Monthly Archives: July 2011

Squash Vine Borer

Posted on July 30, 2011 by jjneal

Squash is a popular garden vegetable. One or two plants can easily produce as much or more squash than a family can eat. This has spawned a host of recipes that use squash in every dish imaginable. The summer burst … Continue reading →

Posted in Environment, Pest Management, Policy | 2 Comments

Friday Cat-erpillar Blogging

Posted on July 29, 2011 by jjneal

Gardeners often think of caterpillars eating their plants because almost all of the over 150,000 or so species of caterpillars eat plants. However, an odd assortment of about 200 caterpillars do not eat plants. They are predators on other insects … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, Caterpillar Blogging, Environment | 3 Comments

Ants in Space

Posted on July 28, 2011 by jjneal

Biologists have been studying the effects of space travel on insects since the 1940s. However, it was not until the last decade (2003) that social insects were sent into space. For obvious reasons, bees and social wasps that sting are … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, Education, Environment | Leave a comment

Fruit Flies on the Space Shuttle

Posted on July 27, 2011 by jjneal

Less than a week ago, the last space shuttle rolled down the runway, an end of an era. However, research continues on the international space station. Insects have a long and storied space history. The very first animals in space … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, Education, Environment, News | 1 Comment

Long Legged Flies

Posted on July 26, 2011 by jjneal

The flies (Diptera) have a bad rap because of the bad apples that annoy, bite and vector disease. However, many of the Diptera are harmless or even beneficial, and quite beautiful. The long legged flies in the family Dolichopodidae, are … Continue reading →

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Lady Beetle Parasites

Posted on July 25, 2011 by jjneal

Big fleas have little fleas, Upon their backs to bite ’em, And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so, ad infinitum. So goes the nursery rhyme. Lady Beetles are not without their own set of parasites. One parasitic wasp Dinocampus … Continue reading →

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Lady Beetle Pupa

Posted on July 24, 2011 by jjneal

Yesterday, I wrote about the Lady Beetle Larva. Once the larva reaches maximum size from chowing down aphids, it molts to the pupa stage. The pupa stage is intermediate between the larva and adult. However, you can clearly see where … Continue reading →

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