Today's bug of the day is the Antlion, also known as the doodlebug

Fun fact about them is that they're called the doodlebug due to the trails they leave in the sand and dirt as they move around underneath it.

They in their larval stage they'll form multiple pit traps for bugs such as Larvae of other insects, but primarily ants in which they get their name from. Over the course of a day they'll cycle between their multiple pits but use their highly sensitive receptors to feel the vibration of dirt and sand that bugs make while walking which lets them know which hole to sit at

Antlions dont actually get rid of waste from their meals but rather continuously store it in their bodies to use that waste to form their cocoons once they're ready to enter adulthood, and once they are ready they will spin a cocoon underneath the dirt or sand and will sit in that cocoon for 3 weeks as they grow. when they emerge they become a flying winged insect that feeds on pollen and nectar, often being mistaken for dragonflys for damselflies, so next time you think you see a dragonfly it might just be an antlion!

Researchers have found that Antlions actually make their cocoons perfectly in the center of all of their pit traps which allowed them to make scans of the tunnel systems the make between their pits and it lead us to find out that the Antlions tunnel systems resemble those of the ants they prey on, leading some to theorize a secondary way that these fellas eat is by using the pheromones of dead ants to lead others into the tunnel systems and therefore trapping them, but this theory is weak and most agree isn't too noteworthy.


Make sure to tune in next time for that days bug of the day!