Bugs in the News IX

Greetings, BugFans,

The BugLady’s file of insect-related media stories runneth over, and it’s time to share. Here’s a potpourri of items on invasive insect species, insect behavior, spectacular insects, and on people discovering new things about insects. Enjoy (fingers crossed that NatGeo and the New York Times aren’t feeling too proprietary).

Six years ago, the BugLady wrote about the (slowly) growing interest in eating insects. What’s sauce for the goose is apparently sauce for the family pet .

What do Monarch caterpillars do when food gets scarce? They get feisty, that’s what .

In 2011, the BugLady included the alien and invasive (remember – some species are both, but those terms are not synonyms) Brown marmorated stink bug in a Stink bug overview and she plans to revisit it someday. Meanwhile, here’s a story of a potential biological control .

Another invasive, the newly-arrived (2014) Spotted lanternfly, is poised to do a lot of damage in North America. While it may look like a butterfly , the Spotted Lanternfly is an actual “bug,” – a planthopper .

Would a “Bugs in the News” episode be complete without the Murder Hornet ?

Beautiful!!!!

Plus a great story about Leaf/stick insects .

And finally – this is one of the BEST VIDEOS EVER.

Stay healthy,
The BugLady

About the BugLady

The BugLady (aka Kate Redmond) is an Environmental Educator who has been having “close encounters” with insects all her life. She has worked and/or volunteered at Lac Lawrann Conservancy in West Bend, the Mequon Nature Preserve, and Riveredge Nature Center near Newburg and spoken at other area Nature Centers. At Riveredge, she has had the wonderful assignment of being the “sturgeon paparazza” at their annual sturgeon release. She leads field trips in the Cedarburg Bog, is a founding member of the Friends of the Cedarburg Bog, and is a current Board member of the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory. When she’s not appreciating insects, she’s enjoying prairies and wetlands.

Her 40 year addiction to photography is (almost) her only vice. She's gone through a number of cameras in the last 40 years, and now she packs a Pentax K-70 with a 70 mm macro lens.

The BugLady is a Wisconsin native, presently living in Sheboygan County. Most of the photos in Bug of the Week were taken in southeastern Wisconsin. Her Mission Statement is “Less stepping on bugs.”