Monday, October 17, 2016

Boxelder

I was able to experience the crazed Boxelder Beetles this weekend. I was on a farm in Wisconsin,and they were swarming to find a home for the winter(the farmhouse). Here are some Pictures/Video and an article about this wonderful time of season.
-Nicole Nienow
https://vimeo.com/187765007

h ttps://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssearch&cd=7&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiZ0IXGm-PPAhWB2T4KHb5XDNMQvIgBCC0wBg&url=http%3A%2F%2Flacrossetribune.com%2Fcourierlifenews%2Flifestyles%2Ftime-to-battle-asian-beetles-and-boxelder-bugs%2Farticle_883909ca-31db-11e3-9686-001a4bcf887a.html&usg=AFQjCNGAauP4qGTWBOl6TBUFmRjtrcf1Cw&sig2=7uq91K-rt183kRFzLnBJJA

Thursday, October 13, 2016

This Is the Worst Insect Sting in the World

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/09/worlds-most-painful-insect-sting-science/

It is a very interesting article about making a pain scale table by being stung by bees. The scientist noted that a bullet ant would probably top the chart for intensity if they stung your nostril. They also bring out the idea that where you are being stung is as important as the different in species in deciding the pain levels. ---- Kian Wong

Saturday, October 8, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tsPuWFtrFY

Super gross and big insects. The assassin bug is my favorite, but there's a few specimens they show that aren't insect, for example they show a giant spider from Australia. Also there's some african killer bees, I wonder if you can find them in Chicago? I hope not!- Daphne

https://www.facebook.com/scienceofus/videos/653969904758553/

Ball of Fire Ants! You might have to log into Facebook to watch this. These ants pretty much work together, as you can see after watching this video. They're kind of like one huge mass. It's called "viscoelastic behavior." I wonder how they do this out in their natural habitat. I'm assuming they don't all move together like this? -Daphne

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/10/03/u-s-bees-were-just-added-to-the-endangered-species-list-for-the-first-time/

Bees are endangered according to Washington Post! However, I read another article that says bees "aren't endangered." There's been debate in the past and a noticeable decline in honeybees (I know that because my dad is a beekeeper) so this isn't too surprising. Maybe we shouldn't catch bees for our insect collecting? -Daphne