What are the natural enemies of stick insects? A rundown of common natural enemy species

Stick insects are medium-sized or large insects, mostly distributed in Hubei, Yunnan, Guizhou and other places. Because their body color and shape are hard to distinguish from bamboo branches, they are very difficult to spot. These insects feed on leaves and in severe cases affect yield and growth. So what are the natural enemies of stick insects?

1. Cuckoo wasps

Cuckoo wasps, also known as ruby-tailed wasps, are mostly distributed in parts of North China. Their egg-laying method is unusual: the cuckoo wasp lays its eggs inside the nests of bees and hornets or on the skin of other larvae. After hatching, the larvae usually eat the food inside the nest and even eat the small larvae of bees and hornets. Scientists call this phenomenon “brood parasitism”.

2. Crows

Crows are birds of the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae, order Passeriformes. They are omnivorous, and many species like to eat carrion and do some harm to seedlings and grain. However, during the breeding period they mainly feed on small vertebrates, locusts, mole crickets, scarab beetles and moth larvae, which benefits agriculture. In addition, because they like carrion and peck at agricultural waste, they can eliminate pollution caused by animal carcasses and other matter, playing a role in purifying the environment.

3. Drongos

Drongos are birds that inhabit tropical broad-leaved rainforests in mountainous areas. They are active in open grasslands in forests, beside open rivers in valleys, or in damp marshland. They mainly feed on insects such as locusts and grasshoppers, and also eat plant stamens and berries. They often perch for long periods at the top of isolated tall trees, sometimes suddenly darting up rapidly to catch insects flying past in the air, or flying in and out among dense trees.

4. Ants

Ants are a type of insect with a great many species. More than 11,700 species are known worldwide, and more than 600 species have been identified within China. They live a long time: worker ants can survive from a few weeks to 3-10 years, while queens can survive several years or even ten years. A single ant colony can grow in one place for several years or even more than ten years. It should be noted that termites are not ants.

5. Spiders

Spiders are the most abundant predatory animals in terrestrial ecosystems. They are the general term for all species in the order Araneae, class Arachnida, phylum Arthropoda, and are distributed worldwide except in Antarctica. Their role in maintaining the stability of agricultural and forestry ecosystems cannot be ignored. They mostly feed on insects, other spiders and myriapods, and some spiders also feed on small animals.

6. Mantises

Mantises are terrestrial predatory insects (carnivorous). They are widely distributed around the world except in polar regions, with the richest species diversity in tropical areas. Any small insect species can be preyed on by mantises. In particular, flies, mosquitoes, locusts, and the eggs, larvae, exposed pupae and adults of moths and butterflies are all suitable prey for them, and even large insects such as cicadas and migratory locusts are also their prey.

7. Changeable lizards

The changeable lizard is a reptile of the genus Calotes in the family Agamidae. It mostly inhabits tropical and subtropical regions and is commonly found under forests, in hillside grass, at grave sites, by rivers, along roadsides, and in grass or on tree trunks near residences. It is highly adaptable and unaffected by human activity. Its survival altitude range is 80 to 2000 m, and it mainly feeds on insects and small vertebrates, including rodents and other lizards.