Category Archives: Research

What makes a good model organism? How are models different from one another?

Posted on June 25, 2015 by joeballenger2005

Post written by Joe Ballenger This question started out as a conversation with Enlightened Bugs on Twitter. They sent us a picture of a deformed wasp, and asked what could have caused her wings to appear like this: There’s a … Continue reading →

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

What Is an Entomologist?

Posted on June 23, 2015 by SciBugs

Written by Nancy Miorelli I will give you that “Entomologist” isn’t a particularly popular term. In fact, when I tell people that I’m an entomologist, they usually ask, “… so like, words?” I then have to explain to them that … Continue reading →

Posted in Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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

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

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 truth about GMO mosquitoes.

Posted on February 4, 2015 by joeballenger2005

Written by Joe Ballenger People have asked Nancy and me a lot of questions about the sterile GMO mosquitoes the British company Oxitec is planning to release in Florida. We get these questions on a Facebook page we administrate as … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Education, Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Why do entomologists kill insects? A non-taxonomist’s perspective.

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Polistes fuscatus

Co-Written by Joe Ballenger and Nancy Miorelli Admittedly, this isn’t really a direct user submission per se, but it’s a question which comes up in the entomological world enough to warrant a discussion. Collecting of insects is not controversial amongst … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Research, Taxonomy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments