bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Feb 1, 2012, 6:43 pm
What do you do if you are textile artists in Madagascar and want to promote traditional Malagasy weaving techniques?  You make a scarf and a golden cape spun from spider silk.  Using half a million dollars of your own money. The story has been making the rounds lately, but these videos about its...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Jan 29, 2012, 9:03 pm
One of the many cool things that came out of ScienceOnline2012 was a meme-thingy called “IamScience”.  From Mindy, who created the video below: “On January 27, 2012, science writer and marine biologist Kevin Zelnio started the Twitter hashtag #IamScience, encouraging scientists to share thei...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Jan 26, 2012, 12:14 am
You may have heard that I told a slightly rude story at the ScienceOnline2012 conference.  If you missed it, here you go! Listen to the (Slightly NSFW) Story  via The Monti Everything I said is true; there are even photos. (Think carefully before you click this link. You’ve been warned.) Ther...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Jan 7, 2012, 9:35 am
You might have noticed a lot of news lately about robot designs based on insects.  Insects are great models for robots because bugs have an extremely stable and efficient model of locomotion: the tripod gait.  At any time, roaches have 3 feet on the ground–even when they’re running.   This ...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Jan 2, 2012, 7:10 am
I did another podcast–this time I was a guest on Wild Ideas, a podcast from a Nature Center in Ohio.   You can listen here. Before the bug stuff, there is a short discussion of radio isotopes and fracking, which I bet you’ve never heard with a background of owls calling! They start talking a...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Dec 31, 2011, 8:53 am
For those of you that want to try entomophagy–but don’t want to eat bugs–I thought I would give a shout out for this wonderful Mac and Cheese: Crazy Bugs! It has adorable bug-shaped pasta, and is also delicious. Despite the name, this is not an organic product.  In fact, Back to Nature is ...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Dec 24, 2011, 10:40 am
Filed under: Entomology, Insects Tagged: christmas, flea, holiday, pests, santa
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Dec 23, 2011, 9:32 am
Most humans–and I include quite a few entomologists in that category–love to hate roaches.  This is a sad thing, because the vast majority of roaches never set foot (feet?) in a kitchen.  The few species that tap-dance around in your sugar bowl are just a tiny piece of a huge spectrum of amazi...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Dec 22, 2011, 2:21 pm
Yeah, I post this every year. But it still makes me smile, so here it is again!  I stole it from Ugly Overload: Oh, and don’t miss the new Xmas song, Silverfish (To the tune of Silver Bells): City cellars Moldy cellars We have just ventured down To the basement to get things for Christmas ...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Dec 20, 2011, 11:30 am
Since I’m posting holiday songs, we can’t leave out Hanukkah! Authored by Miriam Goldstein, who says it was inspired by her former Brooklyn apartment: To the tune of “Oh Hanukkah”: Oh cockroaches oh cockroaches Come in from the wall space. Skittering all over The kitchen and food pl...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Dec 19, 2011, 4:20 pm
I was cleaning my office last night, and found a newsletter from my graduate department in 1987!   I had to share. Lyrics by Jim Richmond; hopefully he doesn’t mind me sharing them here. Sung to the tune of the Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire) Professors resting wherever they...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Dec 13, 2011, 7:05 pm
Ah, the Holidays. The season when introverted curmudgeons like me….are fairly miserable and awkward, actually.  I’m not good enough at small talk to do well at holiday gatherings: “What are you doing for Christmas?” “Um….lamenting the over-commercialization of your imaginary savior d...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Dec 12, 2011, 3:48 pm
Yes, to all of this! Some of the most headbanging questions I get explained by attendees at the Entomological Society Meeting last month. Filed under: Ask an Entomologist, Entomology, Insects, Science Tagged: bugs, myths
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Nov 2, 2011, 9:03 am
I realized that I had posted about this new publication on Twitter, but not here–this must be remedied ASAP! A beautiful publication was recently released by the USDA Forest Service and the Pollinator Partnership: Bee Basics: An Introduction to Our Native Bees By Beatriz Moisset and Stephen Buc...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 31, 2011, 7:02 pm
[This is part of a series of posts about writing, entomology, and career development that are linked to my upcoming Entomological Society of America talk in November.] I get a surprising number of emails from reporters asking for interviews, or podcast requests, or other questions related to some...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 27, 2011, 12:58 pm
It’s been a really great month for entomophagy (bug eating)!  Daniella Martin of Girl Meets Bug headlined a big special edition of the San Francisco Weekly that was also picked up by NPR.  I really liked this quote from the star-studded array of insect foodies that were interviewed: “You ha...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 26, 2011, 3:30 pm
When I first heard the title of this television show, my first thought was that it would involve a dancing E. O. Wilson in tights. Sadly, no. Or, maybe that’s a good thing–you tell me.  I think Dancing with the Stars could really use an evolutionary biologist to liven things up. Either way, t...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 26, 2011, 8:00 am
