Grasshopper 

Dr. Smyth: Today we have a special guest that we are going to interview. His name is Gary, the grasshopper. We are going to find out lots of information about him. We will find out thing like a grasshopper's life cycle, predators, and much, much more. 
   
Gary: Well thank you, Dr. Smyth for having me on your show. I'm really excited about telling people what I'm like. Lots of people think we are just little, tiny pests, but you would have think twice about calling us pests if you have to hear what we have to go through.  

Dr. Smyth: Well I'm sure the viewers are excited to hear about it. First of all, could tell us about all the predators you have to deal with.  

Gary: Well first of all, there's all of the bugs that eat us when were just eggs. I am actually pretty lucky that I haven't been eaten yet with all the predators I have to deal with. There are the bee flies, blister beetles, ground beetles, and crickets. The crickets eat the eggs and can destroy up to 50% of the eggs in some areas. The blister beetles and bee flies lay their eggs by our eggs, so when they hatch they eat our eggs. If there are a lot of blister beetles and bee flies in the area they could destroy up to 80% of the eggs in an area. Now back to you ,Dr. Smyth. 

Dr. Smyth: Well, your eggs are really endangered. Do you have anymore predators? 

Gary: We sure do Dr. Smyth. There are spiders, some wasps, and many birds that eat large numbers of our nymphs and adults. In fact there are even some parasites that feed off of us. Like flesh flies and tangled-veined flies. 

Dr.Smyth: Now tell me about some unique characteristics that you have. Did these characteristics make it important to join the Species Habitat Project? 

Gary: 
Dr.Smyth:  Well, Gary, I hear that a lot of grasshoppers get eaten a day. Also I hear that other insect eat your eggs before they are are born. So it seems like their aren't a lot of grasshoppers in the world. So how easy is reproduction with all these things happening to you guys? 

Gary: That is exactly what I've been trying to tell everyone. It sure is hard being a grasshopper with everyone bugging us. Other insects eat are eggs before they are even hatched, so it isn't easy for reproduction. A lot of people think oh its just a bug and they step on us. The reason I'm on here is to tell people what we go through and have to deal with in life. 

Dr.Smyth: Well, that's all the time we have now.