Justin Ballew, ©HGIC 2019, Clemson Extension Parasitoids Paper wasps on a nest constructed in a shed. When the eggs hatch the nymphs may cannibalize each other if no other food is available. Females lay eggs in a dense, foamy case called an ootheca, which contain up to 400 eggs. Mantids will eat nearly anything they can catch including flies, moths, crickets, grasshoppers, and even small vertebrates. Once within reach, they grab their prey with their front legs in a lightning fast motion and bite the victim’s neck to immobilize it. Crypsis helps them blend into their surroundings as they ambush or stalk prey. Praying Mantids (Family: Mantodea) are easily recognized by their raptorial front legs that give them the praying appearance. Once mature, they climb out of the water to pupate and take to the skies. Larvae develop in the water and are predacious on other aquatic insects. Eggs may also be laid on aquatic vegetation. Adult females lay eggs by flying low over the surface of water and tapping the tail end of their abdomen on the water, shaking eggs out as they fly. They catch their prey in the air and feed on almost any insect smaller than they are, especially midges, mosquitos, butterflies, and damselflies. Dragonflies are strong, agile fliers and have keen eyesight. The largest family, Libellulidae, includes over 100 species in North America alone. There are over 5000 species of dragonflies worldwide. Larvae develop in the soil, but are also predacious, feeding on insect eggs, other larvae, and soft bodied, soil dwelling insects.ĭragonflies are one of the oldest groups of winged insects in the world. Robber flies prey mostly on flying insects such as other flies, beetles, true bugs, butterflies, bees, and wasps. Males hunt for a mate in a similar fashion, minus the lethal injection. Enzymes in the lethal injection help digest the prey’s bodily fluids, making it easier for the fly to consume. The prey is then carried back to the perch to be eaten. Once located, robber flies grab their prey in midair and inject it with neurotoxic saliva which rapidly immobilizes it. They typically hunt for prey from a perch overlooking sunny, open areas. Robber flies (Family: Asilidae) are a highly diverse family of flies. Syrphid flies have two wings whereas bees and wasps have four.Ī syrphid fly resting on a blackberry leaf. An easy way to distinguish them is to count their wings, assuming they sit still long enough. As they visit flowers, adult syrphid flies are often mistaken for bees or wasps.

Once the blind and legless larvae hatch, they go to work crawling around and sucking the bodily fluids out of their prey. Adults frequently lay their eggs among or near aphid colonies to ensure the larvae have plenty to eat. Syrphid fly larvae however, are voracious predators of aphids, scales, thrips, and small caterpillars. Syrphid flies (Family: Syrphidae), also called hoverflies, are commonly observed hovering around flowers, feeding on nectar and pollen all while contributing to pollination. Green lacewing larvae can eat between 100 and 150 aphids in their lifetime. They are mainly predators of aphids, but will also eat small caterpillars or beetle larvae. The larvae are wingless therefore, they crawl around on plant leaves in order to search for prey. This keeps the eggs up and away from predators, such as sibling lacewings. Eggs are laid at night on the tip of a thin, hair-like stalk about a half inch long. Adults feed on nectar, pollen, and honeydew and are commonly observed flying around lights after dark. Green lacewings (Family: Chrysopidae) get their name from their lacy-looking wings. Ground beetles can consume up to their body weight each day.Ī lacewing egg at the end of its hair-like stalk. The adults and larvae are predacious, but larvae live in the soil and have a smaller search range. Ground beetles and tiger beetles feed on aphids, caterpillars, other beetle larvae, fly larvae, mites, springtails, slugs, and even small weed seed. Ground beetle are constantly on the move, searching for prey by sight, though some species detect prey by scent. Generally, they have large eyes, long legs, and large, powerful jaws for grabbing prey. Ground beetles and tiger beetles (Family: Carabidae) are common in almost every environment and come in a variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. Lady beetles also feed on caterpillars, moth eggs, scales, mites, and they may also be cannibalistic if prey is scarce. Lady beetles eat aphids whole and may gobble down as many as 5,000 throughout the course of their life. Lady beetles (Family: Coccinellidae), often called ladybugs, are among the most recognizable insects and are very common and voracious predators of aphids. Justin Ballew, ©HGIC 2019, Clemson Extension

Lady bug eggs (yellow mass) laid next to an aphid colony on the underside of a cotton leaf.

Ambush predators examples