The DonorsChoose Science Blog Challenge is over–and Bug Donors were able to fund a Connecticut teacher! Yay! Here’s what she had to say: I cannot even begin to express my gratitude for your generosity. It is so amazing and inspiring to know that you are all committed to expanding my students�...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 25, 2011, 5:16 pm
One of the things I do more or less full time now is give students unsolicited advice.  I talk to both graduate students and undergraduates, and they are mostly worried about the same things: Did I make the right choice when I decided to study ____? Will I get a good job?  Is *this* job (graduate...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 18, 2011, 7:41 am
One of the really cool things about Entomology is there are a lot of opportunities for longitudinal studies. For hundreds of years, bug nerds have been routinely killing and preserving the subjects of their studies, so we have a nice historical record to make comparisons with. A new paper in PLOS c...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 17, 2011, 11:36 am
Yep, it’s time for the yearly DonorsChoose Science Challenge! I choose 4 insect science projects in high poverty schools, and I hope my buggy friends will step up and fund them. I especially would like to see the Teach For America student in Connecticut get her project funded, since TFA is a pr...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 13, 2011, 8:34 pm
It’s time for another reveal of a naughty winner in the contest! I’ll keep counting them down right up until the Entomological Society of America Meeting. As you may remember, the ESA is sponsoring a “clean” limerick contest. I take the position that the only good limerick is a bawdy limeri...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 12, 2011, 7:25 pm
The CDC released a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report a couple of weeks ago of interest: Acute Illnesses Associated With Insecticides Used to Control Bed Bugs — Seven States, 2003–2010 Since not everyone is the kind of nerd that thinks reading a 10-page technical CDC report is a fun dinnert...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 11, 2011, 5:20 pm
Yeah, it’s a viral video, but it’s a viral INSECT video. I clearly need to get my minions better trained so that I can power up my iPhone. I do feel a little bad for the beetle that was shot out of a cannon, though…. This video also raises some really interesting questions about what it’s ...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 10, 2011, 9:45 pm
Yep, it’s time for the yearly DonorsChoose Science Challenge! I chose 4 insect science projects in high poverty schools, and I hope my buggy friends will step up and fund them. I especially would like to see the Teach For America student in Connecticut get her project funded, since TFA is a pro...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 10, 2011, 9:44 am
I don’t know about my entomological colleagues, but I am getting rather snippy over stories about the latest thing that’s killing bees. Some of this I think is related to the false sense of urgency mainstream media seems to need to create about all stories. OMG NOT THE BEEZ!!!  (obligatory pho...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 9, 2011, 8:56 am
... .  I thought of it as an amusing eccentricity of their families.   Then my family moved near Houston, and I was bused to Booker T. Washington Jr. High in the early 1970s as ... water and the gold in the hills. Those events led to a domino effect that has yet to end.“ Related posts: “...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 6, 2011, 8:34 pm
At last! The first of our winners! This malacological limerick didn’t follow the “should be an arthropod” rule, but hey, this contest is all about being naughty and transgressive. So screw the rules! Honorable Mention: Best Non-Arthropod Limerick Robin Rosetta Banana Bob was a slug withou...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 5, 2011, 8:36 pm
This is the 512K (kilobytes) computer that I typed my Masters thesis on in 1988.  It was the latest thing, and a substantial upgrade from the 128K macs with an 8 MHz  CPU.  I still have all the 3 inch floppies that both my thesis and PhD dissertation are on.  (It’s about 20 floppy disks, total...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 2, 2011, 4:39 pm
This wasn’t a submission to the Ribald Tales of Entomology Limerick Contest, but it rhymes, it’s funny, and it’s Arthropod related, so I’m making it an Honorable Mention. If you haven’t lived in the southern US, you may not recognize the insect that this song is about.  ”Lovebugs,” a...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Oct 1, 2011, 9:18 am
I was away last week having an awesome time at a conference last week–saw some amazing birds, some marine mammals, had a hellish but cool boat ride, and got to talk to a lot of scientists.  I did a presentation there on social media for scientists and research stations, and it was really well rec...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Sep 15, 2011, 7:04 pm
Wow, school has started with a bang, and I am swamped! I will be on the road for a meeting most of next week, so posting will be a bit spotty.  I still need to write my presentation for that meeting, so I’m forcing myself to shut the internet off and write something that I’m actually supposed ...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Sep 10, 2011, 8:18 am
Just wanted to remind everyone that September 11, 2011 is International Rock Flipping Day!  This is the 5th annual IRFD, and I think it could not happen on a better day. What better way to remember the events of 10 years ago?  Take a break from the constant, disturbing images and voices in the me...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Sep 8, 2011, 5:27 pm
