Articles

Insex (Insect Reproduction)

By Karl Priest September 30, 2009 (revised 1-10-2012)

(Some items may fit into more than one category. If any facts are repeated, please let me know.)

I have not read (or even sneaked a peak at) Six-Legged Sex—the Erotic Lives of Bugs by James K. Wangberg. My sources are multiple articles from a variety of sources.

Evolutionists explain the evolution of sex with their usual “Alice in Wonderland” imaginations. In fact, one of their prominent just-so stories is called the “ Red Queen Hypothesis”. (See “The Advantage of Sex” an adaptation of a New Scientist article at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/sex/advantage/index.html .)

The evolutionist has no more basis on “why” sexual reproduction than I who believes that God designed it because He wanted His living creatures to “be fruitful, and multiply”.

This article will focus on the absolutely astounding methods of sexual reproduction used by just a few species of insects.

Why did such complicated means of reproducing and assuring survival of the species evolve? I’ll let the evolutionists make up those stories. I will keep it simple and proclaim that God displayed His omniscient originality, His colossal creativity, His grandiose genius, and His electrifying engineering ability.

In describing God’s creativity (Of course, evolutionists credit it to their god—evolution.) the articles I read almost always anthropomorphized insects and their mating and reproductive activities. Therefore, I am going to use human stages of sexual activity as sections about the phases of insect sex.

Before breaking the subject into categories, let’s consider a rare case of complete insect parenthood form “attraction” through “afterwards.”

Burying (carrion) beetles will search for a dead animal (such as a mouse or bird) and, if necessary fight other couples of it (male vs. male and female vs. female). If a single beetle locates a carcass it will await a partner. The mates will strip the fur or feathers to line the nest. The body is formed into a ball.After the larvae (babies) hatch, both parents will regurgitate liquid flesh to feed their young. The parents continue this until the larvae ae ready to pupate. During this time the adult beetles remove fungi and secrete an antibacterial substance onto the carcass.

Attraction

The well known cricket chirp is the male calling for a female. When she gets close enough he softens the chirping.

Mole crickets construct megaphone shaped tunnels from which to call for a mate.

Cicada males sing by the thousands, often mixed with two other species—yet the female can distinguish the song of her species.

Mosquitoes synchronize the pitch of their buzzing (from wing beats of 600 times per second). If the tones match, they know they are of the same species.

Male roaches whistle (described as bird-like) for females. The complicated sound is produced by pushing air through abdominal holes and actually is two different tunes.

Water strider males produce a courtship song by tapping on the surface of the water.

Many insects use perfume (pheromones) to attract mates. A female of a scarab beetle species releases this chemical to entice males to come to her. The male beetle smells with his antennae where special switches send nerve signals to his brain as the pheromone molecules arrive. As he flies toward the female he must continually reset his scent detection system in order to adjust to various levels of the scent.

Male bumble bees mark leaves with their scent then patrol the area until a female arrives.

A type of butterfly has males that have brush like organs that he can spread out from the end of his abdomen. The purpose of the brushes is to spread a special scent. He obtains the scent from a particular plant and without it he could not get a female interested in him.

Different species of butterflies use individual methods to disperse pheromones to the female. One stands next to the female clapping his wings catching her antenna. A second gets in front, leans forward, and slowly rubs her antenna between his wings. A third gets on the female’s side and drags his forewing over her antenna as he waves his forewing. This usually takes about 30 seconds.

The African satyrid butterfly is attracted to the bright light produced by ultraviolent reflection from the center of the male’s wing eyespots.

Female fireflies flash in response to the male flash. The females are attracted to males with the longest flash.

Some male fruit flies have courtship songs that are complex rhythms. Others perform a dance showing off their wing spots.

Dance fly males bring a fresh killed insect to swarms of females. Some wrap it in silk they spin from their legs. This allows longer time for copulation.

Stalk-eyed female flies are attracted to males with a wider separation of eyes. The most prominent male can mate with 24 partners in 30 minutes.

Tiger moth females release a pheromone to attract a male. He clicks when he senses it and she clicks in response. The clicks continue until they locate each other.

