Ask an Entomologist Anything

[Meclizine]

Hey, folks! I'm an entomologist, which seems to be quite the obscure profession these days. Based on my professional interactions it seems that lots of people have questions about the insects they come across but don't necessarily know who to talk to. So I'm offering my casual services here for people to ask about insects, entomology as a discipline, or anything related.

Questions such as:

• The news says all the insects are dying! Should I be worried?
• I found this thing in my bathroom! Is it dangerous?
• Here's a picture of a bug on my plant. What's it doing?

Ask and ye shall receive! I should say, however, that I'm not a licensed pest control agent. I cannot recommend specific pesticides for particular uses. That's the pest control equivalent of practicing medicine without a license. What I can tell you is if the arthropod you found is a potential pest or not based on what it looks like. Pictures are necessary, and knowing where and when it was taken helps a ton. Of course, most insects are not pests, but I need to get this out of the way. Random pictures from your garden are very welcome!



Let me throw some random facts out there to put entomology into perspective.

• There are >4,000 species of cockroaches. Only ~30 are pests.
• A large insect collection in California recently estimated they have 35k different species from only CA in their collection. This is also a gross underestimate of the true biodiversity, the total likely being well above 100k. What about globally? Ballpark estimates are in the tens of millions of species. Humans have described only ~750k insects so far.
• Entomology touches on every aspect of your life. The fleas that spread the Black Death helped drive the Renaissance, mosquitoes were decisive factors in the US civil war, and most of the fun compounds we derive from plants evolved to be natural insecticides.

I'm here to educate any and all curious folks!

Cheers.

 

[Tyler]

I always wondered about your avatar. Assumed you were an enthusiast but this is even cooler. And I like the ask me anything thread idea.

1. What got you into the field?
2. Are there are species that even you are uncomfortable around or find to be gross?
3. What's a commonly misunderstood species?
4. What are your thoughts on Coyote Peterson's insect biting series? How is the perceived in the field in general? I feel like those videos are definitely educational.
5. Do you have your own collection as pets?
6. From what I've seen/heard, a tarantula is a good pet because it acts like an actual pet with thoughts and feelings and such. Is there any truth to that?
7. Are there any insect or related forums like Tacoma3G, that you use?

@Paige - check out this thread!

 

[solscooter]

are ants the most common insect?

 

[RevN3]

Well now I want to know more about:

• The news says all the insects are dying! Should I be worried?

Because I wasn't worried but now that you said the news said that I am.

 

[TCOTUE]

Why do chiggers suck so bad?

 

[Meclizine]

I always wondered about your avatar. Assumed you were an enthusiast but this is even cooler. And I like the ask me anything thread idea.

1. What got you into the field?
2. Are there are species that even you are uncomfortable around or find to be gross?
3. What's a commonly misunderstood species?
4. What are your thoughts on Coyote Peterson's insect biting series? How is the perceived in the field in general? I feel like those videos are definitely educational.
5. Do you have your own collection as pets?
6. From what I've seen/heard, a tarantula is a good pet because it acts like an actual pet with thoughts and feelings and such. Is there any truth to that?
7. Are there any insect or related forums like Tacoma3G, that you use?

1. A big part of it is I never really left my turning over rocks phase growing up so I turned it into a career. But the more serious reason is it got me through a not so great childhood. What really appealed to me is how different the rules are for insects. They make the Alien movies look like Sesame Street, to be honest. Other branches of biology just look mundane to me now. Seriously, here are a few actual terms for very normal things in our backyards: Polyembrony. Hyperparasitoid. Triungulin. And I had to think pretty hard for family-friendly terms, by the way. Not a week goes by without some crazy discovery that blows my mind.
2. I don't find any insects gross at this point, really. But I avoid social wasps after weedwacking over a colony some years back. I had a reaction worthy of medical treatment so I carry epinephrine, and I can practically feel my blood pressure spike when one flies near me since. Which is why I'm a little worried about the Murder Hornet becoming established in Washington. They're from Japan and like to wipe out entire honeybee hives for food.
3. Oof, hard to choose one species. I suppose perceptions in general tend to be narrow anthropocentric. Take "wasp". Yeah, I was attacked by wasps, but that was merely one species. Besides, they thought I was trying to demolish their house so I didn't take it personally. There are other species that dig a hole in a patch of sand and shove nothing but green caterpillars into it. It's very easy to remember one negative interaction, but I just remind myself that the vast majority of insects want nothing to do with me. Sure, some of them can defend themselves, but it would be self-defense.
4. I had to look him up, he's not talked about in my circles. It looks to me like the Schmidt pain sting index brought to Youtube. I watched a guy sting himself with a huge velvet ant in Arizona and he took it like a champ. So those folks are out there, for sure.
5. I don't have any live pets these days. But I do have a collection of a few thousand specimens from CA, NV, and AZ. When I was a teen I had a black widow and scorpion, though. I'm actually more of a houseplants and dog kind of person.
6. Some species of tarantulas are better as pets than others, for sure. But they can vary individually just like any other animal. Arthropods technically have brains but they're not like ours. A lot of the computing power is distributed in ganglia, which are basically nerve clusters placed near things that need controlling, like a segment with legs on it. I really don't know for sure what they can feel or think, but my impression is they're the spider version of crocodiles with two modes: hungry/not hungry. I've seen them sit in one place for two days straight. But I'm certainly open to the possibility of them having more complex inner lives than we're able to see. The problem is a lot of that stuff evolves with living in social groups, which arthropods don't do much. The few social insects owe genetics for their colony cohesion, actually. But that's another story...
7. I don't use many forums these days but I used to browse arachnoboards.com. A great identification resource I use is Bug Guide.

