# larvae out of grasshoppers head?



## calmspeak (Sep 10, 2007)

Hi all, Yesterday I fed my chinese L4 or L5 ( not sure I'm new at this) a grasshopper that I caught out side. As she was munching away a larvae of some kind jumped out of the hopper and burrowed into the substrate. I wasn't sure if I should have taken the food away ( I probably wouldn't have been able to) so she ate it all. I moved her to a different cage. I did a bit of grasshopper research and couldn't find any thing specific on parasites in grasshoppers. The larvae or what ever it was was really fast at hiding and you can see him move under the vermiculite substrate. Pretty creepy, hope my mantid is all right. Any idea of what this might have been? :?


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## Rob Byatt (Sep 10, 2007)

It will have been a nematode. The eggs of the parasite are found on grass blades and so are ingested by the grasshopper. They can infect locusts too; when the worms are ready to emerge, they erupt between the segments of the host, often just behind the head !


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## hibiscusmile (Sep 10, 2007)

:shock: :x  OH Dear Lord! Why do I read these things, Creepy! Comes out behind the head, my neck is itching , itching, itching now. I had almost the same experience the other day, Big grasshopper with wings laying in the bottom of a cage, I dumped it out and figured since it was newly dead, I would feed it to Baby, (U remember Baby, the dead leaf w/bad arm) I would feed it to her. I cut the belly piece from the head and 3 worms came out. Still makes me shutter and that was Sat. :twisted: Oh Yea Baby must of seen it she ain't ate since


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## AFK (Sep 10, 2007)

that is fuggin disgusting

i hate parasites

damn body snatchers


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## Precious (Sep 13, 2007)

> :shock: :x  OH Dear Lord! Why do I read these things, Creepy! Comes out behind the head, my neck is itching , itching, itching now. I had almost the same experience the other day, Big grasshopper with wings laying in the bottom of a cage, I dumped it out and figured since it was newly dead, I would feed it to Baby, (U remember Baby, the dead leaf w/bad arm) I would feed it to her. I cut the belly piece from the head and 3 worms came out. Still makes me shutter and that was Sat. :twisted: Oh Yea Baby must of seen it she ain't ate since


Thank you soooooooo much for that visual.


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## Ian (Sep 13, 2007)

> > :shock: :x  OH Dear Lord! Why do I read these things, Creepy! Comes out behind the head, my neck is itching , itching, itching now. I had almost the same experience the other day, Big grasshopper with wings laying in the bottom of a cage, I dumped it out and figured since it was newly dead, I would feed it to Baby, (U remember Baby, the dead leaf w/bad arm) I would feed it to her. I cut the belly piece from the head and 3 worms came out. Still makes me shutter and that was Sat. :twisted: Oh Yea Baby must of seen it she ain't ate since
> 
> 
> Thank you soooooooo much for that visual.


Yea, that was a great one Becky


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## Rick (Sep 13, 2007)

I have found many grasshoppers that were full of worms.


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## hibiscusmile (Sep 13, 2007)

Well I have literaly thousands on my property maybe millions, when you walk they are constantly jumping around you, the crickets land on my boots all the time too, the whole place must be crawling with parasites, makes a person want to be in a bubble! It's a wonder the ground does not wiggle under my feet :shock: If they could be shot with a rifle I would have Rick over and we'll shoot em all!


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## sk8erkho (Sep 13, 2007)

EEEEEEWWWWW!!!! Wigglies!!! Can't stand em! Went to empty the trash yesterday and all along the edje of the big trash bin are the biggest maggots I have ever seen. They moved so quickly it freaked me out. Before I could jet out of there, I looked down and I'm literally standing right in the THICK of the get away bunch!! No kidding they were streaming out of there at top speed right out into the parking lot. I totally lost it then, started jumping around in a frenzy stomping my feet and took off!! :shock: I had No idea they could move so darn fast. But, wigglies jumping out of things...EEEKKKK!! Gives me the willies. :evil:


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## Precious (Sep 14, 2007)

I think I just threw up a little in my mouth.


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## hibiscusmile (Sep 14, 2007)

> EEEEEEWWWWW!!!! Wigglies!!! Can't stand em! Went to empty the trash yesterday and all along the edje of the big trash bin are the biggest maggots I have ever seen. They moved so quickly it freaked me out. Before I could jet out of there, I looked down and I'm literally standing right in the THICK of the get away bunch!! No kidding they were streaming out of there at top speed right out into the parking lot. I totally lost it then, started jumping around in a frenzy stomping my feet and took off!! :shock: I had No idea they could move so darn fast. But, wigglies jumping out of things...EEEKKKK!! Gives me the willies. :evil:


You girls are killing me, I haven't laughed so much since I don't know when, isn't that just something, ya walk up to something and like a night mare your right in the thick of it...happens to me too ! hahahaha


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