Beware of the Botfly

This is disgusting but before I talk about the botfly you should know that it is very unlikely to occur to humans and only takes place in Mexico and Central America.

You think you have a mosquito bite. It looks the same, it feels the same, and you even saw the mosquito fly away. You give it some time because as a mosquito bite there isn't much to worry about, but after a few weeks it turns into a lump. Your worried and it appears to be something beneath the surface of your skin. Its the larvae of the botfly.

Botfly eggs are first deposited into the skin of their hosts by mosquitoes. They then grow as larvae beneath the surface of the skin from around 20 to 60 days until they penetrate out and move on with their lives. There is not much harm to the host of these flies except some expected discomfort but pushing them out before they leave naturally can be quite painful.

                                 
                                              Botfly larvae with visible spines

I imagine that anyone with a fly larvae under their skin would not want to wait for it to grow, develop, and leave on its own so there are ways to get it out. The larvae actually breaths right at the surface of the skin, so if you cut off its air supply then you can kill it. Placing duct tape over the lump (known as a warble) or covering it with vaseline will kill it ,but then you are stuck with the issue of a dead fly larvae in your skin. From here, in order to extract it you must pull or push it out. This it where it may become painful because the larvae have tiny spines that stick into your skin as you yank it out. Ouch! You gotta do what you have to do though. If you are still interested check out the video below of a compilation of bot flies being removed. Beware! Really....beware!

Video link:    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrBOC0HVxag

                                  
                                                              Adult Botfly

Information found from:
http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/town/botfly.html

Images found from:
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/livestock/horse_bot_fly.htm
http://www.whatsthatbug.com/category/flies/bot-flies/page/2/

Insect Strength!

Many types of different insects each have their advantages when it comes to surviving out their in the open world. To me, its quite fascinating to see how each species applies it's "talents" during its lifespan (which is usually quite short). One of the most fascinating things I have recently stumbled upon is a specific group of insects claimed by many to be the strongest in all of the kingdom. Their strength is incomprehensible to the human mind based on how much they can lift compared to their body weight. The top three strongest insects in our world are the Flea, Rhinoceros Beetle, and the Dung Beetle.

The Flea shows its strength with an impressive jumping ability. The Flea is able to jump 18 cm vertically and 33 cm horizontally. This may not seem like much at first but compared to its body length that is around 200 times the distance. Pretty impressive for such a small creature. The power behind this mighty leap is said to be from the principle of catapult and stored energy where resilin, an elastic material on the hind legs of the Flea, is compressed and released similar to a spring. The jumping is used for the Flea to get high enough to latch onto it's host.

                                                     
                                                                          Flea

Next is the Rhinoceros Beetle which is one of the largest beetles growing up to six inches. Given its name based on the horns located in the head region on males, this insect uses its horns and incredible strength to dig through leaf litter and soil to escape danger. I'd say digging yourself a hole to escape danger is pretty cowardly, but this insect based on its strength is not a weak one by any means. The Rhinoceros Beetle is able to lift objects 850 times its weight. This would be like a human lifting a 65 ton object!

                                    
                                             Horns on the Rhinoceros Beetle 

Lastly is the strongest insect on our planet.....the Dung Beetle. Living in dung (as the name implies) these insects eat the dung for strength. Really gross to think about but it was claimed that these beetles become weak otherwise (good thing they live in what they eat). The strength they occupy is to roll balls of dung to eat/live in or for males to fight one another for females (strength gets the girls after all). Being the strongest insect in the world and strongest animal in the world compared to body weight Dung Beetles can pull an object 1141 times their body weight. This is similar to a human pulling six double-decker buses full of people! Now that is strong!

                                 
                                              Dung Beetle pushing a ball of dung

Information found from:
http://mlevit.wordpress.com/2007/08/10/random-fact-4-the-flea-its-strength-and-speed/
http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Invertebrates/Rhinoceros-Beetles.aspx
http://news.discovery.com/animals/worlds-strongest-insect-named.htm
http://www.world5list.com/2013/12/10/top-5-strongest-insects/

Images found from:
http://www.orkin.com/other/fleas/dog-fleas/
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/01/25/would-you-believe-dung-beetles-follow-the-milky-way-to-steer-themselves-away-from-competition/
http://www.livescience.com/27852-images-amazing-rhinoceros-beetles.html

Master of Disguise

What is that branch doing? Why is it walking? Yeah, its a stick bug. Stick bugs to me are one of the most fascinating insects and surely one of the greatest masters of disguise when it comes to blending into their natural habitat. However, to be a true master of disguise it must come with a life worth of experience and for stick bugs it does just that. Since birth, stick bugs have used camouflage to their advantage. It first starts when the adult female stick bug lays roughly 100- 1500 eggs, depending on the species, that are camouflaged to look like seeds from a plant. This form of camouflage prevents seeds from being eaten, but it is also surrounded with a substance that ants feed on. As a result, the ants take the eggs back to their nest, without ever affecting the embryo, and the stick bugs safely hatch in the ant nest used as protection from predators.