Female silkworm can determine the ancestry and age of a male by the male’s smell. They only have a few days to locate a mate.

Stink bugs vibrate their bodies to send information across a plant about their location, sex, and receptiveness.

Some male insects must provide the females a nutritious gift (spermatophylax) to entice her to mate. The bigger (can 30% of males body weight) the gift the longer she allows his sperm to enter her body.

The song of a male cricket to attract a mate can also attract a parasitoid fly which leads to his slow death.

Foreplay

A type of male beetle stores a chemical substance in a gland in his head. Before allowing coitus the female uses her mandibles to make sure he has the chemical. No chemical—no coitus.

Some wasp species males use a complex coiling of their antennae around the female antennae allowing the male glans to precisely contact the female receptors.

A species of fruit flies has a male that follows the female softly tapping her with his leg. Later he extends a wing and vibrates it. Finally he uses his proboscis to stroke the female’s genitalia. The courting ritual is a complex sequence of specific steps. Another fruit sly species’ male dances by sliding and circling with complex footwork and vibrating his abdominal muscles to produce a purring serenade. He can continue for an hour and the female will hit him if he stops. These tiny flies are able to do these complicated tasks soon after being born.

The tsetse fly has a lengthy detailed 30-minute foreplay process where the male rubs the female’s underside with his hind legs, sings with his wings, strokes her eyes with his front legs.

I have personally observed the mating of crickets and mantids. Both were kept as “pets” in my home. I was awed at what I observed and there were things going on beyond my powers of perception. The mantis female did not eat her mate. There is some information about mantid mating in Ready to Prey.

Coitus

“Insect ejaculates are a soup of proteins and peptides that are immensely complex”. Dr. Goran Arnqvist (Uppsala University) That statement is typical of many that I read from scientists who study any aspect of insect reproduction.

Many males attach a sperm packet which slowly pumps sperm into the female.

A type of mothreleases pheromones as a sample when he is “courting” a female. Then hepumps this chemical from his sex organ in his seminal fluid. This provides the eggs with a foul taste to predators.

Scorpion fly males offer hardened saliva or a dead insect for their mates to indulge on during intercourse. He also possesses the ability to use a clamp, located behind his wings, to force the female into a mating position.

Firefly males provide a nutritional substance (spermatophore) that the female use to nourish their eggs. She mates with many males and is able to control the amount of eggs each male fertilizes. Scientists think that insects having sex with multiple mates is a check against inbreeding.

Male fruit flies place a pheromone on the exterior of the female that keeps other males away from her. Some species have males that produce sperm that is 300 times longer than that made by humans. Female fruit flies seem to know if they have an adequate amount of sperm stored in their specialized organs.

Some beetle females have a specially designed tooth to pop the packet of sperm in their bodies.

Sagebrush cricket females eat part of the male’s hind wings why copulating.

Monarch butterfly males told down their mate all day long. The males can select the amount of fertile sperm they ejaculate. Since monarchs do not use pheromones, scientists speculate the penis contains sensors to detect the amount of sperm already in the female.

During copulation the female passionflower butterfly sticks two stink clubs (located on her abdomen) into a pouch on the male to obtain a putrid smelling pheromone that keeps other males away.

In order to allow the male access to her genitals some female butterflies must move their abdomen out from between their wings.

Midges mate in flight.

Female ornate moths get coated with a chemical substance that repels spiders. He has to change his diet in order to obtain the material to make the potent. The female passes this on to her eggs to protect them from predators.

Water strider males have grasping hooks to hold the female and the females have spines to release the male when she is ready.

A male flour beetle that loses battles over with other males mating rights will produce double the amount of sperm which increases his changes of successful reproduction since his chances are limited.

Zeus bug males use a special saddle on the female’s back where he rides, eats (food provided by his mate), and mates for several days.

The female cricket climbs on to the male’s back.

(S)ome insects mate facing away from each other.

Male bedbugs stab the female’s exoskeleton to inject the sperm.

In many insects sperm from different males compete the female’s reproductive system.

Scaly crickets can copulate 50 times per day for up to six days.

