Greetings, BugFans,
There’s a wild and wonderful world of bugs out there – here are some reports from around the globe.
Some people hire an exterminator to get rid of bugs, and some purchase them illegally https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2019/09/bug-smuggling-big-business/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=Animals_20190905::rid=48AE4CBEC4A693AB58F7A257B0A261AD.
If ambush bugs depend on camouflage to help them procure a meal, then this guy is in trouble: https://bugguide.net/node/view/431892/bgpage.
Global (and fungal) weirdness in the Himalayas – https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/10/tibetan-caterpillar-fungus-trouble/573607/?fbclid=IwAR2WVQ00MBBb5FFww7p54WFGi7Hflgs1PlXGFhrvno-Lv_j-gMjxu-Q-fs0.
A ladybug swarm that showed up on radar because: a) there were a whole lot of them; and b) they were flying a mile above the earth! (Who knew?), plus a new collective noun https://www.npr.org/2019/06/06/730254007/spotted-a-swarm-of-ladybugs-so-huge-it-showed-up-on-national-weather-service-rad.
Also in the “Who knew” department, the story of marine organisms hitching a ride – probably the way things have been getting done from the start https://www.npr.org/2019/08/25/754190347/giant-pumice-raft-floating-towards-australia-could-help-replenish-great-barrier-?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20190826&utm_campaign=news&utm_term=nprnews&utm_id=2548916.
Alabama may have missed out on Hurricane Dorian, but it has other things to recommend it https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/alabamians-beware-wasp-super-nest-180972528/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20190701-daily-responsive&spMailingID=40100879&spUserID=ODg4Mzc3MzY0MTUyS0&spJobID=1560091426&spReportId=MTU2MDA5MTQyNgS2.
Halloween is just around the corner – what could be more in the spirit of the season than a zombie ant fungus? https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/11/how-the-zombie-fungus-takes-over-ants-bodies-to-control-their-minds/545864/.
In anticipation of the Polar Vortex (the BugLady looked at the month-ahead forecast, and it’s all downhill from here; she’s doing her best to scare it away by getting out her fuzzy socks and flannel sheets),here’s how a small fly handles extreme cold – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-antarcticas-only-insect-resident-survives-freezing-temperatures-180973087/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20190910-daily-responsive&spMailingID=40618350&spUserID=ODg4Mzc3MzY0MTUyS0&spJobID=1601014406&spReportId=MTYwMTAxNDQwNgS2.
and finally, for those of us who just like to look at the pictures, a collection of images made by a Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM) – https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/02/hidden-world-microscopic-life-revealed-extraordinary-pictures/?cmpid=org=ngp::mc=crm-email::src=ngp::cmp=editorial::add=sunstills_20190310::rid=2030610309.
Kate Redmond, The BugLady
Bug of the Week archives:
http://uwm.edu/field-station/category/bug-of-the-week/