About Waterbugs..

An interesting phrase that I hear on Vine a lot can be credited to Alx James. He invented the phrase "water bugs" for sunglasses to avoid haters or people he does not want to see. The video above shows his water bugs and ladybugs.

This got me thinking, what exactly is a "water bug"?  

well, I found one of the most interesting things, a Giant Water Bug! Other common names for this species is Electric Light Bug and Toe Biter. The family that this insect belongs to is Belostomatidae. I love some of their characteristics that make them such a neat insect to discuss on my blog. For example, their back legs are engineered to be paddles, so that they can swim. Also, they can take in air from their hind end of their abdomen. They have developed tubes that can stick out above water. They transfer air to the pocket type bubble that a water bug will keep under its wings. Air then can enter through the spiracles on a water bug's body.

Something else interesting about this species is the way they care for their young. Some species of Giant Water Bugs actually place their eggs on the males. They actually care for the young until they hatch, making sure they get enough oxygen and preventing them from getting over run with fungi. 

Their common name "Electric Light Bug" comes from their love of light. They will fly anywhere they can to find light, because they are attracted to it. Their common name "Toe Biter" comes from their ability to inflict a painful bite. It should be harmless, unless you are allergic. Another interesting thing about their bite is the fact that they inject their prey with a toxin. This toxin can paralyze the prey, and it also changes the format of their body into liquid form. Giant Water Bugs can kill and consume animals that are at least 50x their size. That has got to be a powerful toxin and bite! 

Most Giant Water Bugs could be found in ponds, lakes, or streams. They are adapted to hide themselves from predators very well. Also, they go through incomplete metamorphosis. What this means is that the egg becomes a nymph, and then the nymph finally becomes an adult. A nymph is a smaller, lesser version of the adult. 

Overall, Alx James knows which insects are pretty rad. He should be thanked for bringing our attention to an insect that does not seem to be on the radar for most people. 


**Credit to Alx James for the Vine video**

*All information gathered to make this post was gathered from this website and this webpage*

It's Pinning Time

When I say pinning, insects is not the first thing that probably comes to mind. As a member of greek life at BSC, the first thing that comes to my mind is "getting pinned" by a fraternity boy. This means he gives you his fraternity pin, which is a really big deal. We even have a candlelight ceremony for it and everything! Anyways, back to the point..


pinning....insects??


It sounds pretty simple right? Well, actually it's not. One day during our class, Dr. Van Zandt took us down to the lab to learn how to pin moths.  He proceeded to show us how to properly pin a moth to keep its wings from tearing and losing to many of their scales. For me, one of the hardest part of pinning a moth is getting them onto the pinning board. you can't really hold onto their bodies or wings or either you will risk removing their scales. Their scales are the things that look like hair all over their bodies. You hold them into your hand with a "V" formation on your fingers. You then try to stick a pin as straight as possible through the thorax of the moth. This can be kinda tricky, because the pin needs to be perpendicular.Once you have tried to get them onto the pinning board properly, it is time to spread their wings open so that they can dry. The moths had their wings in a relaxed position, so we had to open them in  curved motion with one of our pins. You have to be very careful during this part to not tear the wing and make big, gaping holes. To keep the wings flattened, we put down wax paper after pinning the wings into place. You then should make an arrangement around the wing to hold the wax paper down. You then want to remove the pins that are actually inside the wing, so they will not show huge holes once dried. Overall, I thought learning how to pins moths was a very fun project. We even got to keep the moths that we had learned to pin. Sure, they weren't perfect. Mine are missing most of their antennae, but it was a learning process. It is something that takes practice, and cannot be learned by only doing it once or twice.

I think Rachel and I had way to much fun trying to figure out how to pin moths over two days. Here are a few photos from the experience. It was truly pretty fun.

Schmidt Pain Index: How bad does that sting REALLY hurt?

In the 1980s, an entomologist posed a question about the order Hymenoptera. This entomologist was named Justin O Schmidt. He wanted to know exactly which species of this order produced the most painful sting, and wanted to be able to describe what different species of this order's sting felt like. He developed the Schmidt Pain Index, which can rank certain species on a scale of 0 to 4. He subjected himself to being stung by countless insects, over 150 species in his lifetime. I would say this makes him an expert on how painful a sting can be.


Here is the Schmidt Pain Index:

Sweat Bee: 

Schmidt Index- 1.0 

Description of the sting: Light, ephemeral, almost fruity. A tiny spark has singed a single hair on your arm. 






Fire Ant: 

Schmidt Index- 1.2 

Description of the sting: Sharp, sudden, mildly alarming. Like walking across shag carpet and reaching for a light switch.

Bullhorn Acacia Ant:

Schmidt Index- 1.8

Description of the sting: A rare, piercing, elevated sort of pain. Someone has fired a staple into your cheek. 

Bald- Faced Hornet:

Schmidt Index- 2.0

Description of the sting: Rich, hearty, slightly crunchy. Similar to getting your hand mashed in a revolving door. 

Yellow-jacket: 

Schmidt Index- 2.0 

Description of the sting: Hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine W.C. Fields extinguishing a  cigar on your tongue.  

Honey Bee and European Hornet:

Schmidt Index- 2.0 

Description of the sting: Like a match head that flips off and burns on your skin. 

Red Harvester Ant:

Schmidt Index- 3.0

Description of the sting: Bold and unrelenting. Somebody is using a drill to excavate your ingrown toenail.




 Paper Wasp: 

Schmidt Index- 3.0 

Description of the sting: Caustic and burning, distinctly bitter aftertaste. Like spilling a beaker of hydrochloric acid on a paper cut. 