Samples of the variety of copulation duration:

Midges: A few seconds
Fruit flies: 20 minutes.
Some flies: 1-2 minutes
Antler flies: 2.5 hours
Ornate moths: 9 hours
Zeus bug: 1 week

Afterwards

The purpose of sexual intercourse for insects is reproduction. Although some insects give live birth, most lay eggs. The design of insect eggs (not to mention the stunning beauty of some) is astounding. Where the eggs are deposited and camouflaged can be fascinating. Just a few examples: Mantids produce a Styrofoam like covering around their eggs. Lacewings deposit an eff on top of a stem raised vertically. Moths can cover eggs with stinging hairs. There are more fabulous facts about egg laying and eggs, but that is for another entire article.

Most female insects deposit their eggs and never give them another thought (figuratively speaking). The newly hatched insects are quite capable of surviving and that is part of God’s design for continuing insect life. Insects do not have a capacity to think and love, but some have been designed to extend the care of their progeny.

Female damselflies will mate with more than one male then sort through the sperm and choose the best.

If food is low the babies may be eaten by the insect mother.

A wasp species will produce more females if there is ample food. (That is design. If there is plenty of food the daughters will not need many brothers to mate with.)

There is a female wasp that injects just enough venom into a roach’s brain so that she can steer it zombie like to the nest to serve as food for her brood. Other wasp species provide drag or carry paralyzed spiders or caterpillars and store them for use by the babies after they hatch. The mother is long gone by then.

Some water bug females lay eggs on the male’s back where fertilization occurs. The female leaves. After the eggs hatch the male will sometimes care for the babies a little while.

Some stink, lace, and assassin bug mothers protect their eggs even through one molt of the babies. So do tortoise beetles and at least one species of mantid. Earwigs even feed 50-100 babies.

There are cockroaches that stay together after they mate with both sexes caring for the offspring. The female feeds the babies with a milk like excretion.

Termites keep life-long mates. This article cannot get into the sexual activities of these and the other social insects: ants, bees, and wasps. Just see a tiny bit about those insects in “Complications” below.

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I admire and thank the scientists who have unlocked a few of God’s mysteries. It is pathetic that many of those scientists due not give God the credit for His designs.All of the research and media reports would have been just as informative and amusing had the evolutionist idiocy been omitted.

This article has barely skimmed the surface of the immense volumes of facts about insect sex.

ADDENDA

Complications

A t type of scale insect was thought to have nearly all hermaphrodites (one individual produces eggs and sperm) and a tiny amount of males—no females occur. In 2011 scientists found out that the cottony cushion scale actually is fertilized from parasitic tissue received at birth and which contains sperm left from the insect’s father. So this intriguing insect can be a grandpa and daddy to his “child”.  Science writers made much ado about this being incest and the elimination of males. Nevertheless, normalcy is the norm because if the father’s sperm does not work, the eggs become male and normal mating is possible.

Some insects reproduce parthenogenically. Parthenogenesis is a form of asexual reproduction where the egg develops without fertilization. That, in itself, is amazing and evolutionists really have to tell some “Just So” stories to explain it, but it gets complicated by much variety in how it occurs. Sometimes there is no mating. Other times there is mating, but only female chromosomes are activated. Then there is egg meiosis and eggs without meiosis.

Most insects have the male XY (heterogametic) and female XX (homogametic) chromosomes, however some species have no Y and males have a single X. In butterflies and caddis flies that is reversed and males are homogametic while females are heterogametic.

To further boggle the brain, some bees, ants, wasps, beetles, scale insects, and thrips, determine the sex of individuals by a process known as haplodiploidy. The eggs can develop even without fertilization. A female that has not mated can lay eggs that become males. A mated female can CHOOSE to lay female eggs by releasing sperm as the egg is laid or she can lay male eggs by containing the sperm in a storage sac. So males have a mother, but no father and cannot have sons but can have grandsons!

Incest is practiced by wasps and other insects.

Genitalia

Almost all insects have their genitalia inside their bodies.

Taxonomists rely on male genitalia to distinguish between many species of insects.

