Grasshoppers

By

Alexander Bromley

Life stages of a Grasshopper

Their are Six stages to a grasshopper before it becomes an adult.

The Six stages are:

The hatching1St Moult2Nd Moult3Rd Moult4Th Moult5Th Moult

Then they are an Adult Grasshopper

Tiny grasshopper (nymphs) hatch from eggs in spring and early summer. The egg hutching stage extend over a month or more. The nymphs resemble wingless adults and develop through five to six stages (moults). At the end of each stage the nymphs shed their cuticle (skin) and grow larger.

Grasshopper nymphs normally reach the adult stage in five to six weeks.

Adult grasshoppers have wings and begin laying eggs one to two weeks after becoming adults.

Once the grasshopper reaches adult stage they live two to three months and will produce one generation per year.

Egg sack

From hatching to laying eggs

Egg stages from start to becoming a Nymph

What grasshoppers eat to surviveGrasshoppers eat leafy green plants but some long-horned grasshoppers

also eat dead animals or catch and eat other insects.

Grasshoppers can be 5mm to 100mm in length

Their body is made up of three sections:the headthe thoraxthe abdomen

Their Antennae come in many lengths It can be longer than their body.

Most grasshoppers have large bulbous eyes but some found in caves have small or no eyes at all.

Grasshoppers can have either one or two sets of wings:•Forewings which are hard and see-through or cloudy •Hindwing which are clear and fold like a fan but are much bigger than the Forewing.

Grasshoppers have six legs which are thin and have spines (bones).• Two Jumping legs•Four walking legs

Grasshoppers also come in many colours so they can camouflage

What a grasshopper looks like

Where I found my informationI found some information from the Internet using the following websites:http://enchantedlearning.com/subjects/insects/orthoptera/Grasshopperprintout.shtml http://www.planthealth.info/grasshopper_life.htm http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/grasshops.htm http://australianmuseum.net.au/image/Grasshopper http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_grasshoppers/GiantGrassH.htm My own book - Insects & spiders by John OwenMy own vegetable garden – the grasshoppers love to eat my plants.

Why I chose to do grasshoppersBecause they eat plants and I have many in my garden as seen in pictures below