                                                        
                                                                   Stick bug eggs 

Once hatched, the stick bugs are now nymphs where they grow by molting and they use autotomy (shedding off limbs and grow back with a new molt) to escape from predators. They already look similar to what they will as adults. Nymphs molt roughly four to eight times over a three month period before becoming an adult where they lose their ability of autotomy forever.

                                                         
                                                                 Stick bug nymph

In the adult stage, the males and females mate to restart the process all over again. Females are bigger than the males due to their larger abdomens used to lay eggs and males actually contain wings in order to help them find a mate. Also, in the adult stage these insects are clearly clever when it comes to disguising in their surrounding. If the camouflage of looking like a stick in a tree isn't enough to avoid predators, stick bugs have also been found to play dead while using their spiny legs as weapons and emitting bad smells. They use their camouflage to their advantage because they are prey to many tree-living animals such as birds and rodents, but even they have a hard time finding these masters of disguise in the insect world.

                                     
                                                              Adult Stick bug 

Information found from:
http://a-z-animals.com/animals/stick-insect/
http://animals.pawnation.com/life-cycle-walking-stick-bug-6523.html

Images found from:
http://www.keepinginsects.com/stick-insect/breeding/
http://mplonsky.deviantart.com/art/Baby-Stick-Bug-203347184
http://www.westfield.ma.edu/personalpages/draker/edcom/final/webprojects/sp09/bugslife/SlimQuestion.html

The World's Biggest Insect!

Something that most of us have probably never had a true desire to see, find, hold, touch, or whatever it may be. Here it is.....the world's biggest insect.

                                          

The Giant Weta is said to be the biggest bug in the world. Some may argue that it is the Goliath Beetle with a wing span of 10 inches or the White Witch Moth with a wing span of 12 inches, but according to weight it is considered the largest insect on record. There is no doubt that this insect is a big one. It was found by Mark Moffett on Little Barrier Island in New Zealand where he specifically searched for it. It took him only 2 days to find his prize of this very rare and endangered beast of insects. While feeding it a carrot, he snagged this picture and then later let it go safely back to the tree it was originally found on.

                                         

With this image now stained in everyone's mind I'll now try to relieve some of your fear. This insect, although very large and rather terrifying, is no threat to humans whatsoever. It feeds mainly on leaves and is a slow mover. It also can not jump, kick, or bite. Other than its size and hiss as self defense, this insect is not much like the "godzilla" of insect predators you would imagine. It is actually the prey to animals such as moreporks, harriers, kingfishers, and tuatara. It is also said to be one of the most ancient types of land animals. However, its decline in population is accredited mainly to when mice and rats took up residence in New Zealand. The mice and rats made competition regarding food resources hard for the giant weta and some began to actually eat giant wetas as prey. The population of giant weta has been declining more and more each year and with a two year life span continues to decline rapidly. If you get nightmares from this creature then I guess it is comforting to know that they are extremely rare and endangered, but you should still remember that this insect poses no threat to humans, just like the majority of insects in general.

Information found from:
http://pestcontrolseo.wordpress.com/2011/12/02/is-the-largest-bug-in-the-world-the-new-zealand-giant-weta/
http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/theme.aspx?irn=1356
http://www.geekosystem.com/record-breaking-giant-weta/

Images found from:
http://www.geekosystem.com/record-breaking-giant-weta/

The Madagascar Hissing Cockroach

If you're deathly afraid of cockroaches then this might be your worst nightmare. The Madagascar Hissing Cockroach is not only a lot bigger than the average cockroach you might find in your home, but it also hisses (as its name implies). The hissing is created by forcing air through the abdominal air holes, known as spiracles.This hissing is a defense mechanism to warn off other potential predators as well as an effective mating call. Too make things more pleasant, the hissing sound is not quiet by any means. It has been recorded to be as loud as 90 decibels which is similar to your lawnmower or hair dryer. Definitely loud enough for me to not want to pick it up, as if its appearance weren't enough.

