Author Archives: jjneal

About jjneal

Jonathan Neal is an Associate Professor of Entomology at Purdue University and author of the textbook, Living With Insects (2010). This blog is a forum to communicate about the intersection of insects with people and policy. This is a personal blog. The opinions and materials posted here are those of the author and are in no way connected with those of my employer.

Living With Early Dragonflies

Posted on May 21, 2013

The Common Whitetail Dragonfly, Libellula lydia, is living up to its name this year: “Common”. These dragonflies have a long activity period. They can be active in Indiana as early as April and some are still flying late into September … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal, Environment | 1 Comment

Living With Puddles

Posted on May 20, 2013

A mud puddle (or soil wet with irrigation water) is attractive to many butterflies. The butterflies at these sites are males that are collecting sodium to supplement the caterpillar diet (plants) which is deficient in sodium. Water dissolves minerals in … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal, Environment | Leave a comment

Living With Large Carpenter Bees

Posted on May 19, 2013

The Horticulture Department at Purdue University maintains Horticultural Gardens surrounding its main building. The gardens are a great place to observe insects including butterflies, bees and other pollinators. Recently, they added a wooden structure that provides shade in the middle … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal, Pest Management | Leave a comment

Living With Invasive Ants

Posted on May 18, 2013

Texas has a new ant in town: the crazy ant. Crazy ants are natives of Brazil that have been inadvertently transported to North America, first noted in Houston, Texas in 2002. Crazy ants will likely displace many native (and non-native) … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal, Environment, Invasive Species | 3 Comments

Friday Cat-erpillar Blogging: Toxic Caterpillars

Posted on May 17, 2013

The Oak Processionary Moth, Thaumetopoea processionea, has been expanding its range. A native of Southern and Central Europe, the moth has expanded into the Netherlands, Belgium and Northern Germany. Why is its range expanding? One factor is movement of plants … Continue reading →

Posted in Biomaterials, by jjneal, Caterpillar Blogging, Education, Environment, Health, Invasive Species, Pest Management | Leave a comment

Living With Mate Guarding

Posted on May 16, 2013

In many cricket species the male transfers nutrients to the female during mating. Females who mate with multiple males can produce more eggs. However, a male will produce the most eggs if all his sperm fertilize the eggs of the … Continue reading →

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Battling Invasives

Posted on May 15, 2013

We hear most often about the invasive species that overwhelm all our efforts to halt their spread and takeover. There are some instances of success. The Asian Longhorned Beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis, is a native of China that attacks hardwoods. The … Continue reading →

Posted in by jjneal, Environment, Invasive Species, Pest Management | Leave a comment