Greetings, BugFans,
Let’s take some time off from the relentless, 24-hour news cycle and enjoy a few bug stories.
MOSQUITOES – The BugLady always snickers at the obligatory TV news spot in mid-spring in which someone earnestly tries to predict what kind of mosquito season is on the horizon (“Well, Pete, if we get a lot of rain, we could have a lot of mosquitoes this year…”). Whatever the summer brings, how do mosquitoes find you, and do they find you delectable? Why Do Mosquitos Bite Some People More Than Others? Your Blood Type, Sweat Contents and Even Alcohol Consumption May Make You More Attractive to the Pesky Insects.
(The BugLady also snickers at the weather folks who report that visibility is limited to only five miles or two miles instead of ten. Most people don’t live where they can actually see five miles, and most of us aren’t flying an airplane. All we need is enough visibility – maybe a quarter mile in each direction – to be able to pull through an intersection safely. But that’s a different soapbox).
INSECT SPECIES – There are about 100,000 species of insects in the US, and almost one-fifth of those species can be found in Wisconsin! Most live out their whole lives without producing a single blip on our collective radars, and formal insect surveys are a recent phenomenon, so it’s hard to say what the population trends are for many species. Study Reveals How Little We Know About Wisconsin’s Insect Diversity – CALS News.
SPIDERS: – Spiders would appreciate a little peace and quiet Getting Annoyed at Your Noisy Neighbor? Spiders Are, Too. New Research Finds They’ll Build Webs Differently in Loud Conditions.
LADY GAGA TREEHOPPER – Ever wonder how newly described insects get their names Insect With ‘Wacky Fashion Sense’ Named After Lady Gaga
WALKING STICK – Our Northern walking sticks max out at about 3” long (counting their antennae, maybe 5”) (and what cute nymphs they have Bug ID – Diapheromera femorata – BugGuide.Net). They’re dwarfed by this newly-discovered Australian stick insect Gigantic ‘Walking Stick’ Discovered in Australia Might Be the Continent’s Heaviest Insect.
BUMBLE BEES – Turns out that extreme heat can have an unexpected impact on bumble bees Heat Waves Can Make Bumblebees Lose Their Sense of Smell, Study Finds. Here’s Why That’s a Problem.
EXTRAFLORAL NECTARIES – Some insects protect the plants they live on, and the plants reward them for it Mutualism Under Pressure: New Research in Panama Shows a Plant’s Ability to Keep Its Defender Ants Happy | Smithsonian Voices | Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Smithsonian Magazine. BOTW explored EFNs a while back Ants in My Plants Rerun – Field Station.
INVASIVE SPECIES ALERT – be on the lookout for a new alien species, the Elm zigzag sawfly – This Invasive Wasp Is Wreaking Havoc on Elms in North America—and the Damage May Soon Spread to Other Trees. Here’s some info from the Wisconsin DNR New Invasive Pest Discovered In Wisconsin |.
The BugLady saw a fly sitting on the outside of her cottage the other morning.
The BugLady