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Author Archives: joeballenger2005
So what’s the deal with Zika virus? What’s going on in Brazil?
In the recent few weeks, the news has been filling up with stories about a new epidemic called Zika virus. Since it’s a hot topic, and potentially very important, I wanted to write something explaining what this virus is from … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Education, News, Pest Management, Physiology
Tagged Education, Insects, Mosquitoes, Parasites, Physiology, Viruses, Zika
10 Comments
Which arthropod pets are good for beginners?
Your Name: Alex Your Bug Question: Hello. I love my pets very dearly. Sadly I am going to college and cannot take them with me. I believe a tarantula would be the best option because I plan to bring it … Continue reading
What proportion of insects dying in captivity is considered ‘normal’?
Written by Joe Ballenger Your Name: Caryl Your Bug Question: I raise early season monarchs inside in New Zealand.(I bring the chrysalides inside because of our poor spring weather with heavy rains and gales). Yesterday 12 eclosed but 3 fell … Continue reading
Posted in Behavior, Insect Rearing
Tagged Beneficial Insects, Butterflies and Moths, Butterfly, Physiology
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How can you tell how old a caterpillar is?
Written by Joe Ballenger For the final entry of the year, I decided to tackle a question that is something that I have a lot of experience with, but one is also really challenging to answer at the same time. … Continue reading
Posted in Developmental Biology, Physiology
Tagged Bees, Butterflies, Butterflies and Moths, Development, Physiology
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Why do social insects die facefirst in the nest?
Written by Joe Ballenger First and foremost, I’m really glad we got this question: From: Katharine I’ve been keeping an eye on a wasp nest in my grandmother’s yard for a while. Since we just had a cold snap, I … Continue reading
How do butterflies make boys and girls?
Written by Joe Ballenger We’ve gotten a lot of questions about boy and girl bugs. Nancy wrote a post titled Is that Bug a Boy or a Girl, which covered some general rules about how boy and girl bugs are … Continue reading
Posted in Developmental Biology, Evolution, Physiology
Tagged Butterflies, Butterflies and Moths, Physiology, Sexual Dimorphism
2 Comments
Why can’t you buy a jar of fireflies? Or: What factors decide which insects are sold online?
One of the neat things about this project is that we get some questions that are asking about things in a very narrow sense, but hit on some really important and interesting topics which are very relevant in a broader … Continue reading
Why don’t spiders have wings?
Your Name: Anarely Your Bug Question: Hello, I was wondering, why are the exact reasons that spiders don’t have wings? Is it possible for them to evolve and get them or what is stopping this from happening? I’m sure the … Continue reading
The mystery of the old stable: Why are there flies all over the place?
Written by Joe Ballenger Flies can be tricky to talk about. There are well over 100,000 described species, and it’s likely that there’s at least one million which haven’t been described yet. Most are small enough to not be noticed, … Continue reading
Mythwits podcast: How do parasites do the whole mind-control thing on their hosts, and does this happen in people?
Written by Joe Ballenger Recently, we had a chance to do another awesome podcast with the wonderful guys at Mythwits. First, I should probably mention that this is a very casual podcast…which means it’s Not Safe for Work. Besides the … Continue reading
Posted in Physiology, Podcast
Tagged Acanthocephalans, Biochemistry, brain, Cockroach, Ophiocordyceps, Parasites, Pathogens, Wasps
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