Hello folks who wonder if people fighting over YouTube comments will ever agree with each other,

Q. What are bugs?
A. Insects who carry their own reusable straws wherever they go instead of using the single-use plastic straws that are polluting our oceans.

True Bugs come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and this diversity is visible on how they hide from predators, adapt to their environments or pick the food for dinner.
You see, bugs will use their piercing and sucking mouthparts to feed on other insect or plant juices.

The first case is the one we frequently see along our creeks or lakes. Water striders can be seen skipping across the water surface with minimum effort.



​Now you might be thinking that water striders lead a very ​stressful life since it has to constantly watch its weight, so it can stay afloat and also because they respond to every negative comment on their Instagram account.
Turns out, water striders have a ton of microscopic hairs on their legs(someone hasn't heard of waxing or shaving) that trap air and provide buoyancy. They are so good at staying afloat that they can support 15 times their body weight without drowning in the water.

Below is a water strider showing its unshaved legs. "Society does not approve of hairy legs and will not accept you", I say.



And you would be wondering how do these guys bring home the bacon if they just lazily skip on water all the time.
It turns out these striders will prey on things that are drowning and pretend to be their lifeguard, so the when the prey shouts "help! Help! I can't swim", these opportunistic predators will come to rescue and stab the victim with their piercing mouthparts and slurp the life out of their victims.
And you thought that clown in Stephen King novel is giving you nightmares.

Below it is showing its piercing mouthpart that it can't wait to pierce the boba cup plastic seal.



Next on the list we have the Lace Bug, which are so called because of the lace like designs on their wings. These insects sport a hoodie on their heads because that is what cool kids do, don't judge.
Commonly found on the Coyote Brush plant, these bugs are super picky on which plants they feed on, which means they are a bad choice to hang out with on the weekends since their dining options are so limited.


These bugs will operate like oil wells and keep drilling the plant leaf tissues to suck the juices.


Let's say you are a Lady Beetle just flying around and looking for your next meal. You pass by this Alder branch and you see cotton candy on its leaves. This reminds you of the time your parents took you to the state fair and you won the teddy bear and ate so much cotton candy. Those thoughts bring a smile to your face and you move on since you are an adult now and you need to act responsibly.

Below is what you might have witnessed.



While the lady beetle was smiling, some other insects were laughing at how well this deception worked. Cottony Alder Psyllids will feed on the plant juices of Alder.
Like the Lace bugs, they are host specific which makes them easier to identify.
Here is one running away once it finds out the coast is clear.



The cottony fluff they have on their back helps protect them from predators without being too conscious about their body image since no one can see them. This cottony fluff is made up of wax it secretes and is found in nymphs only, adults have to behave like grown ups and can't be seen with this crazy attire.

Below is one psyllid nymph when it is unmasked.



Karan Gathani

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