The Entomological Society of America has announced a Limerick Contest for the Annual Meeting! Prizes will be awarded for the top three most creative limericks, as judged by an anonymous panel of entomological punsters. The limerick topic can be anything about arthropods, the Annual Meeting, ESA’s...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Sep 6, 2011, 7:54 am
Ah, Labor Day weekend. I was going to get so much work done, and have lots of posts drafted so that I could return to a regular publishing status here. That didn’t happen, in part because my curiosity got the better of me and I wasted time reading a terrible book called “Bug Naked,” and the...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Sep 4, 2011, 8:35 am
There is a fair amount of swearing, so you might not want to play this at work. Otherwise, enjoy! Filed under: Entomology, Science, Skepticism Tagged: arachnids, LOL, spiders
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Aug 27, 2011, 8:58 am
Best of all, I am joined on this episode of Skeptically Speaking by anthropologist Greg Laden, who talks about entomophagy (bug eating). My part of the interview starts with a discussion of using a pseudonym online, and why I think scientists need them. Then we have a fun chat about treehoppers, be...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Aug 26, 2011, 7:44 pm
And he’s got a bone to pick! I can’t believe I am just now finding out about this. Today’s topic: “_____gate”.  You can’t just go around making prefixes and suffixes out of any syllables you like. There have to be rules for this sort of thing! Surf around some of Ben’s some other v...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Aug 20, 2011, 10:11 am
Click to enbiggen. WOW. News of an amazing new species found in Indonesia! “The jaw-dropping, shiny black wasp appears to be the “Komodo dragon” of the wasp family. It’s huge. The male measures about two-and-a-half-inches long, Kimsey said. “Its jaws are so large that they wrap up eithe...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Aug 10, 2011, 9:19 pm
I realized after my interview last weekend that I had never actually covered Japanese Beetle Bags on my blog!  That omission must be remedied! I’m sure you’ve seen them–they are for sale all over.   The sad truth is that they don’t work. Sure, they fill up the bag-o’-death in a really...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Aug 7, 2011, 1:44 pm
I thought since a bunch of new readers would be coming by today (in theory!) after my appearance on the Organic Gardener Radio show, I’d put together a collection of posts that give them a flavor of Bug Girl, and link to some of the resources I mentioned. First, a link to the wonderful Xerces Soc...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Aug 5, 2011, 7:04 am
I love citizen science projects, and this one looks like a great project for teachers! The School of Ants project is a citizen-scientist driven study of the ants that live in urban areas, particularly around homes and schools. Collection kits are available to anyone interested in participating. Tea...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Aug 2, 2011, 7:03 am
Today’s Tuesday Photo is of an adorable little skipper butterfly, courtesy of Shubhada Nikharge.  And yes, it is taking a drink from what you think it is–bird poop.  Bird droppings have a lot of nitrogen, as well as salts and other minerals that butterflies need. Think of it as a rather spla...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Aug 1, 2011, 6:52 am
In the news recently: Operation Rat Drop, where tylenol-laden mice were dropped from planes over Guam. It’s not a bizarre headache remedy; the idea is to try to kill brown tree snakes (a non-native invasive species) when they eat the mice.  Acetaminophen kills snakes. Who knew? That reminded ...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Jul 28, 2011, 7:30 pm
I *finally* got to see this movie, after waiting almost a year–it is now available on Netflix.  It was delightful, but not at all what I expected. The Japanese have a profoundly different relationship with insects than Westerners.  This film examines why that is, and how insects are part of Jap...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Jul 25, 2011, 7:33 pm
I had no idea that when bees were doing the waggle dance, they were actually booty krumping. Shake it like a bee, girl! BTW, the dancing beekeeper footage was lifted from this much more obnoxious Autotuned Bee Song.  The one redeeming feature is I’ve never seen a rasta dude in a bee suit before....
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Jul 25, 2011, 7:30 am
Some time back I reported on a plan to convert the Ant Man comic into a movie.  Updates from Comic-Con suggest that movie is back in development!  It currently has a 2014 release date. Ant-Man first appeared in 1962, and is described in a comic Wiki with this wonderful sentence: “With the ...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Jul 24, 2011, 11:37 am
Ok, that title is way over the top to get your attention.* BUT. I do want to talk about what the “no pseudonyms” policy adopted at G+ means for women, LGBT folk, and civil servants. There are many, many resources that can explain to Google why adopting this policy is a stupid idea (aside from ...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Jul 21, 2011, 8:35 pm
So how about another pretty photo?  It’s the time of the year for dog-day cicadas to sing, so this beautiful photo from French Guiana seems appropriate. It’s a biodiversity hot spot in South America I hope to visit one day. Amazing camouflage on this cicada!  They have always been one of m...
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bug g. posted an article on Bug Girl's Blog - Jul 18, 2011, 7:18 am
How about some pretty butterfly stamps for your morning? These are  from pixelschubser.de‘s photo stream.  Insects on stamps are pretty common, and there is a large review from 1990 in American Entomologist: From 1892 to 1988, there have been 4,971 postage stamps depicting insects or their clo...
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