Monthly Archives: May 2015

Is That Bug a Boy or a Girl?

Posted on May 30, 2015 by SciBugs

Written by Nancy Miorelli Lots of people are curious and want to know if the animal they’re looking at is a boy a girl. You can’t tell the difference with every animal just by looking at it. If you can … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology | Tagged , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Will That Bug Hurt Me?

Posted on May 26, 2015 by SciBugs

Written by Nancy Miorelli We have to get something out of the way first. A lot of people use the word “poisonous” to mean “It hurt me more than just a bite and I could probably die”. However, “Poisonous” and “Venomous” … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

How do you identify fire ants?

Posted on May 22, 2015 by joeballenger2005

Written by Joe Ballenger Question submitted by Bridget Mendel’s first grade class. Fire ants are a really big problem. They’ve got a really nasty attitude towards both people and other bugs. They’re really common, and it’s too easy to step … Continue reading →

Posted in Behavior, Ecology, Education, Taxonomy | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Why are some ladybugs half yellow and half brown?

Posted on May 18, 2015 by joeballenger2005

@SciBugs @Stylopidae what is a lady bug called that is half brown and half red? pic.twitter.com/E7JrP8qnzb — Mendel’s Firsties (@bridget_mendel) April 21, 2015 @UKLadybirds How unusual are half-and-half ladybirds like this? It looks pretty unusual to me but was just … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Developmental Biology, Ecology, Education, Evolution, Physiology, Research, Taxonomy | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

How do you know if a bug has been discovered before?

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Polistes fuscatus

Post written by Joe Ballenger How do you know if a bug has been discovered before? -Bridget Mendel’s First Grade Class Entomologists have a pretty impressive ability to identify whatever’s put in front of us. It’s a major part of … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Research, Taxonomy | Tagged | 2 Comments

Can Bugs Spit, Puke, or Do Both?

Posted on May 11, 2015 by SciBugs

Written by Nancy Miorelli Simple answer is yes and yes! There’s a couple reasons why insects spit or vomit. The first is to protect itself. To help digest food. But lets look at some specific examples.

Posted in Behavior | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Which Bug Has World Domination?

Posted on May 7, 2015 by SciBugs

Written by Nancy Miorelli There are a lot of bugs on the planet. We currently know of about one million species. Beetles alone make up ¹/₅ of all known species on earth! So if you were to name every species on your fingers, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

#KidQuestions: Why is this month’s theme so important?

Posted on May 4, 2015 by joeballenger2005

For the month of May, Nancy and I decided to focus on questions which were submitted by parents and teachers on behalf of kids. We’ve had a lot of opportunities to talk to kids, whether it’s through skype classroom visits … Continue reading →

Posted in News | Tagged | 2 Comments