Monthly Archives: April 2015

Why are caterpillar hairs itchy? Why do caterpillar hairs cause abortions in horses? Can they hurt other pets?

Posted on April 30, 2015 by joeballenger2005

Written by Joe Ballenger The great thing about being on social media is that we run into a lot of questions and conversations that are very closely related to each other despite the fact that the participants might not realize … Continue reading →

Posted in Chemistry, Physiology | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Collecting Tips – The Awkward Inbetween Steps

Posted on April 28, 2015 by SciBugs

Written by Nancy Miorelli The internet is chock-full of advice for collecting and if you’re looking to build an insect collection but can’t take a formal class, there’s lots of available help. I myself, have a YouTube series dedicated to … Continue reading →

Posted in Taxonomy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 42 Comments

How Would One Go About Raising Cicadas in Captivity?

Posted on April 23, 2015 by joeballenger2005

Written by Joe Ballenger Today’s question comes from Trevor Knight, via our Facebook page. He wants to know if it’s possible to rear cicadas in captivity. It’s a good question, and one I’ve been curious about myself. Insect rearing is … Continue reading →

Posted in Behavior, Ecology, Education, Physiology, Research | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

What Do Bugs Do When It Rains?

Posted on April 20, 2015 by SciBugs

Written by Nancy Miorelli It’s been raining here for the past week and a half. I feel like I should have invested in an ark instead of a new computer. And if you think I’m exaggerating (okay, but only slightly) we’ve gotten … Continue reading →

Posted in Behavior, Physiology | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Can Arachnids Regenerate Blood Lost After an Injury?

Posted on April 16, 2015 by joeballenger2005

Written by Joe Ballenger @BugQuestions once the injury “seals”, pressure goes back to normal? Hemolymph somehow regenerates? Thanks for answering. — Katzider (@katzider) April 11, 2015 Just as knowing what to do in an emergency is important, understanding how invertebrate … Continue reading →

Posted in Physiology | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

When a Spider Loses a Leg, Does Its Whole Hydraulic System Lose Pressure?

Posted on April 13, 2015 by joeballenger2005

Written by Joe Ballenger @BugQuestions whenever a spider loses a leg, does its whole hydraulic system loses pressure as well? My ghost spider lost a leg and froze. — Katzider (@katzider) April 10, 2015 This question came to us from … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Physiology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Birds, Cows, Hens, and Bugs – Things the Ladybug is Not: Why Are Ladybugs Called Ladybugs?

Posted on April 9, 2015 by SciBugs

Written by Nancy Miorelli One of the questions that I’ve seen on Twitter and on Instagram is why is the ladybug called a “ladybug” or a “ladybird” if you’re in the UK. These names are especially confusing because it’s obviously … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Taxonomy | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments

Everything You Wanted to Know About Colony Collapse Disorder.

Posted on April 6, 2015 by joeballenger2005

Written by Joe Ballenger Today’s post is a little bit different than our other posts, mostly because we’re doing it on a podcast instead of text. A few months ago, we got a question from Peter Bryant of the Mythwits … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Education, News, Physiology, Pollination, Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Exciting Stuff! New Directions for Ask an Entomologist

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Polistes fuscatus

Post written by Nancy Miorelli and Joe Ballenger As Ask an Entomologist has grown, we’re excited to have had a few opportunities to collaborate with some really cool people. Nancy and Joe wanted to make a post to cue folks … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The perfect April Fool’s day post: What’s going on in this video?

Posted on April 1, 2015 by joeballenger2005

In our email on Monday, we received a message from Mike Menefee with a link to this video: I witnessed (and videoed) an interesting interaction today between a wasp and a fly.  They seemed to be working together in some … Continue reading →

Posted in Behavior, Ecology, Physiology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment