Book Review Lenny and the Big Red... Nov 21, 2009
As Lenny walks he finds several different insects hiding under rocks, leaves, sticks and in other places ... The illustrations are bright, stylised images of the insects Lenny finds and their hiding places as well as images of Lenny with his big red kinan. (Suite101.com)
Brevard Naturally: Be thankful for natural beauty in our backyards Nov 21, 2009
That also includes the interesting insects we encounter on a daily basis ... I don't find these big insects often, but just last week my son and I encountered half a dozen pairs of them mating on the local tennis court at night. (Florida Today)
* Butterflies defy typhoon, amaze conservationists Nov 21, 2009
In recent years, the MNSA Administration has regularly organized guided butterfly-watching tours to allow more wildlife enthusiasts to admire the insects close up. Wu said a biennial butterfly-watching program would run from Dec. 12 to March 6. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Predator Beetle to Battle Hemlock Pest Nov 20, 2009
19, 2009) Hemlock woolly adelgids (HWA) -- aphidlike insects that have destroyed stands of hemlocks throughout the East Coast -- were first identified in hemlocks in the central Finger Lakes in summer 2008 and then in trees in Cornell Plantations' natural areas in early spring 2009 ... To battle the hemlock-killing insects, a team of entomologists has released one of the adelgids' natural predators as a local case study ... As HWA spread through the Northeast, the insects flourished and... (Science Daily)
Science photos Nov 20, 2009
Photographer Thomas Shahan specializes in spectacular portraits of insects and arachnids, taken very up close and personal. View images from a contest on the National Mall that has 20 university teams competing to build the best solar-powered home. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Study Raises Concerns About Outdoor Second-Hand Smoke Nov 20, 2009
19, 2009) Indoor smoking bans have forced smokers at bars and restaurants onto outdoor patios, but a new University of Georgia study in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that these outdoor smoking areas might be creating a new health hazard. The study, thought to be the first to assess levels of a nicotine byproduct known as cotinine in nonsmokers exposed to second-hand smoke outdoors, found levels up to 162 percent greater than in the control group. (Science Daily)
* BASE REACTION Nov 20, 2009
But they will also acknowledge just how much time, effort and money they can require: A tortoise needs its heat and lighting; a horse needs shoeing and a regular supply of straw; an iguana needs its supply of insects; a chicken needs grit and corn; a dog needs its delousing powder; a cat needs a scratch tower. And then theres the insurance, the vets fees and the annual cost of food and bedding. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Southern California citrus quarantine expansion a plus for Imperial County growers Nov 20, 2009
Citrus trees in parts of the county have been under quarantine for more than a year to prevent the spread of Asian citrus psyllid, which are brown, dusty-colored insects about 3 millimeters to 4 millimeters long and can carry a disease that has decimated citrus crops ... None of the insects found in California have carried the disease, he said ... The insects have spread to parts of Central America, Mexico and states like Florida, Texas and California, he said. (El Centro Imperial Valley Press, CA)
Bugs could bite citrus business Nov 20, 2009
Tiny insects from Mexico, but with Chinese origins, could put Arizona s citrus industry in a world of hurt not to mention Valley nurseries and tree farms already challenged by the sluggish economy ... The Asian insects have not spread beyond their first detection points in Yuma and have not been spotted in the Valley, Oxley said ... He said palm trees grown in Florida that he purchases are subject to regular quarantines to keep various diseases and insects from spreading about the U.S.. (Phoenix Business Journal, AZ)
Chemical Weapons in the Animal King... Nov 20, 2009
Yet it is also an effective defence against predation from other insects, releasing a repellent gas, thick and gluey in constituency, which is used to gum up the legs, jaws and antennae of the other insect. Unable to sting its prey, other species of ant spray poison from the gaster, a part of the abdomen, which contains a poison gland opening at the tip. (Suite101.com)
Bees Can Learn Differences in Food's Temperature, Study Finds Nov 20, 2009
24, 2006) Up to a third of our food supply depends on pollination by domesticated honeybees, but the insects are up to five times more efficient when wild bees buzz the same. (Oct. (Science Daily)
Best wine could be a green one Nov 19, 2009
Biodynamic farming is regenerative and dependent on interactivity with other crops, trees, animals and insects. Energy radiating from the moon, stars and planets also plays a role. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
How Crops Survive Drought Nov 19, 2009
When insects ingest parts of a plant digestion turns proteins. . (Science Daily)
Four teachers named U.S. Professors of the Year Nov 19, 2009
They work about seven hours each day, examining vegetation, habitats, insects and the stream. They compile a 150-page report at the end of the course and submit it to the federal agency. (USA Today -- News)
Extinct Moa Rewrites New Zealand's History Nov 19, 2009
18, 2009) The evolutionary history of New Zealand's many extinct flightless moa has been re-written in the first comprehensive study of more than 260 sub-fossil specimens to combine all known genetic, anatomical, geological and ecological information about the unique bird lineage. That lineage ended only about 600 years ago after a journey through time that most likely began about 80 million years earlier on the prehistoric supercontinent of Gondwana, according to the study published in... (Science Daily)
Home, yard and garden, 11-18: Lady beetle turned out to be a literal stinker Nov 19, 2009
Published: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 10:04 AM EST Unlike insects in general, humans appreciate lady beetles ... Their color, polka-dot markings and even the name lady probably contribute to our positive attitude about these insects ... When it comes to eating, these insects are not very ladylike. (Vincennes Sun Commercial, IN)
Entities fly in Gila trout to Ariz. stream Nov 19, 2009
Good news for a fish whose diet consists of aquatic insects such as caddis flies, mayflies, and beetles. George Andrejko/Arizona GFD. (ESPN -- Outdoors)
Insect Discoveries Prompt Quarantines Nov 19, 2009
SAN DIEGO -- Newly established quarantines are in place in Fallbrook and Valley Center following infestations by two crop-damaging insects, the California Department of Food and Agriculture announced Wednesday. The discovery of three Mediterranean fruit flies led to the establishment of a 79-square-mile quarantine in the Fallbrook area, according to the CDFA.. (TheSanDiegoChannel.com, CA)
* Straight talk on GM crops crucial Nov 19, 2009
It has been shown in other countries that GM crops resistant to disease and insects can halve farmers insecticide costs and increase the yield on well-developed crops by 30 percent or more ... As a result of longstanding policy restrictions, Taiwan has failed to actively research and develop GM crops for food and animal feed that are resistant to disease and insects and can endure stressful environments while reducing fertilizer use. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Natural super glue found on asparagus spears Nov 19, 2009
Since other insects specialize in producing their own egg glue for particular vegetables, the research could lead to better pest control and might inspire more natural bonding products ... Photographer Thomas Shahan specializes in spectacular portraits of insects and arachnids, taken very up close and personal ... While insects are producing their natural super glue, Roose and his team are producing what they call "supermale" asparagus, which are "plants that produce only male offspring when... (MSNBC -- Environment)
Insects invade Buker School third grade Nov 19, 2009
Insects invade Buker School third grade - Hamilton, MA - Hamilton-Wenham Chronicle ... Insects invade Buker School third grade ... Insects invaded the Buker third grade last week, when Bugworks brought their educational science enrichment program to the school. (Hamilton Wenham Chronicle, MA)
Get more: National/World Nov 19, 2009
Bug spray that produces a fog to kill insects is likely to blame for the death of a 10-month-old South Carolina boy and his critically injured 2-year-old brother, authorities said. Tags. (WJRT, MI)
Neb. court: Ex-worker can sue Union Pacific Nov 18, 2009
She said she was wearing long pants, a sweater and insect repellant but was overwhelmed by swarms of the insects. "You couldn't stand still because the mosquito(e)s were so bad. I had to ... walk and watch the train as it went by and wave my arms," she said in court documents. (Casper Star-Tribune, WY)
Kudzu-munching bug also threatens US bean crops Nov 18, 2009
With cooler temperatures killing many of the plants it eats, the insects have been seeking shelter for the winter, holing up in attics or cracks in wood siding. But researchers are preparing to keep tabs on them when they reappear in the spring. (KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8, OR -- Business)
Paris exhibit serves revisions of Old Masters Nov 18, 2009
Each of the nine photos is paired with images of fanciful insects a grasshopper with butterfly's wings, a bee with an ant's head. The show, which runs in Paris through the end of November, is expected to travel to New York, London and Saint Petersburg. (MSNBC -- Lifestyle)
Bumping Off Bedbugs without Poison Nov 18, 2009
Bed bugs, tiny little rust-colored insects of the Cimicidae family, live by feeding on the blood of humans and other warm-blooded hosts ... Modern insecticides are proving to be somewhat ineffective against bed bugs, he reports, adding that insects can also develop some level of resistance to insecticides in general. (Scientific American)
HINGHAM YESTERDAYS: Three arrested for evading liquor duty charges Nov 18, 2009
