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It seems that when love is in the air, both male and female need to be on the lookout.  Insects risk their lives to select a gift, have to protect themselves from fake gifts, and even make the ultimate sacrifice of dying for love.  It seems relationships are as complicated in the insect world as they are in the human world.

It’s a common occurrence in the spider world that male spiders bring love tokens to the females.  The males are at great risk when collecting their gifts of prey or dried insect fragments.  However, some species of spiders often substitute their meaningful gifts with worthless gifts of seed tufts or silk balloons to deceive the female.  So, while the males need to watch out they don’t become someone’s dinner, the females need to make sure they receive a worthy gift.

Some females go so far as to eat their mates.  The females of over 80 insect species eat their mates either before, during or after mating.  Generally, a carnivorous female insect eats its mate so that the male’s body can be an important source protein for her and their offspring.

For more on these and other mating rituals in the insect world, please visit National Geographic.

Pest Defense Solutions wishes you all a happy and pest-free Valentine’s Day.   To learn more about Pest Defense Solutions’ pest control services, please click here, or fill out a contact request form.

Tags: Black Widow spiders, Brown Spiders, Dance Flies, Extermination, Flies, Insects and bugs, Mantids, Midges, Pest Control, Spiders