CATDOLL : CATDOLL: Do fireflies need water? (Do fireflies need water? Picture)

1. How to keep fireflies from dying?

If you want fireflies to survive in the short term, you need to ensure that the surrounding air is moist, prepare an appropriate amount of dew and nectar for them to eat every day, and occasionally place two live snails for them to suck body fluids.

However, after mating, male and female fireflies will die one after another, so it is best to only raise fireflies of the same sex.

2. How to raise fireflies?

The concept is the same as home-based breeding, but if the space allows, it is best to arrange it as close to the natural environment as possible.

The larvae of terrestrial species can be reared in the same manner as above, but should be covered with a fine net to prevent escape; a vegetable garden can be planted to raise snails for the larvae to prey on.

For aquatic species, artificial rivers can be built to allow water to circulate, preferably with artificial waterfalls to increase the amount of oxygen dissolved naturally.

But it should be noted that firefly larvae require an environment with slow water flow.

Then they raise carp and other fish in the river, and use the feces of the carp to breed algae.

These algae can provide food for snails; and the firefly larvae can prey on these snails.

Note that the river bank slopes should be soil to provide space for mature larvae to pupate.

If there is a larger breeding space, you can also consider designing an aquatic and terrestrial environment

Firefly larvae are carnivorous. Terrestrial firefly larvae mostly eat smaller snails, although there are some exceptions.

For example, the two-colored firefly only eats earthworms and not snails.

Aquatic firefly larvae mostly eat snails in the water. Sometimes they also eat small fish,

After the fireflies have transformed from pupae to adults, most species of fireflies almost never eat or drink, and often only eat dew.

Honeydew or pollen and nectar. In South America, a few species of fireflies have adult glowing insects that prey on other species of fireflies or small phototactic insects.

Insects as food.

3. Do fireflies need to drink water?

Fireflies need water

The larvae of aquatic fireflies eat snails, shellfish and small animals in the water. They complete the hunting process in the water and then drag the prey to the shore to slowly enjoy it. The larvae of terrestrial fireflies feed on snails, clams and bats. Some species will prey on small animals such as maggots and insects. They can survive for several days or even a month without food after feeding. Most adult species only drink water or eat pollen and nectar, or use the fat stored in the larval stage.

4. How do male fireflies consume their food?

Most adult firefly species only drink water or eat pollen and nectar, or use the fat stored during the larval stage.

5. What kind of pest is firefly?

Fireflies are beneficial insects

1. Fireflies feed on pests such as snails. Snails like to eat tender vegetable sprouts, and fireflies like to eat snails.

2. Fireflies are one of the indicators of environmental quality. The place where they live must have fresh air and pure water.

Fireflies (also known as night-light, jingtian, like yiyao, night-light, flowing fireflies, night candles, shining nights, etc.) belong to the family Lampyridae in the order Coleoptera. They are small beetles, and are named fireflies because their tails can emit fluorescence. There are nearly 2,000 species of insects with luminous tails. The more common ones in my country include black fireflies, red fireflies, and window-chested fireflies.

Diet and predation

The larvae of aquatic fireflies eat snails, shellfish and small aquatic animals, while the larvae of terrestrial fireflies feed on snails, clams and bats. Some species will prey on small animals such as maggots and insects.

Many people have studied its predation behavior and found that the snail's gastropod secretes a kind of mucus, which leaves traces wherever it crawls, and the terrestrial firefly larvae can use their sense of smell to detect snails.

During the hunting process, the firefly first climbs onto the snail's shell, grabs it tightly with three pairs of legs, and firmly attaches its tail to the snail's shell. Then it uses its needle-shaped mandibles to attack the snail's tentacles and injects anesthetic fluid until the snail loses consciousness.

Then it secretes digestive juice on the snail meat, and uses its upper jaw to clamp the meat so that the digestive juice can fully break down the meat into flowing meat pulp, which is then sucked into its stomach.

After eating, some fireflies use their tails to clean their bodies. Firefly larvae can survive for several days or even a month without food after eating once. Aquatic firefly larvae need to complete the hunting process in the water, and then drag the prey to the shore to slowly enjoy it.

Most adult species of fireflies only drink water or eat pollen and nectar, or use the fat stored during the larval stage, but female adults of the genus Photuris can also prey. They mainly catch male adults of fireflies of other genera or other species of the same genus. It is the only genus discovered whose adults have predatory habits.