are ants the most common insect?

Quite possibly, but aphids are giving them a run for their money. Tens of thousands of members per colony, millions of colonies around the globe makes for a lot of ants. But aphids can be born pregnant, so they have fecundity on their side. Random tangent, I know someone who's working on a little-known species of ant from Israel that lives almost exclusively underground. They're collected using custom traps that must be buried several feet down. Crazy stuff.

 

[Meclizine]

Well now I want to know more about:

• The news says all the insects are dying! Should I be worried?

Because I wasn't worried but now that you said the news said that I am.

Well, insect population declines have been in the news on and off for a few years now. I'm sure they're hurting like anything else, but it's often sensationalized. A major problem is data collection and establishing trends, but I don't think it's a mystery when we keep turning their habitat into parking lots and subdivisions. I mean, imagine converting a beautiful city park into a Walmart. Sure, the same number of people might show up on average but I predict a major shift in the demographics. Diverse and complex ecosystems are resilient, healthy, and good for us. Did we learn anything from the buffalo and carrier pigeon? Seriously, grow some native plants, don't kill every caterpillar (baby butterfly) you see, and cancel your monthly pesticide treatments.

Why do chiggers suck so bad?

It turns out dissolving our skin cells makes for a very itchy bite. I've not experienced this personally but I've heard the stories. At least they don't vector diseases like ticks, right? Cold comfort, I suppose. They make horseflies seem courteous with their saw-like mouthparts that mostly just hurt.

 

[TCOTUE]

It turns out dissolving our skin cells makes for a very itchy bite. I've not experienced this personally but I've heard the stories. At least they don't vector diseases like ticks, right? Cold comfort, I suppose. They make horseflies seem courteous with their saw-like mouthparts that mostly just hurt.

With the tick comment, my wife actually has Alpha Gal. I ended up in a mess of chiggers last year, and I still have bite marks all over me.

 

[Meclizine]

With the tick comment, my wife actually has Alpha Gal. I ended up in a mess of chiggers last year, and I still have bite marks all over me.

Damn, that's rough. We definitely need more research on that. I've only hosted ticks a few times to my knowledge but CA isn't loaded with ticks like some other parts of the US. So she can't eat certain meats? Burgers, hotdogs?

 

[TCOTUE]

Damn, that's rough. We definitely need more research on that. I've only hosted ticks a few times to my knowledge but CA isn't loaded with ticks like some other parts of the US. So she can't eat certain meats? Burgers, hotdogs?

Her Dr advised her to stay away from anything with hooves. No beef, venison, pork. We eat a lot of chicken, makes it difficult to eat out. But a lot of places have chicken on the menu. Missouri is bad for ticks/chiggers.

 

[Tyler]

Is it true bed bugs serve literally no ecological purpose? Do ticks? Are there other species that don’t?

 

[TCOTUE]

Is it true bed bugs serve literally no ecological purpose? Do ticks? Are there other species that don’t?

What about Wasps? Those things are assholes...I got stung last year trying to mow my yard.

 

[bonifacio]

insects

Cheers.

Nope.

 

[Tyler]

Nope.

That’s how I’ve always been. In recent years I’ve been trying to loosen up about them. Some are waaaay harder than others though.

 

[Meclizine]

Is it true bed bugs serve literally no ecological purpose? Do ticks? Are there other species that don’t?

This is a tricky question. The problem is they don't need to serve any purpose, they're just living their lives. However, damn near every life form is part of the checks and balances that hold our planet together. Parasitism is a very successful life style, and I'd go so far as to say that at least a third of insects are some kind of parasite, it's just that very few want to feed on humans. The food web is based on interactions, but as humans we like to assign purpose to things. Natural selection doesn't operate on purpose or intent, just what works.

Take the mosquito. Females take blood meals when they need protein for eggs. But otherwise their larvae feed fish, adults pollinate flowers, and are eaten by birds. It's easy to focus on their effect on us but we have it easy, trust me. For the squeamish biology can sometimes look like a parade of horrors and entomology certainly rises to the occasion in that regard.

What about Wasps? Those things are assholes...I got stung last year trying to mow my yard.

