Stick insects have the military skills of camouflage and defense. These skills include giving of defensive odors, spraying harmful chemicals, mimicking branches, changing color, and faking their own deaths. However, even with this array of defenses from their predators the stick insect is vulnerable to attack from them, and because of this they rarely gather sufficient numbers for a plague.
However, they have had their moments, and in'63 a plague of stick insects descended on 650 square miles of forest in Southern Australia and stripped it bare. There have also been similar cases in the Pacific where coconut plantations have proved to be rich breeding grounds.
The rarity of a stick insect plague requires two main conditions: an absence of forest fires and a consistent climate. The steady climate supports the growth of the vegetation that stick insects feed on, and the lack of forest fires also allows this plant growth. Furthermore, a lack of forest fires allows stick insects populations to increase without the threat of mother nature.
Whilst these outbreaks are rare they can be caused by the introduction of species into habitats where they do not naturally occur, so you should take very good care not to allow your pet stick insect escape into the wild. If it does it will face all manner of predators, but may survive to upset the ecosystem.
Stick insects face threats from rats, birds, mammals, and even wasps. But sometimes they rise up, form a plague, and cause massive devastation. When you have your pet stick insect at home in its vivarium, it's amazing to think what they could get up to in the wild. At home they are a pet that requires delicate handling and a diet of bramble; in the wild they can devastate the environment. - 30195
However, they have had their moments, and in'63 a plague of stick insects descended on 650 square miles of forest in Southern Australia and stripped it bare. There have also been similar cases in the Pacific where coconut plantations have proved to be rich breeding grounds.
The rarity of a stick insect plague requires two main conditions: an absence of forest fires and a consistent climate. The steady climate supports the growth of the vegetation that stick insects feed on, and the lack of forest fires also allows this plant growth. Furthermore, a lack of forest fires allows stick insects populations to increase without the threat of mother nature.
Whilst these outbreaks are rare they can be caused by the introduction of species into habitats where they do not naturally occur, so you should take very good care not to allow your pet stick insect escape into the wild. If it does it will face all manner of predators, but may survive to upset the ecosystem.
Stick insects face threats from rats, birds, mammals, and even wasps. But sometimes they rise up, form a plague, and cause massive devastation. When you have your pet stick insect at home in its vivarium, it's amazing to think what they could get up to in the wild. At home they are a pet that requires delicate handling and a diet of bramble; in the wild they can devastate the environment. - 30195
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Looking to find the best information on tropical pets, and stick insects? This is a good place to start: http://hubpages.com/hub/Tropical-Pets