If the floors of a closet are wiped off with gasoline or benzene after being scrubbed it helps to keep off insects. A good cleanser for hard wood is to wash it with a clean flannel wet in turpentine and rub lightly afterward with boiled linseed oil. (Hingham Journal, MA)
Spend the new year in old Florida Nov 18, 2009
Raccoons will make short work of leftover cooked food, but toss it well away from the clearings to keep insects from gathering at cooking spots. Each sporting its unique set of features, the more pronounced coastal structures hold mini-ecosystems with a multitude of crustaceans and invertebrates, along with pinfish, mullet, grunts and squirrelfish. (ESPN -- Outdoors)
Brains: Bigger Not Necessarily Better Nov 18, 2009
18, 2009) Tiny insects could be as intelligent as much bigger animals, despite only having a brain the size of a pinhead, say scientists at Queen Mary, University of London ... Research repeatedly shows how insects are capable of some intelligent behaviours scientists previously thought was unique to larger animals ... Tiny insects could be as intelligent as much bigger animals, despite only having a brain the size of a pinhead, say scientists at Queen Mary, University of London. (Science Daily)
Are Female Mountain Goats Sexually Conflicted Over Size of Mate? Nov 18, 2009
29, 2009) Scientists have found new evidence to explain how female insects can influence the father of their offspring, even after mating with up to ten males. A team has found that female crickets are able to. (Science Daily)
'Green Porno' with Isabella Rossellini Nov 18, 2009
Her fascination with insects started when she bought a book to learn how to kill the aphids that were ruining her roses. She was astonished to learn they reproduced sexually or by cloning, and then studied which bugs kill aphids. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Shoo, Fly: Bugs Like Nice Stockton Temps Nov 17, 2009
The insects are coming in swarms, and people are noticing at home, where they work, and where they eat. Part of the problem is the good weather, which has stretched into mid-November, but the temperatures are starting to cool. (KCRA 3, CA)
Gardening: Cactus can provide that winter color Nov 17, 2009
It is a favorite of the tiny cochineal scale insects that reproduce and live within patches of sticky, white cottony fuzz. When crushed, a bright red commercially-used dye is produced. (Green Valley News & Sun, AZ)
Slideshow: Immersed in study Nov 17, 2009
The class, focused on the study of inland waters like lakes and streams, had students testing the quality of several local water bodies, collecting and identifying aquatic insects, creating trout habitat on the AuSable River and learning the operations of a fish hatchery and the wild history of Northern Michigan. Along the way they camped overnight, piloted canoes down the Sturgeon River and donned waders to scoop bugs and position logs along the banks of the AuSable and Black rivers. (Gaylord Herald Times, MI)
Stuck on geckos Nov 17, 2009
These apartments are equipped with moist boxes, water bowls, hiding areas (usually just a simple Styrofoam container), food bowls (which are filled with a variety of insects, including mealworms, superworms and crickets) and calcium bowls in short, everything you need to keep a gecko healthy and happy. To him, the gecko is the perfect pet. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Cleveland House of Horrors Nov 17, 2009
"Depending on the type and number of insects on a body, I might be able to get an estimate on the postmortem interval, or the time passed between death and body discovery," said Keiper, adding that he is one of only 20 U.S. forensic entomologists. Keiper, who called Sowell's home "infested," said that it could take him weeks to determine when the victims died. (ABC News -- Business)
Palo Alto High principal reflects on 'egg wars' Nov 17, 2009
The other "mess"(had it occurred where it always had--a setting where the squirrels, insects and birds would have loved the broken egg mess) should be viewed as the fun fountain it has always been for so many students. Perhaps if we were more tolerant of some types of messes we'd have less of other types. (Palo Alto Online, CA)
Ancient Trees Grow Faster as Temperatures Rise Nov 17, 2009
31, 2006) New University of Washington research suggests insects' ability to adapt to warmer temperatures carries an unexpected consequence -- more. . (Science Daily)
Biotech crops cause big jump in pesticide use: report Nov 17, 2009
They said adoption of genetically engineered corn and cotton that carry traits resistant to insects has led to a reduction in insecticide use by 64 million pounds since 1996. Still, that leaves a net overall increase on U.S. farm fields of 318 million pounds of pesticides, which includes insecticides and herbicides, over the first 13 years of commercial use. (Scientific American)
New Insights Into the Physiology of Cockroaches Nov 17, 2009
