The Junk Bug

By Aaron Horrell

You can't really see the Junk Bug as it crawls around. You see what looks like a little collection of trash that moves about.

I saw a Junk Bug for the first time as a small boy and was fascinated by it. I remember calling it a haystack bug because it looked like a little walking haystack.

In reality this is the larvae of the flying lacewing insect. The larvae capture tiny soft-bodied insects such as aphids. It eats the insides of its captives and glues their skeletons onto its back. Other small debris may also be stuck to Junk Bug. This junk acts as camouflage against predatory birds, lizards and larger insects.