Top 20 Most Common Insects in New Orleans
Insects, with their diverse forms and unique adaptations, thrive in New Orleans's unique urban and natural environments. These critters play a corner stone role in New Orleans's ecosystem, from pest handlers to vital pollinators. As we journey through the top 20 most common insects here, we'll explore how these creatures shape, and are shaped by, New Orleans's diverse cityscape.
Most Common Insects
1. Blue crab
Thanks to its sapphire blue claws, blue crab is famous for its attractive appearance. Despite its lovely looks, the crab shows aggressive nature when it feels threatened. Blue crab has important commercial value and it's harvested for culinary use. Many people find its meat to be sweet and delicious.
2. 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.
3. Eastern pondhawk
The eastern pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) has much in common with American fishermen, they love living near the sides of ponds. They are a beautiful insect that is easy to distinguish when it comes to different genders. Females are bright green with bands around the abdomen and the males are bright blue with a green face.
4. Blue dasher
The name Pachydiplax longipennis implies that the blue dasher has long wings due to the "longipennis" section literally translating to it. But this would be misleading, as the insect does not have particularly long wings. Instead, they stick out with vibrant blue colors. The dasher part of their name may be in reference to their voracious diet, as they can eat up to 10 percent of their body weight daily.
5. Eastern Lubber Grasshopper
The eastern Lubber Grasshopper ( Romalea microptera) is the most distinctive grasshopper within the south-eastern United States. This large and brightly colored insect can emit a noxious dark-colored foamy secretion from the thorax when it is disturbed. A bird would feel very regretful after ate this insect by mistake.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Banana spider
The banana spider (Nephila clavipes) is called that because it is commonly found in banana shipments leading from South America. There are many spiders that fit this category (often found in banana shipments), so this one is also called the Golden silk orb-weaver to distinguish them. This name is more related to the strength of its silk, which is stronger than steel based on tensile strength.
9. Twin-flagged jumping spider
As its name suggests, the tiny twin-flagged jumping spider can quickly jump long distances, which helps it catch its prey but might be startling to humans. This spider lives and hunts in wooded areas but can make its way close to human homes.
10. Great blue skimmer
With a total length of 5 - 6 cm, it is one of the largest skimmers. The immature forms of the skimmer are brown in color and mature forms are blue-hued. 
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