                                   

Males have horns located on their heads as an easy way to identify them while females don't. The antennae of males are also hairy looking while females are rather smooth. As you can see (look at picture above) these cockroaches are pretty creepy based on their appearance, but there is nothing to be afraid of. You won't have to worry about these insects flying after you since they are wingless, and they are completely harmless to humans. You also won't find them in your house because they are not considered pests. They are actually located in Madagascar ( as its name implies) found in rotten logs on forest floors and eating fallen fruit and  leaf debris. 

It was at the beginning of January this year when I actually got the chance to hold one of these insects. I was a little hesitant at first, but I though it would be pretty cool to embrace the experience (after all it was the biggest cockroach I have ever seen and a picture would be cool). Knowing the fact that they didn't run fast or really move much at all also helped to boost my confidence, so I went ahead and held one. It was cool and I can safely say that there is nothing to be afraid of. Of course, I still get a little freaked out when I'm surprised by a cockroach in my house but I am definitely more understanding and not as afraid of them after the experience of holding a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. 

Information found from:

http://www.bronxzoo.com/animals-and-exhibits/animals/insects/madagascar-hissing-cockroach.aspx

http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef014.asp

Images found from:

http://www.cameronparkzoo.com/explore/animals/invertebrates/madagascar-hissing-cockroach/

Final Impressions

After studying insects and their behaviors in the winter for only a month now, my final impressions have definitely changed  as opposed to my initial thoughts before taking the class. For one, I am not as remotely afraid of insects as I first was. A main reason for this was due to one of the very first classes where I had the chance to hold a Madagascar hissing cockroach. I learned that even though this insect is quite frightening based on its appearance, its behavior towards humans is just the opposite. I also learned that this has to do with most insects. Most insects only harm humans in an act of self-defense if at all, so if we don't mess with them then they tend to not mess with us.

After studying insects I also have more of an interest in them. I don't think my new calling in life is to be an entomologist but I have taken a unique interest in these tiny creatures that I use to ignore in my everyday life. I have a fascination in them and after attaining more knowledge about the insect world I look forward to my encounters with them in the future.

Another thing I have learned about insects is their positive role in this world. I see the beauty of them more clearly after looking at them under microscopes and taking the time to study their anatomy. After studying them, I have also come across numerous insects that are used for medicinal value and treatment for humans.

With this said, insects still have negative affects on humans every day but in reality nature always seems to have its dark side at times. I think I'll always get a little nervous about the thought of what diseases mosquitoes could be carrying or what could result of a spider bite, but I don't view them as terrifying as I first did. I actually think that a world with insects is definitely better than a world without them. I think that part of this was also a result of studying many of the misconceptions about them that brought humans fear and their false first impressions. After studying insects for the past month I can say I have more of an appreciation for their place in this world.

Entomophagy

Entomophagy, the act of humans intentionally eating insects, has been practiced by people throughout all ages of human history. However, in the modern world, especially in the United States, this practice has faded away in most peoples' minds. With no reason to have to eat them plus the gross factor of thinking about chewing insects, humans have forgotten all about the benefits of eating these tiny creatures. Truth is you actually eat a significant amount per year unintentionally. Does this gross you out or are you open to having insects in your diet?

Personally, when I hear that I have consumed thousands of insect parts per year in my typical diet it doesn't really bother me that much because there is no way for me to prevent it. I can't even remember a time of when I have ever had an insect in my mouth. For all I know, the fact that I have eaten insects unintentionally could be a big lie to gross me out and I wouldn't know the difference.

On the other hand, I have heard about other people intentionally eating insects as a source of food (not just because their friend dared them). I have never eaten a cricket, ant, grasshopper, meal worm, or caterpillar but I have heard of these being "good" based on the taste of others. For me to eat an insect, I actually don't think it would take much. I never had a need to do so in the past, but if it was already dead and not harmful to my body then I'd be open to eating insects. Depending on how they tasted to me, I would even be open to trying the drastic switch over to insects as my main source of dietary protein.

Switching over to an "insect only" diet would be pretty intense if I had to do it right now, but there are definitely many sellers already out there on the web. If you go to http://www.thailandunique.com/ you can buy anything from scorpions and beetles to BBQ four bug kebabs, and if you like meal worms then I guess you could always turn to www.petco.com as a last resort.

                                           
                BBQ Four Bug Kebab                                              Meal Worms

There are even some companies/organizations that believe insects are the future to solving global food security. With the population of our world rising and food production needing to increase by 70% by 2050 according to the FAO, insects might be the answer to the problems of the future. I sure hope they taste good!


