Monthly Archives: October 2010

Madagascar “Hissing” Cockroaches

Posted on October 31, 2010 by jjneal

Of the 4000 plus species of cockroach, the most popular is the Madagascar “Hissing” Cockroach, Gromphadorhina portentosa. The Hissing Cockroach is one of the largest species of cockroach reaching a size of about 4 inches. The Hissing sound is made … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Environment | 12 Comments

Cockroaches

Posted on October 30, 2010 by jjneal

Cockroaches are one of the early groups to appear in the history of insect evolution. The oldest cockroach fossil is about 350 million years old. The oldest heaxpod fossil is about 415 million years ago, so cockroaches have been on … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Pest Management | Leave a comment

Killer Bees

Posted on October 29, 2010 by jjneal

Back in the 1970s, when the killer bee threat to the US was first announced, it stirred the imagination of movie makers. Because the threat was new, the US public was largely uninformed about the limits and scope of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Invasive Species | 1 Comment

Bee Jokes

Posted on October 28, 2010 by jjneal

The fly jokes were such a hit, I decided to post a few bee jokes. Many of the bee jokes make use of the “Bee” sound in many words. Just in time for Halloween: Question: What kind of bees live … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Education, Literature | 6 Comments

Carpenter Ants

Posted on October 27, 2010 by jjneal

It was a dark and stormy night… Crack! Zap! Pow! Kaboom! A huge branch from a maple in my front yard fell. Fortunately, it was a limb facing away from the house. Having received my fair warning, I had the … Continue reading →

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Pavement Ants

Posted on October 26, 2010 by jjneal

The pavement ant, Tetramorium caespitum, is common in Indiana and an occasional indoor pest. Its mounds are often built in the cracks of pavement. The mounds generally form a perfect circle. How do the ants know to build the mound … Continue reading →

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Eastern Cicada Killer

Posted on October 25, 2010 by jjneal

The cicada killer is one of the largest wasps in Indiana. The cicada killer is a solitary wasp that digs tunnels in the soil for rearing its larvae. Once the tunnel is dug to the appropriate depth, the cicada killer … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment | 5 Comments