictures and share them with your friends! Stick insects are rarely mistaken for another insect but when they are obliterated to dust by the small sticky hands of an elementary student, identification may need to be left to the experts.
Another source used to learn about their life cycle: https://animals.mom.me/life-cycle-walking-stick-bug-6523.html

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