Wondering why the sky isn’t full of in sect poo, or the ground not covered in the lovely stuff? We explain what happens to insect poo
Insects may fly, but that doesn’t mean their faeces fly too. Many defecate on the wing, and the waste shunted out soon falls to Earth.
Famously, the first thing a honeybee does on its maiden flight is to eject the contents of its guts, which it has been saving through its larvahood to avoid miring its pristine honeycomb cell.
Most insect poo will be recycled back into the environment and used as fertiliser, but you can find it all around you. Park your car under a sycamore or linden tree, for instance, and you will end up with sticky drops on your windscreen – the copious output from aphids sucking sugary plant sap. And the next time you walk through an oak woodland in summer, listen for what sounds like gentle rain on the dead leaves underfoot.
High above, massed caterpillars of the green oak tortrix moth are defoliating the trees and their droppings (frass), like fine sand, are falling into your hair.