Insects are good at multiplication. They dominate life on earth – in diversity, numbers and volume. It may be hard to believe, but termites and ants alone could account for a quarter of all animal biomass on land. But now these creatures, that we took for granted, and whose existence even irk certain people, are suddenly on the long (and growing) list of things we need to protect, not destroy.

Luckily, insects can bounce back quickly in numbers, as soon as their natural habitat is restored, and the poisoning ceases – thanks to their ability to multiply. This issue contains stories related to this multiplication process.

Toktokkie beetles handle the courtship remotely via virtual meetings. Males start the conversation, by drumming their abdomen on the ground, until a female responds. A pair exchange signals until, eventually, they locate each other. Then it’s run and jump and hold on tight.

Read the whole article in Leopard’s Echo, a bi-annual online magazine of Kloof Conservancy.