A research team from the Cavanilles Institute for Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, led by professors Amparo Latorre and Andr;s Moya, has shown why the German cockroach (Blatella germanica) eliminates excess nitrogen by excreting ammonia, in contrast to most terrestrial insects that commonly produce uric acid as a waste compound ... This research also suggests an evolutionary convergence at the level of biochemical functions in the cockroach and other omnivorous insects ... The scientists... (Science Daily)
Are Sterile Mosquitoes the Answer to Malaria Elimination? Nov 17, 2009
17, 2009) The Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), the release of sexually sterile male insects to wipe out a pest population, is one suggested solution to the problem of malaria in Africa ... Speaking about this new, freely available resource, Benedict said, "The SIT has proven highly effective over large areas when used against other insects. We produced this supplement because we believe that the technique has been overlooked as an anti-mosquito method. Its efficiency in low vector-population... (Science Daily)
The darkness Nov 17, 2009
" But the spread of artificial light - and the way it has eroded our sense of real darkness - means most people don't give a split second of thought to stars in the sky, says Mr Owens, "whereas it was a big part of people's lives just a couple of hundred years ago". The issue of light pollution has become a rallying cause for environmentalists in recent years, with the British Astronomical Society running a Campaign for Dark Skies. But in just seven years between 1993 and 2000, light pollution... (BBC News -- UK)
Tiny insect brains can solve big problems Nov 17, 2009
Photographer Thomas Shahan specializes in spectacular portraits of insects and arachnids, taken very up close and personal ... Insects may have tiny , but they can perform some seriously impressive feats of mental gymnastics ... According to a growing number of studies, some insects can count, categorize objects, even recognize human faces all with brains the size of pinheads. (MSNBC -- Environment)
MSU teaches nutrition to preschoolers Nov 16, 2009
In the flower garden, we grew sunflowers, butterfly bushes and other plants that attract interesting insects and hummingbirds. The experience in that garden helps them interact with nature and learn more about the environment, Trader said. (The Clarion-Ledger)
'Bad Romance' breakdown Nov 16, 2009
Clearly, Gaga s been having nightmares where insects mate with Beaker from The Muppet Show ... Clearly, Gaga s been having nightmares where insects mate with Beaker from The Muppet Show. (New York Post -- Entertainment)
In battle to save hemlocks, hope rests on a beetle Nov 16, 2009
The adelgids are insects about the size of the period at the end of a sentence, Mausel said ... Experimentation showed the beetle was specialized to feed on hemlock woolly adelgids and not on other beneficial insects, so federal and state governments approved its use in nature. (Boston Globe)
Self-Cleaning Silicone Gel Insect Wings Nov 16, 2009
Insects are incredible nanotechnologists ... One of the advantages of this approach is that no prior "design" of the surface of the material is needed and so the team can exploit the enormous diversity of surface types from different insects and so produce materials with specific characteristics ... (July 10, 2009) New research using high-speed digital imaging shows that, at least for some insects, wings that flex and deform, something like what happens to a heavy beach towel when you snap it to... (Science Daily)
Genetics give fingered citron a hand Nov 16, 2009
The branch collar contains cells that help the tree compartmentalize the wound to prevent entry of insects and disease. Finally, I should say that "limbing up," while often necessary for shade and other ornamental trees, is best avoided in the case of fruit trees, since you want to be able to reach the fruit. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Green Heating and Cooling Technology Turns Carbon from Eco-Villain to Hero Nov 15, 2009
In other words, why aren't herbivores, such as insects and grazing animals, more successful at eating the world's green leaves, also known as plant. (Jan. (Science Daily)
Worms turned into hermaphrodites Nov 15, 2009
We understand how evolution tweaks simple traits, like a giraffe's neck [getting] longer and longer over time," he said. "But most of the most important changes - the creation of the eye, the development of feathers in birds, wings in insects - involved the creation of novel traits. "The better we understand this, the better we can understand the kinds of changes that created humans from our ancestors.". (BBC News -- Science)
What’s killing the bats? Nov 15, 2009
All the bat species under siege by white-nose syndrome voraciously feast on night-flying insects like moths, beetles, and leafhoppers that damage agricultural crops and defoliate trees. Fewer bats mean fewer insects consumed, which, in turn, could increase the need for pesticides -- which could set off other unforeseen environmental consequences ... The insect-eating ability of bats is staggering: Little browns and other species can consume up to half their body weight in insects a night. (Boston Globe)
Dogs show its how you finish that counts Nov 15, 2009
