insect

A paper by the University of Basel's Zoological Institute to be published in the upcoming issue of the journal, Animal Behavior, reveals the complex relationship that baby bugs - nymphs and larvae - have with their parents. When young tree hoppers feel threatened they will shake the leaves and stems that they reside on, signaling their mothers to sit on top of them and chase away any attackers. Burying beetles and earwigs kick their mothers in the face until they regurgitate delicious filth into their babies' open mouths. Even Vespidae wasp larvae, which grow up in cells, will scratch at the…
Some incredible early morning shots of wet insects by German photographer Martin Amm. Red veined darter Horsefly more below the fold Emerald damselfly Breakfast Check out more of his work here
Brits of all shapes and sizes have been spitting out mouth fulls of tea and shepherd's pie at the announcement that a strange unidentified insect seems to be running rampant across England, including London. The black and red bug resembles the Arocatus roeselii, a rare central European insect, only Britain's bugs are significantly duller in color. It's not every day that an unknown species emerges in the center of one of the oldest cities in the world. Click here to watch an informative video on the topic. London's Natural History Museum will be analyzing specimens of the bug to determine…
No one quite knows when the Light Brown Apple Moth arrived on the shores of California, but after DNA identification in 2007, it wasted no time pitting the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the populace of San Francisco against one another. Today the CDFA announced a new strategy for the eradication campaign: releasing bioengineered sterile moths to lure-in amorous males. Ever tried to neuter a moth? Not easy... Indigenous to Australia, the non-descript moth breeds prolifically with an average of three broods generations per year. However, much like Paul Hogan before it, the…
Time once again for some of Igor Siwanowicz's spectacular insect photography. We've brought you his mantis photos in the past (#1 , #2, and #3) so we decided to switch it up and take a look at some of his moths. Unfortunately Igor doesn't tell us which species we are looking at, but maybe some of our entomologically inclined readers will chime in. more below the fold This last one might be a butterfly, but that's a killer proboscis...
When Benny and I were little, we used to bait a large Havahart trap and leave it in the backyard overnight. We caught squirrels, possums and raccoons. Half the fun was the surprise of what might be inside when we woke up the next day. The game ended the morning we discovered we had caught a skunk... The Solar Insect Theater is kind of the same idea, just with less risk of skunk capture and extraction. Basically it's a wooden bug box with a solar powered light that charges during the day and lures insects at night. The insects "can leave anytime they want" although most naturally choose to…
Documentary on "new obscure insects" by Floris Kaayk. Was first shown at Paradise by the Laptop Light in 2005. While fascinating, a world infested with these guys would pretty much suck. Thanks to Maria Haanpaa for forwarding along.
tags: Lucasberg, wasp, Hymenoptera, behavior, streaming video This streaming video is a fascinating close-up interaction with a wasp by the photographer, who goes by the name Lucasberg. To get these amazing shots, he used a 180mm SLR macro lens. The photographer says the video is a little shakey because he was balancing on the handrail of his porch and could only use 1 tripod leg while filming. [1:06]. Face to face with a Wasp.
Great video of humankind's future arch nemesis.
A particularly close-up and violent ant versus termite video.
Climbing Insect Robot Official roboty info: RiSE is a small six-legged robot that climbs vertical terrain such as walls, trees and fences. RiSE's feet have claws, micro-claws or sticky material, depending on the climbing surface. RiSE changes posture to conform to the curvature of the climbing surface and a fixed tail helps RiSE balance on steep ascents. RiSE is about 0.25 m long, weighs 2 kg, and travels 0.3 m/s. (more below the fold) Each of RiSE's six legs is powered by two electric motors. An onboard computer controls leg motion, manages communications, and services a variety of sensors…
Fascinating BBC footage of geckos coaxing leafhoppers to feed them honeydew. The lizards tap their feet or bob their heads, and the insect dutifully tosses them a bead of delicious tree sap. This definitely qualifies as bizarre zoology.
Our recent coverage of the Cracked story "The 5 Most Horrifying Bugs in the World" made reference to the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, something we felt the need to explore further. Apparently Dr. Justin O Schmidt, an entomologist recently retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Tucson Carl Hayden Bee Research Center, felt the need to create a ranking system for insect stings. More specifically Hymenoptera stings, the order of insects that includes bees, wasps, ants and sawflies. Typically the "research" was conducted on himself and frequently required provoking the little guys to…
We don't like posts that simply link to other sites because we want you to hang out here. We picture you sitting at home in a bathrobe, drinking coffee, wearing bunny slippers and chortling with an English accent as you peruse Zooillogix. Sometimes we have to make exceptions though... This article in Cracked is crude, profanity laced, unscientific and utterly hilarious. Check it out here. For those of you too lazy to click your mouse on the link, we have reposted one of the five below. There are about 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 insects on earth at any given moment. Seriously, that's a real…
We've brought you some of Igor Siwanowicz's incredible work in the past (Round I and Round II) but wanted to share some of his newer photos. Please visit his site and hire him to do the photos for your daughter's bat mitzvah or something... A whole series demonstrating Igor's outstanding head shots below the fold... If any of our more entomologically inclined readers want to chime in and attach names to these adorable mugs, please do so and we'll credit you.
Colliuris sp. long-necked ground beetle, Arizona   details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon 20D beetle on plain white paper f/13, 1/250 sec, ISO 100 MT-24EX twin flash diffused through tracing paper levels adjusted in Photoshop
We've posted a handful of stories about insects being outfitted with surveillance equipment, converted into cyborgs and even remade as robots, but what about using insects as instruments of biological warfare? As it turns out, this may be the most likely and frightening scenario. Ira Flatow, a close personal friend of Zooillogix (we're assuming), went over this scenario on this recent episode of his NPR show, Talk of the Nation's Science Friday. Death to American pets! The episode quotes Jeffrey Lockwood, an entomologist at the University of Wyoming, explaining that the danger of such an…
In a breakthrough heralded by some as "a major advancement toward the annihilation of the human species," a military contractor known as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Darpa) is utilizing robotic hybrid insects for surveillance and intel gathering. Using microelectromechanical systems or (MEMS), researchers are able to control the movements and flight of insects with a remote control and a GPS system. Big Mothra is watching... Darpa is funding four research groups at various universities for a four-phased development/deployment strategy. The third phase is the demonstration…
These come from photographer Igor Siwanowicz. Absolutely spectacular. Check out tons of his incredible work here. Idolomantis diabolica Unidentified Idolomantis diabolica Pnigomantis
Benny and I love almost all living things even if we have to squish those things from time to time. The one distinct exception to this rule is the earwig. This is the common name for the insect order Dermaptera, which frequently have an abdomen that ends in forceps-like cerci or, in other words, pinchers! Earwig in a typical threatening posture The earwig was the bane of our existence growing up. Gathering en masse in damp, dark places, they were particularly fond of the area where the fence gate met the first post, which divided our front and back yard. Such was our extreme fear of these…