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A foray into the field for late summer insects
September is here, and there have already been low temperatures of 40 to 45 degrees in most local areas. However, summer is not over yet, and many insects are easier to spot now than early or mid summer because they are near maturity and therefore bigger. Many insect species also breed in the late summer, and some can be observed mating or laying eggs. Behold some six-legged critters spotted during an early September morning along the Delaware River.
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| TRR photo by Scott Rando | |
| This female differential grasshopper will soon lay her eggs in the soil, from which the young nymphs will emerge during the following spring. In some regions, this grasshopper is an agricultural concern due to its habit of feeding on crops, especially corn.
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| TRR photo by Scott Rando | |
| A honeybee gathers nectar from a purple loosestrife plant. Honeybees have suffered a severe decline in numbers largely due to colony collapse disorder (CCD), where bees leave the hive and do not return. No isolated cause of CCD has been found yet, and researchers are studying what role viruses or parasites have in combination with various stress factors.
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| TRR photo by Scott Rando | |
| This tri-colored bumblebee (Bombus ternarius) has a distinctive orange band on its abdomen that sets it apart from its more commonly seen yellow and black cousin. This female worker, along with most of her colony, will die upon the arrival of cold weather. Only new queens will survive to over-winter in burrows, then emerge the following spring to establish new colonies.
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