Will our resurgent Bulldogs put him and the insects in their place. lanier. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Sports)
Caffeine's Magical Effects, Wondrou... Nov 15, 2009
Caffeine protects by plants from chewing insects by causing insect paralysis and death. Caffeine has important properties. (Suite101.com)
We have met the enemy Nov 15, 2009
By 1730, Virginia was exporting hundreds of tons of beeswax to Europe every year, and the insects were helping settlers unroll clover-covered pastures across the New World. Nowadays keepers truck their bees all over the United States: The same hive might pollinate Washington apples and Maine blueberries in the same year. (Boston Globe)
Yard and Garden: Tips for care of house plants during winter Nov 14, 2009
Note: if you see tiny insects flying around the plant, they are probably fungus gnats, which means you are watering too much. When the top inch of soil is dry, it is time to water. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
Authorities: DNA links woman to babies' remains Nov 14, 2009
Bug spray that produces a fog to kill insects is likely to blame for the death of a 10-month-old South Carolina boy, and his 2-year-old brother was critically injured by the fumes, authorities said Monday. Anderson County Deputy Coroner Don McCown said the boys' mother had been using foggers in their single-wide mobile home in Williamston, in the northwest part of the state, because of an insect problem. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
New Orchid Deception Found: Wearing The Scent Of Hornet's Prey Nov 14, 2009
11, 2008) Air pollution from power plants and automobiles is destroying the fragrance of flowers and thereby inhibiting the ability of pollinating insects to follow scent trails to their source, a new study. . (Science Daily)
• Woodpeckers supply services to various forest neighbors Nov 14, 2009
Insects, of course, are an important source of protein to early-arriving adult migrants and, later, to growing chicks ... Sap wells also feed a variety of wasps, bees, and other insects. (Juneau Empire)
Medieval Animal Trials & Executions... Nov 14, 2009
Local courts generally tried individual domestic animals, while the Church dealt with wild animals and swarming insects. Occasionally they tried a werewolf, but always in human form. (Suite101.com)
Bat-eared Fox Facts Otocyon megal... Nov 14, 2009
As well as a way to disperse excess heat from the body, the large ears of the bat-eared fox are also used to listen to the movement of insects and other prey ... Bat-eared foxes can move their lower jaw up and down five times per second, which allows then to eat many insects rather quickly ... In addition to insects, which is the prominent food in their diet, termites in particular, bat-eared foxes also eat snakes and other reptiles, rodents, bird eggs, and fruit. (Suite101.com)
Big profit from nature protection Nov 14, 2009
a Costa Rican study showing that areas of intact forest increase the yield of coffee farms by 20% because they shelter pollinating insects. a grassland conservation area in New Zealand that supplies the Otago region with free water that would cost $100m per year to bring in from elsewhere. (BBC News -- Business)
Donald Harington, novelist of surrealism in the Ozarks Nov 14, 2009
That place, Stay More, whose residents Mr. Harington called Stay Morons, turned out to be a strange one, populated by shrewd hillbillies, reclusive millionaires, an itinerant motion-picture projectionist, a candidate for governor who wants to abolish hospitals and schools, and, in The Cockroaches of Stay More, talking insects who constitute their own Ozark subsociety. Don Harington is not an underappreciated novelist, the poet Fred Chappell told The Democrat-Gazette. (Boston Globe)
"Blow flies pick up the gases omitted by bodies during decomposition at such a high speed that these insects are truly the first responders on a crime scene." Nov 13, 2009
Insects at Crime Scene Could Help Establish House of Horrors Timeline ... "Depending on the type and number of insects on a body, I might be able to get an estimate on the postmortem interval, or the time passed between death and body discovery," said Keiper, adding that he is one of only 20 U.S. forensic entomologists ... Keiper looks primarily for the larvae of blow flies, a species of insects that he said is one of the most important drivers of. (ABC News)
Can A Plant Be Altruistic? Nov 13, 2009
27, 2008) Ecologists have discovered that subterranean and aboveground herbivorous insects can communicate with each other by using plants as telephones. Subterranean insects issue chemical warning signals via ... When insects ingest parts of a plant digestion turns proteins. (Science Daily)
SPECIAL REPORT: Welcome to the Clone Farm Nov 13, 2009
"When you're genetically modifying a plant, creating a seed that perhaps has a resistance to insects, that's different than cloning, and maybe modifying a sentient being," said Chris Waldrop, director of the Food Policy Institute at the Consumer Federation of America. "There are different ethical, religious, and moral issues that a society has to grapple with before they move forward on such a technology.". (The Star Online, Malaysia)
