Category Archives: Ickyology

Household entomology

Ickyology

Got Fleas? Vacuum!

5 Comments

catfleabw_umo.jpg

Entomologists at Ohio State University have discovered an easy weapon in the fight against fleas: the household vacuum. General wisdom tells us that an important step to de-flea your house involves vacuuming the carpet and pet areas regularly. Now scientists have proven that fleas that get sucked up don’t come back out (at least, don’t come back out 98% of the time if they are adults, and 100% of the time if they are larvae).

The scientists also tested the toxicity of vacuum bags and the effects of turbulent air in an attempt to catagorize what actually kills the cat flea, or Ctenocephalides felis(pictured above). They found that the bags aren’t toxic, and the turbulent air doesn’t seem have any lasting affects. They postulate that a combonation of the physical trials presented by the vacuuming process causes damage to the flea’s cutile, causing adults, pupae, and larvae alike to dry out in the vacuum bag.

No longer must you immediatly throw out bags filled with fleas! Just know that a good, thourough cleaning job will help your pets live parasite free.

—Source

Ickyology

Etsy–the insect lover’s dream!

1 Comment

il_430xn12801346.jpg

So, I’m an entomologist. And like every person who has ever mentioned a liking for insects, I receive every insect-endowed product known to humankind. T-shirts, napkin rings, dish sets, glasses, hair barretts, pens, stationary, humerous signs, socks, throw rugs, decorative pillows, wallpaper, you name it. If it has an insect emblasonzed on it, I have probably owned it.

Now, don’t get me wrong…I love presents! It’s just that when you have an interest such as entomology, it seems that people’s sense of style goes right out the window. Some of these products are great–for years I had a plate set from Cost Plus with green dragon flies on it. Subtle, yet unique. However, most of the insect-related products are henious. Manufactuers seem to know three bugs, and three bugs only: ladybugs, butterflies, and dragonflies. Now, a group known to be the most diverse group of animals on the planet should have more than three representatives in the free market, don’t you think? They should also be represented by beautiful, useful products that catch the eye and delight the senses, not cheaply manufactured crap that you can’t even begin to know what to do with. (Seriously–what am I going to do with a string of 6 ladybug-shaped bean bags hanging on a hook? They don’t even look like lady bugs! And why would I hang bean bags from something, anyhow? Just because it’s a bug doesn’t mean it’s a good product! Put the ugly thing down!)

Then I discovered Etsy.com…a bastion of handmade items from all over the world. Do a search for “insect” and 140 pages of products come up. One hundred and forty! These aren’t your every day insect offerings, either. Sure, there is the fair share of ladybugs, butterflies and dragonflies, but those are mixed in with things like damsel fly handbags, housefly pendants, scarab beatle onesies, ant polos, cicida-wing necklaces, silver blowflies, and every type of t-shirt you could imagine. (The picture above is a green preying mantis bra top, $14. The artist even takes custom requests!)

It’s like nirvana for the bug lover–no longer will I dispair at the thought of 15 more pairs of cartoon butterfly socks. Never again will I force a smile for my third set of ladybug drinking cups (now with cutsy smiles and little shoes!). My worries are over! And just in time for Christmas!

—Source

Ickyology

Field Guide to Venomous Invertebrates

1 Comment

34097_kissing_bug.jpg

I recently came accross a nice, basic field guide to the identification of venomous and medically important invertebrates (and I love how they didn’t call everything “insects” or “bugs”). Apparently this is a document written for military personell to help them identify insects that may cause problems.

Of course, I’ve noticed that a little information can be much more damaging, especially when it comes to which insects might kill you, than no information at all. You haven’t lived until you’ve dealt with a paniced football player convinced he’s going to die of a brown reculse bite. (He had a container with a cute little garden spider, and what looked like a mosquito bite on his arm). I’m all for getting the information out there, but most people won’t listen enough to get full disclosure. I prefer the “if you don’t know, don’t poke it” method of public education, but I understand where the armed services is coming from with this document.