                                                      

Information found from:
http://www.thailandunique.com/
www.petco.com
http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/show/Insects-to-feed-the-world.htm

Pictures found from:
http://www.thailandunique.com/
operationmigration.org
http://www.wageningenur.nl/en/show/Insects-to-feed-the-world.htm

Last 4 Chapters of "Life on a Little-Known Planet"

The following links below are reviews of the last 4 chapters of Evans' book Life on a little-known planet

Year of the Locust Review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-VBhNy1zbk&feature=youtu.be

Parasitic Wasps Review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rLe5wetx4Y&feature=youtu.be

Insects and Human Society Review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cjpqA9nsaA&feature=youtu.be

Is Nature Necessary? Review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4FUAynxoC0&feature=youtu.be

Misconceptions

Ever heard of a camel spider? I heard it was supposed to be the biggest, baddest, and fastest of all the spiders in the world. A science teacher in high school once told me that you could hear them running as each big furry leg came into contact with the sand or pavement. He also told me how they were the size of a dinner plate, and how they would bite soldiers in their sleep or lay their eggs inside of humans' ears since it was warm and protected.

When I first heard this I was frightened and definitely terrified of having an experience with one of these monsters in my sleep. However, I later found out that these spiders don't even live in the United States and are typically found in the deserts of Iraq. This helped me deal a little more with my fear but I still hated thinking that these were some of the creatures our U.S. soldiers encountered in Iraq. When searching the internet there were numerous stories and pictures of soldiers with these spiders. 

                                

                                                                                          Most famous picture

When reading The Earwig's Tail by May R. Berenbaum I found out that camel spiders do truly exist but thankfully they are not nearly as horrible as people make them seem. It turns out that my high school science teacher was merely forwarding on to us misconceptions about these spiders he had previously been told about. 

Camel spiders don't actually run at an unbelievable speed of 25 mph but rather 10 mph meaning that the average human is much faster than them.  In fact, the main reason for camel spiders to run is actually to not attack but rather because they are seeking the shade. They also don't attack humans in their sleep and only bite as a form of self-defense. If ever bitten, the bite isn't even venomous as many think but only acts as an anesthetic numbing the victim. 

Camel spiders also don't lay their eggs inside of camels or inside of humans' ears but rather in soil. Perhaps the biggest misconception about these spiders is their size. Camel spiders are said to get as big as a frisbee or even as long as a foot but realistically they only achieve a size of 6 inches at the best. The "most famous picture" of them (found above) is not a spider but two of them and the image had been altered in order for the spiders to appear 8-10 times their actual size. 

Knowing all of these misconceptions about camel spiders makes them seem not as scary but their appearance alone is still pretty frightening. 

                                    

Images found from:

www.ebaumsworld.com

www.camelspiders.net 

http://www.camel-spiders.net/myths.php

Information found from:

http://www.camel-spiders.net/myths.php

http://www.burkemuseum.org/spidermyth/myths/camelspider2.html

The Earwig's Tail by May R. Berenbaum

Interesting Insects

In the book Life on a Little-Known Planet, Howard Ensign Evans speaks of multiple insects and goes into greater detail about their history and uniqueness. One of these groups of insects that was my personal favorite was the cricket. The most interesting thing to me about crickets was how much there was to learn about these tiny creatures that I have always heard singing outside in the dark when I go to bed. The book goes into detail about how they sing and why, how males and females act during and before mating, and how they have been viewed by people throughout history, but what really intrigued me was not what crickets do for themselves but how humans used crickets for their personal gain. One of these ways was cricket fighting.

Youtube video found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25rm2UV2gkQ

Cricket fighting has been found most popular throughout the centuries in China and today you can find cricket fighting tournaments. Similar to cock fights and dog fights, money is on the line so the owner of the crickets has taken the time to train them for victory. One owner may actually train up to fifty or more crickets at a time since their lifespans are roughly a hundred days and many of these will go to tournaments together at the same time. Upon training, the owner is also found to use his own way of making each cricket stronger as well as feeding them a mixture of bean paste and water as part of a high-protein diet.

                                         
                                                       Two crickets engaged in battle

Once it is time to fight, each owner takes his cricket and places it into the fighting arena which is enclosed on  all sides to prevent escaping. The crickets are then rattled with small sticks or pieces of straw to get as much fighting spirit out of them as possible.  A fight to the death determines the winner and money is on the line.If a owner is to win one of the tournaments in the twenty five Chinese cities then they will advance to the finals held in Beijing. Winning the two-day National Cricket Fighting Championship is a hobby to some and more like a sport to others. However you view it, the tournament is highly competitive. It is said that some highly victorious crickets may be worth more than 1,500 American dollars (quite the sum of money for a little cricket).

