Top 20 Most Common Insects in Canterbury

1. Western honey bee

Western honey bee（Apis mellifera） is the most common species of honeybee in the world. Among the first domesticated insects, its cultural and economic impact on humanity has been vast and far-reaching, providing honey, wax and its services as a pollinator. Western honey bee faces challenges worldwide, such as colony collapse disorder, and populations are thought to be decreasing.

2. Cabbage white

Cabbage white (Pieris rapae) derives its common name from its habits as a caterpillar, which is a ferocious pest for cabbage, kale and broccoli farmers. In North America, it is one of the first butterflies to emerge in spring, heralding the beginning of the season.

3. New zealand mantis

The New zealand mantis (Orthodera novaezealandiae) is a jumpy insect that uses foliage to ambush its common prey. While it is near the top of the food chain, that will change if it meets the South african praying mantis, which its males seem to have a thing for sexual cannibalism. If you wish to keep one as a pet, they are fast and jumpy insects that do not prefer captivity.

4. Monarch butterfly

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is the most recognizable butterfly in North America. It is best known for its appearance, but should be better known for the fact that it has a 3000-mile migration that takes the butterfly 4 generations to complete. Their diet is also a natural deterrent for predators, as they eat milkweed, a poison that induces vomiting.

5. Buff-tailed bumble bee

A popular pollinating species in European greenhouses, buff-tailed bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) is one of the more common species of bumblebee worldwide. This species displays comparatively high levels of intelligence, recognizing flowers by color and navigating several miles (if necessary) to return to the hive. Unlike many other bee species, the queen of a buff-tailed bumble bee hive will only mate with one male.

6. Southern rock lobster

Jasus edwardsii is a ten- Jasus edwardsii species from the Palinuridae family. The scientific name of the species was first validly published in 1875 by Hutton.

7. Common garden katydid

The common garden katydid (Caedicia simplex) is a bright green bug, but as a nymph, it takes on the color of whatever it has been eating. This can sometimes be bright yellow or pink if it has been munching on vivid flowers. These unusual colors could remain for several molts. This species is often found in woodlands and forests.

8. Garden orbweb spider

E. pustulosa has five distinctive spines on its abdomen, two large ones halfway down its back and three smaller ones at the end of its abdomen.

9. Red coat damselfly

The red coat damselfly (Xanthocnemis zealandica) is a beautiful damselfly known to be mostly red, but also has a combination of yellow and orange shades if you manage to get close to it. Like others in its family, you will often catch them flying near streams. Naiad in this group is known to have pointed tail gills.

10. Eleven-spot ladybird

The Elfpunkt ladybird (Coccinella undecimpunctata) is a beetle from the family of ladybirds (Coccinellidae).

11. Nursery web spider

The nursery web spider (Dolomedes minor) builds its thick, cotton-like webs into a nest-like structure to protect its young. The nests are usually built on low shrubs, and the females lay their eggs inside the structures. During the day, the adults are active, but at night the females always return to guard the nest.

12. Common wasp

The common wasp (Vespula vulgaris) is otherwise known as the common yellow-jacket. Despite what the name may make you believe, these industrious insects will look for a free space in a rock crevice, mammal hole, or tree to build its paper nests. This makes them pretty extraordinary, as these nests can host several thousand larvae. Queens can go through a long process in finding the perfect nest.

13. Common drone fly

Common drone fly (Eristalis tenax) is the most common hoverfly worldwide. Noted for its remarkable adaptability, it has spread to every continent other than Antarctica and even survives in the frigid Himalayas. It is territorial and will attack any other species that ventures into its chosen territory, and it is apt to dwell within this area for the rest of its life.

14. Orange-legged swift spider

Orange-legged swift spiders are mostly black in appearance, with white spots along most of the body and orange front legs. They are typically 6 - 7 mm in length.

15. Common Rough Woodlouse

The common Rough Woodlouse is one of the most common woodlice, found throughout the world. Add that to its rough feel, and that's how it got its name, common rough woodlouse. Unlike other members of the family, these woodlice like to play dead rather than curl up in a ball to defend themselves. The common Rough Woodlouse was the inspiration for a mathematical algorithm because of its kinesis behavior.

16. Capua intractana

Capua intractana is a butterfly from the family of the leafrollers (Tortricidae). The scientific name of the species was first validly published in 1869 by Walker.

17. Multicolored asian ladybeetle

Often confused for the ladybug, multicolored asian ladybeetle (Harmonia axyridis) is a separate species that, unlike the ladybug, is a household pest. It is considered particularly annoying for its habit of returning to places from which it is removed. One of the most variable species in the world, there are many different colors and patterns multicolored asian ladybeetle may display, making identification potentially difficult.

18. Aussie bronze jumping spider

The aussie bronze jumping spider (Helpis minitabunda) is a bold jumping spider that can sometimes be called the threatening jumping spider because of its tendency to stick around when humans approach. It appears to be pretty confident in its abilities to jump and dance, as courtship dances can last up to 3 hours.

19. Two-spotted ladybug

As evidenced by its name, two-spotted ladybug (Adalia bipunctata) is best distinguished from other species of ladybug by its two black spots, of which there are commonly one of on each side of their base. However, as some specimens may display more spots, identification may remain difficult. Farmers appreciate it for its ability to eat aphids, and two-spotted ladybug was specifically introduced into Australia for this purpose.

20. European harvestman

The european harvestman (Phalangium opilio) is an eight-legged arachnid, but it is not a spider. They share the nickname "daddy longlegs" with the cellar spider (Pholcidae). They have not changed much in 400 years, as fossils have been found fitting the description of this arachnid.

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