I guarantee that she (only females can sting) thought she was under attack. Keep in mind that insects are pretty stupid and live by simple rules of thumb most of the time. Wasps are free pest control, too. Caterpillars, flies, whatever they can grab. But my tolerance has limits, too.

That’s how I’ve always been. In recent years I’ve been trying to loosen up about them. Some are waaaay harder than others though.

Good on you! Western societies are unusually insect averse so it's really common. Butterflies are good gateway bugs in my experience.

 

[406Camper]

Does it hurt you a little when you have to pick dead insects out of your grill? Ha!

 

[Meclizine]

Does it hurt you a little when you have to pick dead insects out of your grill? Ha!

Fair question! I hadn't even thought about it, really. Although, now that you mention it, I remember seeing a bunch of bug bits on pins with labels in a collection. I asked what the deal was and it turns out they are a protected species despite being very common. So instead of collecting these beautiful beetles with a net like normal entomologists these folks had to walk around a parking lot and pick pieces of them off grills. Still no where near the craziest stuff I've seen pinned, though.

 

[Meclizine]

To my fellow PNWers, keep an eye out. The Giant Hornet/Murder Hornet might still be in Washington, we'll find out this Spring. As impressive as these are, and I'd love some for my collection, they are a formidable invasive. Ecologically, they're packs of wolves hundreds strong and equipped with wings. Good stuff.

News article | Gov. resource

 

[TCOTUE]

To my fellow PNWers, keep an eye out. The Giant Hornet/Murder Hornet might still be in Washington, we'll find out this Spring. As impressive as these are, and I'd love some for my collection, they are a formidable invasive. Ecologically, they're packs of wolves hundreds strong and equipped with wings. Good stuff.

News article | Gov. resource

 

[fourgotten]

To my fellow PNWers, keep an eye out. The Giant Hornet/Murder Hornet might still be in Washington, we'll find out this Spring.

I've dealt with enough of our native (and not-as-native) Vespidae to not even wanna come near those big-ass bastards.

 

[Meclizine]

Tell me about it. These ladies gave me a reason to carry epipens. No hard feelings, though.

Oh, did I mention that the Giant Hornet eats honeybee colonies for lunch? Not that honeybees are any more native than the Giant Hornet, but still. At least we're not as bad as Florida, yet.

 

[C-Dog]

SO, what is the name of the beetle that looks like a ladybug, but doesn't have spots, and will bite the shit oout of you? Those little boogers are all over my house in the winter (they seem attracted to the bathroom). I have no idea how they get in, and there are a butt load of them.

 

[Meclizine]

SO, what is the name of the beetle that looks like a ladybug, but doesn't have spots, and will bite the shit oout of you? Those little boogers are all over my house in the winter (they seem attracted to the bathroom). I have no idea how they get in, and there are a butt load of them.

Can you find a picture? And where are you roughly?

 

[Meclizine]

Here are some insect facts because no one asked for them.

• Aphids are born pregnant.
• Wasp and bee colonies only have queens and drones (short-lived males), while termites have kings and queens.
• Some arthropods besides wasps and bees have parental care, such as earwigs, centipedes, and carrion beetles.

 

[fourgotten]

Here are some insect facts because no one asked for them.

• Aphids are born pregnant.
• Wasp and bee colonies only have queens and drones (short-lived males), while termites have kings and queens.
• Some arthropods besides wasps and bees have parental care, such as earwigs, centipedes, and carrion beetles.

Just exoskeletoned critters livin' their best lives....

 

[Meclizine]

Here's a picture I took at the end of December near Wilson Lake in the Lassen NF. I know it doesn't look like it, but this is a fly.

 

[Meclizine]

Hoverflies are great! I try to get them to land on the tip of my finger when they hover over for a closer look. While doing fieldwork in a recently flooded area I was surrounded by them. Every time I'd take a step they all took flight and the sound of hundreds of little wings flapping was like a less annoying kazoo. I could control the pitch of them by moving, kind of like a conductor. Good times!

The red imported fire ant is from S. America and very good at what they do. Apparently, since there is very little genetic diversity in the US population they don't see other colonies as enemies. It's more like one giant superorganism is spreading across the country. The size of the mound is an indicator of how much they've excavated for their colony. Some folks have poured plaster/aluminum into nests and dug out the cast. They're massive.

 

[Mike_570]

How do you feel about the Spotted Lanternfly?

 

[Meclizine]

How do you feel about the Spotted Lanternfly?

At least it's pretty! Here in CA most of our fauna is brown. Invasives are never good but often inevitable, so at least make them pretty or interesting. I hope some biocontrol agents are brought in, but that's easily a 5-10 year process. Have you seen many of them in your area?

 

[Mike_570]

At least it's pretty! Here in CA most of our fauna is brown. Invasives are never good but often inevitable, so at least make them pretty or interesting. I hope some biocontrol agents are brought in, but that's easily a 5-10 year process. Have you seen many of them in your area?

I have only seen a couple in the past few years, I've crushed every one I've seen besides one that got away - don't hate me! They're worse in southern Pennsylvania from what I know.