Category Archives: Physiology

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

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

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

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

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

The Daily Catch: Patience and Spring Traps

Posted on March 19, 2015 by SciBugs

Written by Nancy Miorelli The other day I received an email from a former student about the persistence and strength demonstrated by praying mantises. Yes, she did say birds. It is pretty amazing when you think about how mantises can capture … Continue reading →

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

Why do Mantids Only Have One Ear?

Posted on March 12, 2015 by joeballenger2005

Written by Joe Ballenger In my opinion, one of the more interesting questions about mantids we received concerns how they hear. As humans, we have two independently functioning ears which are located on our head. This works very well for … Continue reading →

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