Monthly Archives: April 2011

Rafting With Insects

Posted on April 30, 2011 by jjneal

Imaging being dumped into the water far from shore with dozens of your companions. Can your group survive? It is no problem if you are a fire ant. The red imported fire ant is a pest in southern North America, … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, Biomaterials, Environment, Invasive Species | 3 Comments

Early Butterflies II

Posted on April 29, 2011 by jjneal

Another early butterfly in Indiana is the clouded sulphur, Colias philodice. These butterflies are nimble fliers and avoid predators. When disturbed, they typically fly a short distance, then drop into the grass where they are difficult to spot. The genus … Continue reading →

Posted in Biomaterials, Environment | Leave a comment

Early Butterflies

Posted on April 28, 2011 by jjneal

One of the earliest butterflies to emerge in Indiana is the Cabbage White butterfly, Pieris rapae. Like most butterflies, they overwinter as a pupae. Adults emerge in the early Spring when their host plants in the mustard family are available … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Invasive Species | 4 Comments

Living With Pesticides II

Posted on April 27, 2011 by jjneal

Some pesticides may be safe enough for untrained, unlicensed homeowners to use. Other pesticides that are highly toxic or can cause harm to the environment require users to be trained and licensed. All users, both unlicensed homeowners and licensed pesticide … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Health, Pest Management, Policy | Leave a comment

Living With Insecticides

Posted on April 26, 2011 by jjneal

Some insects are pests and their control is desirable or necessary. Some methods of insect control create more environmental and health problems than others. This week in Geneva, Switzerland, The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is meeting. Topping the … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, News, Pest Management, Policy | 2 Comments

Living With Mosquitoes

Posted on April 25, 2011 by jjneal

Wet weather in Indiana is bringing out the mosquitoes. Can the mosquito repellent be far behind? The old standby mosquito repellent DEET was developed by the US Army in the 1950s. Out of thousands of chemicals tested, DEET had the … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Health, Pest Management | 1 Comment

Striped Cucumber Beetle

Posted on April 24, 2011 by jjneal

Insects become active when temperatures in Spring start to rise. Many of the first insects seen are those that overwinter as pupae or adults. The striped cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittatum, overwinters as an adult. Once the temperatures reach the 60s, … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Pest Management | 2 Comments