THE SPITTLEBUG

Blades of tall grass serve as foundations for the nest of a spittlebug. The spittlebug builds its nest when it is young. The nest protects the young spittlebug's skin from the sun and helps hide it from predators. The bubble forms are made from a small pool of liquid. Then the bug introduces air into the liquid through a tube on the end of its abdomen. The air makes the liquid bubble up into foam. To make this bubble foam durable the spittlebug's kidney tubes adds a special ingredient to the liquid before the foam was made. The foam is present until the young spittlebug (nymph) develops into an adult--a process that takes 30 to 100 days depending upon the temperature.

The spittlebug is also called a froghopper. When the froghopper is fully grown it will have wings and legs capable of enormous jumps, but as a young nymph it has no defenses so it builds its house of durable bubbles in which to hide. This insect sinks its sharp beak into the stem of a plant or blade of grass. The plant juices that flow out are both its food and the material by which it builds. As the plant sap is taken in it flows throughout its body. Internal chemicals are added which change it into a soapy liquid. This liquid trickles from his tail until a pool collects under it.

The insect blows into the liquid with its abdomen.It has a row of plates on his underside which open when it raises its tail and close when it lowers it. The froghopper uses its body like a bellows to make a stream of tiny round bubbles. As its tail moves up and down, the bubbles pile up until the insect is completely covered with the froth. It takes approximately 10 to 20 minutes to built the bubble home. The bubbles last for as long as a week and seem to repel predators, in fact, smaller insects are known to become permanently stuck to the sticky bubbles.

Note: Reference from Hutchins, Ross E. Hansell, Michael H. and Tsui, Eugene