Tarantula Hawk: 

Schmidt Index- 4.0

Description of the sting: Blinding, fierce, shockingly electric. A running hairdryer has been dropped into your bubble bath.

Bullet Ant 

Schmidt Index: 4.0+

Description of the sting: Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a 3-inch rusty nail grinding into your heel 






Sounds like Schmidt had a pretty painful life, don't you think? I do not know if I could have done this, even if for the sake of entomology. Props to you, Schmidt. You rock my socks.



** All pictures and details about Schmidt Pain Index come from this link. However, The descriptions, names of insects, and scale number are all credited to the entomologist Justin O. Schmidt. I do not own or take credit for any of this information, pictures, or ideas. **

Lethal Killers: Africanized Bees

Africanized Honey Bees, or more commonly known as killer bees, can be very dangerous. They are known for having a very defensive nature, and are much more apt to sting than a European Honey Bee. Africanized Honey Bees found their start in  North America by European Honey Bees interbreeding with bees that came from Africa sometime in the 1950s. They are so deadly because of the fact that they will do anything to protect their hive, and are rapid to sting anyone who intrudes on their territory. This could mean you just being near the hive without bothering it at all. Also, many more Africanized Honey Bees out of a colony come out when disturbed, thus producing many more stings in a shorter period of time. They are also known to chase people for long distances. This is a recipe for disaster for anyone who might not have a chance to escape. If you disturb an Africanized Honey Bee, be ready for a battle that you are not used to from a typical European Honey Bee. 

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/bees/ahb.htm

If you think these bees are much different than a regular honey bee, then you are right and wrong. They are different in their aggressiveness and defense systems, but they are very similar in appearance. One of the only ways to tell if you have Africanized Honey Bees instead of European Honey Bees is to see them under a microscope. Another way to tell these bees apart is that they have different forms of DNA, which can be analyzed. 

Africanized Bees Are also known for their swarming and nesting techniques. They swarm much more frequently than a European Honey Bee. They also nest in weird areas that are not typical of European Honey Bees. These sites can include places near your home, such as under overturned pots or any open cavities they can find in the ground. This can make them extremely dangerous due to the fact of their aggressive nature and that they are so close in proximity to populated areas. 

These Africanized Bees do not sound like anything you want to run into, unless you want aggression and multiple stings. If you receive enough of these stings, they can kill.  I definitely would not want to see or hear about these bees being anywhere I am living now or in the future. They can become a problem, and can become dangerous if provoked in the slightest. 


** All information in this post is credited to and was gathered from this webpage.**

Final Thoughts

When I first signed up for this class, I did so because I wanted to get over my fear of insects. I think I have accomplished my goal. One reason for this is that on one of our very first days in class, I held a live, Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. The funny thing is, I didn't even freak out. Before learning so much about these creatures, I never took the time to even think what purpose they serve or if they are even harmful at all. For instance, most of the time, a yellow jacket or bee will only sting in self defense when provoked. This is also true of spider bites. Most bugs do not just go around harming people, unless they are frightened, or it is vital to their survival. Mosquitoes only bite humans and other mammals because they need blood to survive. I never took time to stop and realize how irrational it is to be afraid of these creatures. Just because they are somewhat different than us does not mean we should fear them. We should appreciate what they do for our world. Some insects keep pests down, and save our crops from being destroyed. Others, such as honey bees, play a vital role in pollinating plants and flowers. Some insects just have rad characteristics. The dragonfly can see 360 degrees around at any given time, and cockroaches can live for weeks without a head. While bugs still give me a little panic, it is not near as bad as before I took this class, and experienced how interesting and neat insects are. I think I will always consider things I have learned in this class when I see any insect. I will always recall the information that I know, and it will help me understand these creatures that can seem so different and creepy to us. 

Eating Insects..

When I think of eating insects, all I think about is those nasty looking worms Willy Wonka had to eat on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He gets them whenever he first finds the Oompa Loompas from the rainforest. They offer him the worm mush as a gift. Johnny Depp made these insects look entirely disgusting. My revulsion for bugs has always been bad enough just thinking about them being around me. I do not think I could imagine intentionally eating one. However according to this webpage in other parts of the world, people think differently. For example, in South America, if you go to a movie theater, instead of eating popcorn, you might eat a carton of roasted ants.  They also eat Cicadas in other parts of the world as meals, because they are a cheap meal. That sure does sound appetizing, am I right?

I also did not know that I was intentionally eating an insect whenever I eat a dyed food. Any red or pinked product that has been dyed, including food, beverages, and lipsticks, can have “Cochineal Extract”, which is code for “Cochineal Scale Insect”.

If I think about eating an insect unintentionally, it does not bother me. I did not intentionally cook an insect and digest him. If something accidently gets ingested, at least I do not know about it at the time, and am not physically conscious of eating the insect. I do not think I could handle eating an insect intentionally, unless I had some major persuasion. I also might eat an insect if it was coated in chocolate, or had some type of seasoning on it. This might hide the taste, and it also makes it seem more appetizing. If I ever had to eat or decided to eat an insect, I do not think I could stomach eating larvae or anything squishy. I think I could handle something with a crunch if it was coated with a lot of flavor. I also could eat an insect if that was the only means of my survival. I think if you were stranded somewhere, or about to starve to death, I would probably catch myself the first insect I could find. Eating a few insects would definitely beat dying from starvation.

I’ve always heard of people eating bugs, and wondered what they may taste like. In no time soon, though, do I wish to find out.  

**All information found from The Earwig's Tail by May R. Berenbaum, and the National Geographic article located at the webpage above**

Evans 10-13

This is embarrassing...

The stills of these videos are just…  great.

Enjoy.