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- Bug of the Week - August 19, 2009 10:01pm Aug 18|5 Comments
- Fall Webworm May Not Require Control 11:43am Aug 17
Today's Bug of the Week is seasonally appropriate. You just might see this butterfly at this time of year! Do you know what it is? If you can name this bug, leave a comment with your answer. I've left a few hints in the forum, should you need them.Last week's challenge was a fun one, wasn't it? T...
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In honor of International Women's Day, I'd like to offer a wave of the antennae to seven women in entomology history, who broke gender barriers in a male-dominated field, and did so in a time when women weren't supposed to like things like bugs.From Mary Ball, whose many discoveries were publishe...
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Did you know... A West African assassin bug tricks both prey and predators by wearing a backpack made of dead bugs. The nymph piles the remains of its meals - ants, termites, and flies - on its back, attaching them with a sticky secretion. The heap of debris, which can be larger than the assassin...
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Have you ever seen a cooler looking bug!? This Bug of the Week takes us to the rainforests of South America (there's your first hint). If you can uncover its identity, leave your answer in a comment. Next Wednesday, I'll let you know if you were right. You may want a few clues for this one; drop ...
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Let me start by saying this is a family-oriented website, so I'm going to resist the temptation to make any off-color jokes.A new study published in Current Biology suggests that promiscuity may be the key to a species' survival. Females who engage in risky behavior by mating with multiple males ...
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Most elementary students can point out examples of wing-color mimicry in butterflies. Viceroy butterflies, for example, mimic the colors and patterns of monarch butterflies. Scientists believe that such mimicry serves as a defense against predators. Hungry birds can't distinguish between the toxi...
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Did you know...In optimal environmental conditions and lacking any predators, parasites, or disease, a single aphid could produce 600 billion descendants in one season. A female aphid is born already carrying hundreds of embryos, and those embryos already carry her granddaughters.Source: Insects:...
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As an Earthwatch volunteer, I've worked with a number of conservation scientists in the field. I've helped place microchips in sea turtles in the Caribbean and in snakes in the Pantanal wetlands. I've even helped tag damselfish by soaking their eggs in a dye solution that permanently stains a str...
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Happy Bug of the Week Day, everyone! Another Wednesday, another photogenic bug for you to identify. This week's mystery insect has some unique markings, so I think you'll figure it out without too much trouble. If you'd like some clues, just jump over to the forum. Leave your answer here in a com...
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Do you blog about insects, spiders, or other arthropods? We'd love to hear about it! Take a few minutes to complete this form, and tell the world about your bug blog. Once approved, your post will be included in a directory of bug blogs right here on About Insects. More Ways to Keep Up With About...
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Did you know...The queen honey bee can live 3-4 years, but her biological clock ticks a lot faster than you might think. Just a week after emerging from her queen cell, the new queen flies from the hive to mate. If she doesn't do so within 20 days, it's too late; she loses her ability to mate. If...
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I'd like to offer my personal congratulations to Dr. May R. Berenbaum, the person who most inspired me to write about insects. The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has named Dr. Berenbaum, professor and head of the Department of Entomology at the University of Illinois a...
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It's been a while since I've posted an odonate, so here's your chance to show off those bug ID skills. The weekly Bug of the Week challenge is posted each Wednesday. Dust off your field guide and see if you can name this bug. Leave your best guess in a comment to this post, and next week, come ba...
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http://insects.about.com Here's your chance to show off! If you write a bug blog, please fill out this quick and easy form to let us know about it.
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Do you have a bug blog? Do you blog about insects, spiders, or other arthropods? Let us know about it!
Caltech researchers used some innovative techniques on tiny fruit flies to obtain the first recordings of their brain-cell activity while in flight. As you read this, keep in mind the size of a fruit fly - a mere 3 mm in body length. This research is ingenious.A dye-filled glass electrode (pink) ...
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Foraging honey bees that encounter danger make a bee line back to the hive to warn others, frequently by head butting them. James Nieh, a biologist at UC San Diego, discovered that honey bees use a special signal to keep fellow hive mates out of harm's way. The waggle dancer (with yellow and pink...
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Did you know...Certain ground beetle females produce methacrylic acid, a potent anti-aphrodisiac that not only repels males, it can knock them out cold for several hours! More Ways to Keep Up With About InsectsHave a bug question? Visit the Insects ForumSign up for my free newsletterFollow me on...
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We're in the midst of a blizzard where I live today, which makes it a little hard to imagine a caterpillar munching on a leaf. Fortunately, I don't have to imagine it, because I can take a look at the Bug of the Week challenge instead. Can you identify this caterpillar? This one's tricky, so you ...
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As I write this, the second blizzard of the week is heading toward me. Just a few days ago, Mother Nature dumped a couple of feet of snow on us, and she's already bring another foot or two to add insult to injury. I don't mind admitting it: I hate snow.Snow fleas! Click the image to see Claudia's...
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Hey Los Angeles: do you have spiders in your basement or backyard? The spider experts at the L.A. Natural History Museum want to see them. You can help entomologists survey spider populations in the L.A. Basin by participating in the Los Angeles Spider Survey.In 2002, museum staff invited L.A. re...
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Did you know...Some dance flies use handmade nuptial gifts to woo a mate. The male spins a silken balloon and offers it to the female of his choosing. The balloon serves no purpose, but still, an interested female will accept the gift. It is believed that this behavior evolved from the practice o...
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Thanks to all my regular Bug of the Week participants for coming back each week, and welcome to newcomers. Each Wednesday, I post an image of an insect, spider, or other "bug" here in my blog, with a challenge to you to identify it. You've got until next Wednesday, when I'll reveal the answer and...
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For 80 million years, figs and fig wasps have co-existed and co-evolved. Each of the 700-plus species of fig trees has its own partner species of fig wasp. The fig wasp lay its eggs in the fruit, where its offspring are protected from harm. In exchange for this safe haven, the fig wasp pollinates...
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Monarch butterflies had a rough year in 2009. Drought and a heat wave in the south slowed their migration. When they finally fluttered into the northern states, they were met with an unusually cold, rainy summer. Most butterfly biologists expected winter numbers to be down this year.Monarchs at t...
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Did you know...The shaggy, fuzzyfoot bee - yes, that's its name - pollinates blueberries using an unusual method. It "buzzes" or vibrates the pollen loose from the flower's anthers. These pollinating powerhouses don't let the rain stop them; while other bees take shelter, they're still flying fro...
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The folks at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust area doing good things for bees in the UK. They've already established the world's first bumblebee sanctuary, a 20 acre meadow now bursting with clovers, vetches and trefoils. The Vane Farm Sanctuary, a bumblebee habitat created by the Bumblebee Conse...
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http://insects.about.com My friends at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in the UK are competing against 5 other groups for a £25,000 prize. If they win, they'll use it to create a wildflower-rich habitat to support rare, native bumblebees in the Pembrokeshire National Park. You can help them win! Visit their website to vote and learn more.
www.bumblebeeconservation.org
"Bumblebees are key factors in our wildlife. If they disappear many of our plants will not bear fruit. I am proud to be associated with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust"
This week, I've changed things up a bit. Can you name this spider? Each Wednesday, I post an image of a bug for you to identify. If you leave a comment with its correct name, I'll give you a shout out in next Wednesday's blog post. And for those who need it, I've left some hints in the forum.Four...
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Going to Mexico? Here's one souvenir you don't want to bring back with you - a live beetle, encrusted with real gems.A living brooch from Mexico was seized at the U.S. border. This beetle is encrusted in gold and gems.Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionA woman returned to the U.S...
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