Image found from:
http://slanchreport.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/this-aint-your-daddys-cricket-fights/

Information found from:
Life on a Little-Known Planet by Howard Ensign Evans
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2456031/Competitors-gather-China-National-Cricket-Fighting-Championships.html

On Being a Cold Bug

When confronted with the brutally cold weather of winter and harsh outdoor living conditions as a result of it, it is extremely difficult for a human being to spend an entire winter outside and survive. I can't imagine being stuck outside for all of winter because I wouldn't make it very long, but in this world for insects they have no other option. Perhaps if only I could borrow some of the unique adaptations insects refer to in order to overcome the coldest time of the year.

If there was a tree big enough then maybe I could choose to overwinter inside of it just like mourning cloak butterflies hibernate inside hollow trees. Another option, if I had wings, would be to learn from the shivering moth and shiver as a way to warm my muscles, heat up to overcome the cold, and fly away. However, I find these options too easy, and unfair, if I am to fully take on the cold weather.

One of the best characteristics that I could adopt from specific insects is their ability to supercool. As shown from the woolly bear caterpillar, supercooling is a way to reduce the freezing point of the insect's blood and prevent ice formation by converting glycogen into glycerol (an alcohol) and sorbitol (a sugar). As a result, the caterpillar will appear frozen but once thawed out is alive and well. Once a caterpillar is warmed it will come back to life, but this depends for other insects such as horned beetles since their glycerol level is very high. It takes a couple of days for them to move normally again once the proper temperature is present.  The presence of glycerol is also found to shield eastern tent caterpillar moth eggs.

                                                             
                                                                  Woolly bear caterpillar

Supercooling is an effective method to survive the winter but any contact with ice crystals will provide nucleation sites for ice crystal formation resulting in death. Even though stinkbugs and yellow jacket wasps are very effective at surviving through supercooling I wouldn't want to take any chances.

                                                    
                                                     Sharp and deadly edges of ice crystals

I think my best technique for surviving the winter would come from northern Eurosta larvae. The northern larvae have the same advantages for supercooling, but they also release a protein into their blood that promotes freezing. Although counterintuitive, this protein prevents the insect from supercooling. Freezing may not sound like the best option but it is more of a way to help the insect survive if the temperature was to become too cold for glycerol to tolerate. This way you have the help of the protein, to tolerate freezing if it were to occur, as well as the dual properties of glycerol to reduce the probability of freezing and damage from ice crystals if they were to occur. I think this would be the most effective and safest way to overcome the winter.

Images found from:
www.thefeaturedcreature.com
commons.wikimedia.org

Initial Thoughts on Insects

Besides sharing this world with them, I don't know much about insects. I never really had an interest in them when I was younger nor have I ever been required to learn about them in school. However, with little knowledge about these tiny creatures they have always seemed to fascinate me. I couldn't help to question how a caterpillar could change into a butterfly or how a bee makes honey. I also could never figure out how spiders made their webs with such detail, but it has definitely gained my curiosity.

I am curious to know why insects are important in my life and what they do to affect me in positive ways. For some reason, whenever I think of insects I imagine the negative effects they have had on me. I think of bee stings and ant bites as well as having to inconveniently put on mosquito spray when I go in my backyard. I think of wasps flying after me outside, and I can't forget the frightening spiders and cockroaches I have discovered in and around my house. With this said I have typically viewed insects as harmful and avoided them whenever possible.

I think this negative view of insects has been greatly influenced by scary stories and myths as well as hearing about the numerous ways people have died from them. It frightens me to know that a human being could die when bitten or stung by a creature so incredibly small in comparison. For example, one insect that always makes me nervous is the mosquito. Year after year I consistently hear about how mosquitoes can pass on deadly diseases from animals to humans by biting them, and I hear about the thousands of deaths as a result of Malaria from these contagious bloodsuckers. This definitely gives me a bad impression of insects overall, and it has me doubt the importance of any insect at all.

With this said, I realize that there are probably many advantages insects have on my life every single day that I am unaware of. While always looking at their negative impact, I am curious to discover their true importance and how entomology is applied to better our world today. I want to know if these tiny crawlers are always something that should be avoided as poisonous and scary or if my mere fascination is a beginning to why I should view them differently. Whatever it is, insects are never going to completely go away, and I am curious to see if increased knowledge about them can help to eliminate one's fear towards them.

Images found from:
http://plywoodpeople.com/4501
http://www.totalmosquitocontrol.com/