Giant Mesquite Bugs- Thasus gigas- L=1 1/4 inches. Giant Mesquite Bugs live on a variety of mesquite trees in the Southwest and in Mexico. The bugs sexes can easily be distinguished. The male Giant Mesquite Bugs like this one have greatly enlarged hind legs with bumps and spines and the females have thin and smooth hind legs. They have a propensity to gather in large groups on the mesquite trees in the summer. Total lifespan from hatching until death is about 8 months. Eggs survive the winter and hatch in the spring. There are five larval stages called "instars," starting with the first, hatchling. After several days or longer, the nymph will pull itself out of its old skin (molt), and expand its soft new shell to a larger size before it hardens. This cycle repeats until the sixth molt, when it becomes an adult with wings. At each stage the nymph has different patterns and colors. When the weather turns cool in late October, they will have laid their eggs on a twig or tree branch and died off, and the Giant Mesquite Bugs life cycle will be complete.
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