Top 20 Most Common Insects in Slovakia

It rests with closed wings when not in flight.

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.

The silver, comma-shaped marked on the butterfly’s wings give it the common name the Comma. It is a common butterfly in southern Britain that was once on the verge of extinction in the 1930s. The butterflies are often found at the edge of forests, close to meadows with plenty of nectar-rich wildflowers.

The heart and dart (Agrotis exclamationis) is a moth of the family Noctuidae. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. A familiar moth to many, it is considered one of the most common of the European region. It occurs throughout the Palearctic realm from Ireland to Japan. This is a quite variable species with forewings ranging from pale to dark brown but always recognizable by the distinctively shaped dark stigmata which give it its common name. The wingspan is 35–44 mm. The hindwings are whitish (compared with other common Agrotis species, the hindwings of this species are usually paler than in heart and club but darker than in turnip moth). This species usually has a dark area at the front of the thorax, visible as a horizontal bar when viewing the moth head on. The differences are not consistent however; they are highly variable in both colour and markings, and identification of atypical or worn examples may prove impossible without examination of genitalia. See Townsend et al. This moth flies at night from May to July and is attracted to light, sometimes in large numbers. It also frequently visits nectar-rich flowers such as Buddleia, ragwort and red valerian. The larva is brown above and grey below and feeds on a variety of plants, both wild and cultivated (see list below). This is one of the notorious cutworms and often severs or fatally damages plants at the base. The species overwinters as a full-grown larva in a chamber in the soil before pupating in the spring. ^ The flight season refers to the British Isles. This may vary in other parts of the range.

Common brimstone (Gonepteryx rhamni) is an attractive species of butterfly; males display iridescence and have yellow wings, whereas females have white-green, non-iridescent wings. This species is wholly reliant on two species of buckthorn plant to lay its eggs. Consequently, the larvae consume large amounts of buckthorn.

Its slow and floating flight pattern makes it easy to identify the scarce swallowtail as it soars over gardens, orchards, and scrublands. The butterfly has a large presence across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The adult lifespan is brief, only two or three weeks. Planting flowers like blackthorn can encourage the butterfly to visit a garden.

The greater stag beetle ( Lucanus cervus ) is popular with insect lovers. The male individual is known for the impressive jaws that look like antlers of a deer. In contrast, females do not have jaws and are much smaller. The adults feed on juices and tree saps while the larvae eat wood. By the way, greater stag beetles are considered a pest in the Middle East where they dig into the root systems of date palms, affecting the date crop.

The forewings of this species are reddish brown with a black streak interrupted by white stigmata and a creamy-yellow streak along the costa which gives the species its common name. The hindwings are pure white.

Named for its striking pattern, european firebug is often described as the "firebug." It is known to congregate in large aggregations reaching as many as one hundred individuals at a time, particularly while still immature. Because they feed upon the seeds of lime trees, clusters of mating individuals can often be found at the bases of these trees in late spring.

The european mantis (Mantis religiosa) is a bright green mantis that can be distinguished by the two black spots with single white spots inside on its front legs. These spots resemble the eyes of a predator. If it's threatened, it will raise its wings and show off these intimidating "eyes". Also, it's a fierce species that will chase down its prey to catch it.