The name "ladybug" was coined by European farmers who prayed to the Virgin Mary when pests began eating their crops. After ladybugs came and wiped out the invading insects, the farmers named them "beetle of Our Lady." This eventually was shortened to "lady beetle" and "ladybug." NASA even sent a few ladybugs into space with aphids to see how aphids would escape in zero gravity.
The cicadas have arrived (West suburbs of Chicago). They seem particularly fond of the native plants such as cup plant. Although they are throughout the garden, it's nothing like the pictures I've seen with thousands all over. #Cicadas#cicadas2024#cicadageddon@gardening#insects#bugs
The hornet has landed: Scientists combat new honeybee killer in the U.S.
@KnowableMag reports: "An invasive yellow-legged wasp has been decimating beehives in Europe — and bedeviling Georgia since last summer. Researchers are working nest by nest to limit the threat while developing better eradication methods."
Here's an insect I'd never seen before: Berkshiria albistylum. A tiny, poorly-known soldier fly. Hanging out in the yard just minding her own business.
Arthropod Photo of the Week: May 22, 2024
Long-snouted weevil
Hammatostylus sp.
Coleoptera: Curculionidae
By Steve Long, Florida, USA #arthropodPOTW #entomology#insects#photography
Good morning all, happy Hump Day! The cicada watch continues, these two were sitting on a leaf outside of my car. They're getting thick enough now to see flying in small swarms in the afternoon. This level of cicadas only happen every 221 years so it's pretty cool to see something like this, kinda like the rare eclipses, but with bugs. 🐛🪲
Have a great Wednesday! Try to make it fun if possible. I like harmless work shenanigans. 🤪
How cockroaches spread around the globe to become the pest we know today.
From AP: "A new study uses genetics to chart cockroaches’ spread across the globe, from humble beginnings in southeast Asia to Europe and beyond. The findings span thousands of years of cockroach history and suggest the pests may have scuttled across the globe by hitching a ride with another species: people."