Hornworms eat certain vegetables in their larva state before becoming moths.
Not all insects are created equal. In fact, not even all insects eat plants or grass. In the insect family, there are insects that eat specific plants, or that only eat parts of the plant, such as the nectar. In fact, there are even insects that eat other insects, known as predatory insects. Does this Spark an idea?
Lightning Beetles
Lightning beetles are a member of the Phengodidae family. The winged larvae are what we call fireflies and glow worms. This helpful species of beetle is predatory and feeds on other bugs. In fact, one species actually feeds on other fireflies and learns to mimic the other fireflies' flashes to attract its prey. The lightning bug is classified as a beneficial bug because it does not eat plants and does not harm people.
Hornworm
While hornworms do not eat grass, they are still not considered beneficial by most farmers. Hornworms eat tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and potatoes. Hornworms are larvae of the hawk moth. Once a year, the moths mate and lay their eggs on vegetables. The eggs hatch and the larvae consume the plant's foliage and fruit. These vegetarian larvae are pale green caterpillars with white and black "V"-shaped markings on their bodies. After feasting on as much foliage as they can manage, the caterpillars drop from the plants and cocoon in the soil under the plants. After two weeks, the moths come out of their cocoons, mate and lay more eggs.
Flies
Of the more than 100,000 identified species of flies in the world, none eat grass. In fact, flies eat everything but grass -- from nectar to garbage and blood. The common house fly feeds on human food by regurgitating digestive juices onto the food and absorbing the liquefied meal through a spongy mouth. Mosquitoes are one of the species of flies that eats both animal and human blood. Larger species of flies such as robber flies feed on other species of flies and insects by injecting poison into the insect and then sucking out its juices.
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