Monthly Archives: April 2014

Imaging the collection

Posted on April 30, 2014 by jjneal

New technology is being applied to insect museum specimens to provide new tools for taxonomists and students of insects. Visualization of insect features important to their identification have always been a challenge for entomologists. In the past, the best practice … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, by jjneal, Taxonomy | Leave a comment

Insect Genome Progress

Posted on April 29, 2014 by jjneal

In the past 20 years, enormous progress has been made in understanding insect genes and manipulating the genes for pest control or other human uses. Biochemists had developed methods for determining the sequence of genes and other DNA decades ago. … Continue reading →

Posted in Biomaterials, by jjneal, Policy | Leave a comment

Early Butterflies

Posted on April 28, 2014 by jjneal

Every semester, I take my non-majors class on a nature excursion to see insects in their natural environment. This spring has been cool; some trees have not yet produced leaves and many insect are not yet active. Still, we managed … Continue reading →

Posted in by jjneal, Environment | Leave a comment

Insects at Home

Posted on April 27, 2014 by jjneal

The Gothamist recently featured the art of Daisy Tainton. Tainton makes dioramas that feature insects positioned and dressed like humans some of which are on the etsy site. and teaches her art to others. Tainton gets beetles from insect rearing … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, by jjneal, Taxonomy | Leave a comment

Hornets in Winter

Posted on April 26, 2014 by jjneal

Most people in Indiana are familiar with the large hornet nests that can be seen dangling from trees; exposed when the trees lose their leaves in fall. During the cold windy winter, the nest is abandoned. Without a colony to … Continue reading →

Posted in by jjneal, Environment | Leave a comment

Friday Cat-erpillar Blogging

Posted on April 25, 2014 by jjneal

The European cabbage moth, Mammestra brassicae, has a series of 8 hairs on its thorax that are sensitive to the sound of an approaching wasp. The wasp vibrates the air when it beats is wings, those vibrations cause the hairs … Continue reading →

Posted in behavior, by jjneal, Caterpillar Blogging | Leave a comment

Dating the Emerald Ash Borer

Posted on April 24, 2014 by jjneal

Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis, EAB), an invasive pest in North America was first detected in the Detroit, Michigan area in 2002 after numerous ash trees were observed to be dead or in decline. Emearld ash borer can live in … Continue reading →

Posted in by jjneal, Environment, Invasive Species, Pest Management | 1 Comment