The Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta, is an invasive species from South America. It produces high density populations and displaces other species of ants. The ants are aggressive, readily swarm and will sting unwary animals en masse. Allergic individuals stung by fire ants have died of anaphylaxis. In addition to the North American invasion, …
Chemicals in spices are often noted for deleterious effects on insects. However, these natural chemicals rarely are deployed as commercial insecticides. The insecticidal chemicals in spices are often at low doses making extraction impractical. Many have complex structures that are difficult and expensive to make synthetically. They often degrade too rapidly for long term effect. …
Archytas apicifer is a fly in the family Tachinidae. These large flies can be seen pollinating flowers in summer where the resemblance to bees gives them some protection from predators. Like many Tachinids, the immatures feed on other insects. The female flies lay their eggs on several species of caterpillar including armyworms, fall webworm, cutworms and …
Look at the picture above and the one below. You may notice a resemblance to some of the insects I’ve talked about in my most recent posts. However, despite their similar appearance these bugs are actually two different types of insects from two very different families. The insect above is an herbivorous leaf-footed bug …
