They even show up on the weather radar. I think a weather report that predicted a chance of buzzing clouds of arthropods would be cool.
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Bugs are Hemiptera. Mayflies are Ephemeroptera. Not bugs.
"Bugs" is also a colloquial term used to refer to all arthropods. I have a fondness for mudbugs, for instance.
They are little bugs, you tell em peezee.
Also, the fact that they show up on weather radar is insane. I for one welcome our new Ephemeropterid Overlords. I suggest you do the same, they are not gentle in anger.
Anything that is invertebrate with at least 6 legs is a bug. A very generalizing statement to be sure, but that's the way of the world when people fear creep-crawlies.
I'm partial to bees and wasps myself...I've always found them the most interesting arthropods, and a good tough wasp can beat up on arachnids, YEAH!
Just being pedantic. The colloquial 'bugs' is only used by Americans, but, just to be sure, my entomolgy tutor here in Scotland always referred to Hemiptera as the 'true bugs'. That really bugs me.
The Attenborough Life Of Mammals about bats had some cool footage of radar displays of massive insect swarms being met shortly afterward by huge bat swarms.
BI: I'm usually rooting for the arachnids, unless my Mom is coming by (she's phobic). I've heard of locust swarms showing up on radar too.
But hey, I like bats too!
It gets worse than that, PZ. 'Hard-rock' geologists sometimes refer to all organisms (alive, dead or fossilized) dismissively as "bugs".
I was taught in entomology that Bug should be used for common names for insects of the order Hemiptera, i.e., Squash Bug or Assassin Bug. On the other hand there is the word bug (note different capitalization) that has many meanings and can be used as part of a common name for an insect like ladybug. Or as in, 'look at that bug crawling over there', but if you are with a group of entomologist they will probably be disappointed when they can not find the Hemiptera you said you saw.
If only they'd also caught the swarm of huge bat eating centipedes that met the swarm of bats on the way back to the cave... :-)
I for one welcome our new Ephemeropterid Overlords. I suggest you do the same, they are not gentle in anger.
...and what the heck, it's only for 24 hours.
hey it's not like they eat anything anyway. they show up, do it on your couch then die in the floor. but you can bake a cake with them!
That is sooooo cool! (Now, if we could only teach mayflies to buzz!)