Walking Sticks Mysteriously Appear in Museum

Last Friday two Indian walking sticks, Carausius morosus, mysteriously showed up inside the Museum! They didn't escape from the Insect Zoo (we've never kept this species of walking stick before), and we haven't been able to find out exactly how they got here. What we do know is that the insects were discovered after a visitor felt one "fall" on his arm, and then promptly reported it to a staff person.

One of the Indian walking sticks found in the Museum!

Indian walking sticks, a.k.a. laboratory walking sticks, are one of the most common walking sticks around. They are often kept as pets and classroom teaching tools, and their eggs can even be purchased on eBay for fish food! Surprisingly these insects have recently established themselves in our area through inadvertent or purposeful introductions. How does one inadvertently introduce stick insects into the environment?

Indian walking sticks can reproduce parthenogenetically, that is without sexual reproduction. Therefore females can produce eggs regardless of the presence of males. The eggs are very small, about 3mm in length, and look a lot like tiny stones. Female sticks lay their eggs by dropping them directly to the ground, where they accumulate in the leaf litter. When they are in captivity, fecal material, partially chewed leaves, and eggs accumulate very quickly at the bottom of walking stick enclosures. To keep the insects clean and safe it is important for owners to clean this material out on a regular basis. For the untrained stick keeper, it is very easy to inadvertently discard eggs. Often this will be directly into the trash, or maybe even into the backyard compost pile. Paired with purposeful introductions, "I can't keep this pet anymore, I'm sure it will be better outside," is it any wonder that these insects have established themselves in numerous areas around Los Angeles?

Indian walking stick eggs

(photo courtesy of Dr. Arakelian)

According to Dr. Gevorak Arakelian, Senior Biologist in the L.A. County Department of Agricultural Commissioner, Indian walking sticks have recently been downgraded from a B rating to a C rating. This means that they aren't viewed as serious pests that need to be eradicated. However, for gardeners and the nursery industry these insects can still be troublesome. They eat a wide variety of landscape plants including rose, bramble, camelia, hibiscus, geranium, oak, and English ivy (the list goes on). Next time you find mysterious chew marks on your rose bush, take a closer look and see if you can find a walking stick hiding nearby.

For more information check out Dr. Arakelian's Indian walking stick fact sheet.