FLORIDA INSECTS:

The state of Florida has a very old and diversified natural environment. On this page we will look at the insect's place within that environment. We will also examine the ways in which the natural environment of Florida has changed from the mid 1800s to the present day. And we will take a virtual tour of some of the remaining natural habitats.

Definitions

An ecosystem is the network of the interactions between every organisim that makes up the natural environment.

A habitat is the set of physical and environmental conditions that allow an organisim to live most comfortably. These factors include climate, amount of rainfall and amount sunlight.

Biomes are a group of ecosystems that share some type of plant life as well as climate.

A community is a biological living component of an ecosystem.

A niche is an organisim's role in an ecosystem. These roles are:

1. decomposers - they break down organic materials so they can be used again by the ecosystem.
2. consumers - eat other organisims.
3. producers - make their own food. This will almost always be the plant life of the ecosystem.

When we look at the list of beneficial insects below we see that some are decomposers and some are consumers.

In his book Guide to Florida, the Land of Flowers written in 1872, R. S. Gardiner describes Florida as being 59,868 square miles with over 1100 miles of coast line and over 30,000,000 acres of forest land. In 1870 Florida had a population of 187,748, which came to about three inhabitants per square mile. Turkeys, ducks, squirrels, deer and bear were found throughout the state. Sweet potatoes, berries, and sour-oranges grew wild. Alligator hunting was the big sport. And manatees were slaughtered almost to the point of extinction. The Everglades consisted of over four million acres. And southern Florida had only about 9,000 inhabitants, most of them residing on KeyWest and other keys.

Today the land area of Florida is 53,297 square miles and the population in 2000 was 15,982,378. That is over 2000 persons per square mile. The Everglades now is only 1,509,000 acres and there is a desparate program in effect to restore what is left of this natural environment.

A mature forest is the climax stage of ecological succession. Fires resulting from lightning stirkes have always been a major part of the natural environment of Florida. These fires then put some areas of a forest back to the beginning stages, with open spaces and only a few plants. Soon weeds and grasses begin to grow, fast growing trees begin to sprout, and as the trees and bushes grow the shade returns. At that time the wildlife, including the insects, changes. Fire is the natural control for the climax stage. As urbanization has spread across Florida the natural fires have been suppressed. Now fire has been re-introduced to maintain the natural ecosystem.

As the people of Florida are learning the necessity for restoring the natural habitats and protecting the wildlife of this beautiful state, they are also slowly coming to an awareness of the importance of the insects within the ecosystem. Although only one insect, the Schaus Swallowtail butterfly, is currently on the endangered species list, three other insects are becoming rare and are now being protected. One is the Diminutive Clubtail dragonfly, the second is the Highlands Tiger beetle, and the third is another dragonfly, the Say's Spiketail.

Links to Florida's State Parks

Florida's State Parks

South Florida Virtual Tour

Asian lady beetle, multicolored, Harmonia axyridis Pallas
The Asian lady beetle was accidentally introduced into Florida and has become established. It is a voracious predator of aphids.

Bumble bees, Bombus spp.
The bumble bee is an important pollinator of native plants.

Ladybird beetle, (Coccinellidae)
There are 96 species of ladybird beetles in Florida, some native and others introduced either accidently or on purpose. They feed on the larvae of pest insects.

Tiger beetles, Cicindela spp., Megacephala spp.
Tiger beetles are mostly native to Florida. They feed on other insects

Brown lacewings (of Florida), (Hemerobiidae)
They feed on aphids, mealybugs, and larvae of other insects.

Stink bug, predatory Alcaeorrhynchus grandis (Dallas)
Stink bugs feed on the larvae of other insects.

Crab spider, giant, Heteropoda venatoria (Linnaeus)
Non-native spider that eats cockroaches and cockroach eggs.

Hairy maggot blowfly, Chrysomya rufifacies (Macquart)
Although a rather gross insect, this fly actually is quite beneficial. It has been used successfully in the treatment of osteomyelitis & is a predatory devourer of other insect eggs, even its own.

Ensign wasp, egg parasitoid, cockroach, Evania appendigaster (Linnaeus) Lays parasitic eggs in cockroach larvae.

Hornets and yellowjackets, Vespula and Dolichovespula spp.
These wasps perform a valuable service in destroying many insects that attack cultivated and ornamental plants.

Hover fly, Allograpta obliqua (Say)
These flies feed on aphids.

Hydrilla tip mining midge, Cricotopus sp.
The larvae of these midges feed on algae and decaying organic matter.

Jumping spider, Menemerus bivittatus (Dufour)
Jumping spiders are non-native and feed on other insects.

Lovebug, Plecia nearctica Hardy
Lovebugs are beneficial in natural recycling as the larvae feed on decaying matter.

Melaleuca weevil, Oxyops vitiosa (Pascoe)
The Weevils feeding on melaleuca interrupts the normal plant growth. This type of feeding damage may help to reduce seed production and prevent further spread of this highly invasive plant.

Ringlegged earwig, Euborellia annulipes (Lucas)
While considered a slight plant nusciance, this earwig makes up for that by its beneficial predatory appetite.