The cockroach reproductive apparatus was described as looking like a Swiss army knife. Referring to male reproductive organs William G. Eberhard (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute) said, “It is just too fantastic to believe that such complicated machinery is necessary only to perform a mechanically simple function.”

Earwigs have two sets of functioning genitals.

Dragonfly genitalia consist of parts that resemble brushes, pipe-cleaners, and beach balls and can scoop out sperm deposited by other males.

The male European rabbit flea has the “most complicated genitals in the world. These are adorned with springs, levers, hooks, barbs and all sorts of twiddly bits. Here is a precision instrument that seems better suited to telling the time than depositing sperm.” (http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg16121768.400-secret-weapons.html)

Male honeybee genitals explode after intercourse.

Male damsel flies have a penis designed with a sort of scoop on their penis to remove the sperm from a previous male.

Insect female genitalia are difficult to study so more complicated designs are yet to be discovered.

Simplified diagrams of Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies) genitalia:

Seed beetle male genitalia:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/photogalleries/spiky-beetle-genitals/photo3.html

History

Insects have been sexual since as far back as the fertile imaginations of evolutionists can conceive. There are Jurassic fossils of dragonflies engaging in sexual intercourse just as they do today. Two mating midges are in amber (40 million years old if you are a true believer in evolutionism) copulating as if they were captured yesterday.

Male Competition

Often insect males will protect territories and/or fight over females. A couple of examples are: 1. Tanzanian roaches that have serious wrestling matches. 2. While male termites fight the female grooms them.

Pitfalls of “Perfume”

The crucial use of pheromones by insects has been targeted by scientists to design methods of controlling those insects who are pests. A prime example of that is using the attractant scents to lure the insects into traps.

STDs

“Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) of insects are known from the mites, nematodes, fungi, protists and viruses. In total 73 species of parasite and pathogen from approximately 182 species of host has been reported.” (http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=241109)

Miscellaneous

Some butterflies claim a mate before she emerges from her cocoon by sitting on it and even inserting the end of his abdomen inside.

Aphids give life birth.

A few insects reproduce by parthenogenesis which is asexual and the offspring develops from unfertilized eggs.

In an article headlined “ Why nice guys usually get the girls” we find that a primary premise of Darwinism is disputable because previous studies had confined female water striders in a way that was not natural to the way they really lived. This new study found that “Groups of low-key male water striders mated with more females than did groups of highly sexually aggressive males.” Instead of simply saying that Darwin was wrong, the author hedged his words by saying, "The naive view of Darwinian evolution is that it always favors the most savage, brutal and selfish behaviors. It doesn't -- and this is one example of that.” (http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/uoa-wng110409.php)

The males of ants, bees, and social wasps are produced from unfertilized eggs and the females and workers from fertilized eggs. (http://entomology.ucr.edu/ebeling/ebeling4.html)

The sperm cells of fruit flies are longer than the body of the fly.

Headlines or Titles of Sources (Partial List)

Different Strokes for Six-Legged Folks
Female Beetles have a Thirst for Sex
Length of Male’s Flash Predicts Quality of ‘Nuptial Gift’
Male Weevils..Slow Down their Consorts’ Biological Clocks
Beetle Philandering Doesn’t work out for the Ladies
New Pheromone Helps Female Flies Tell Suitors to ‘Buzz Off”
Guinness Book Gametes
Male Flies Help the Females to Bank Sperm
Love on the Fly
Flirting Flies
The Sex Life of a Mosquito
Moths and Safe Sex
Female Insects Tolerate Bugging Boyfriends
Bugs up Close
Can Bugs Improve Your Sex Life?
Age-related reproductive performance in the parental burying beetle, Nicrophorus orbicollis
Sex and the Single Insect

I have not read Sex on Six Legs: Lessons on Life, Love and Language from the Insect World , (Marlene Zuk. 2011), but have read reviews and the first chapter which is on line. Dr. Zuk, a devoted Darwinist, tends to drift into philosophy or even religion by insinuating (if not advocating) that mankind is merely a life form on a continuum that includes insects. Her book is not entirely about insect sex, but (as the title indicates) much of it is. Some items above are from the reviews or her book.