That being said, this field guide is pretty good. It lists pretty much all the dangerous invertebrates in the entire world, though, which seems a bit too much to me. What soldier is going to remember every single dangerous bug? I’d personally give them an abriviated field guide including those insects in the area where they are stationed, and leaving out the stuff only found in the deepest jungles on the other side of the globe. But that’s just me.

I also liked that they included cockroaches on the list. One of the reasons? The presence of cockroaches may hurt moral. Dangerous indeed!

Alright, I’m done mildly making fun of the document. Overall it was pretty good, and I sure am going to keep it to look over a few more times. Enjoy!

—Source

Ickyology

Albino Cockroach!

4 Comments

white-cockroach.jpg

Every entomologist since the beginning of time has had someone come running up to her and yell “I saw an albino cockroach! It was amazing! Are they rare? Are they different? Is it a new species?!? I wish I had a camera! You would have loved it!”

Oh, to be young and naive again. You hear this exclamation, chuckle to yourself and move on. You see, this isn’t an unusual occurrence in the least–in fact, every single cockroach goes through this “albino” stage several times throughout its adult stage.

Insects have their skeletons on the outside, so in order to get any bigger, they have to shed their exoskeletons and go through a vulnerable stage while they get bigger.

The exoskeleton is what gives most of these insects their coloring, as well. So when the exoskeleton is shed, the pigment is shed with it. As the new, bigger skeleton hardens, it darkens from white to brown or black, and the bigger, badder, no-longer-albino cockroach can go back to its insect-like ways.

These photos of a newly molted cockroach were taken by Ester Beatriz. Nice job, Ester!

—Source

Ickyology

Termites Give Us Fuel!

Leave a comment

termites.jpg

Scientists are mining a previously untapped resource for fuel: termite guts. Termites, those annoying buggers that eat us out of house and home, have the ability to break down cellulose–the substance that makes up the cell wall in woody plants. Many animals are unable to digest cellulose (mmm…fiber!) so it is a great biological feat to digest this substance and extract the nutrients.

Termites don’t do this on their own, however. They have a symbiotic relationships with bacteria that live in their digestive tracts. Its these bacteria that produce the enzymes to breakdown cellulose. Termites give the bacteria ready access to wood, and absorb the nutrients.

Entomologists are now tapping this resources to try and create biofuels. What a brilliant idea! I am of the personal opinion that insects can cure all human problems–but then I’m biased.

—Source

Ickyology

Uninfected Mosquito Bites Worsen West Nile Virus

Leave a comment

mosquito.jpg

Here’s an interesting little tidbit: mosquito saliva is bad for you. It has long been known that various viruses, including malaria and west nile virus, are spread by mosquitos; the virus resides in the mosquito’s mouth parts and is injected into the host during a bite. But scientists have recently discovered that exposure to uninfected mosquito saliva can alter the course of subsequent infection. A case of west nile virus is much worse in animals that have been bitten by “clean” mosquitos (those not carrying the virus) in the recent past. Here’s a great reason to wear your bug repellent all the time!

—Source

Ickyology

Giant, chilled balls of fruit flies thrown out of planes

Leave a comment

Mexican Fruit Fly

The Mexican fruit fly,  Anastrepha ludens, is a serious pest of crops in California. So much so, that the California Department of Food and Agriculture routienly monitors for the pest. Recently, several flies were found in traps, and this prompted a swift reaction from authorities. Pesticides were applied by hand, and the state has begun its sterile fly drop. This is where things get interesting.

A. ludens only mates once. If a fertile male mates with a sterile female, the infestation can be curbed effectively.  Entomologists sterilize millions of females using radiation, then dye them special colors so trappers can tell the difference between fertile and sterile flies. They then chill the ladies to knock them out, gather them into huge balls, and drop them out of planes over infested areas. The drop warms the flies, who wake up and fly away before hitting the ground. Bugs are fun, y’all!

source