Sience NewsBy Susan Milius
Science News October 13, 2007 Vol. 172 page 230
Sid Perkins
Paleontologists have long wondered how aquatic creatures such as water beetles end up fossilized in amber, a material derived from hardened tree sap. One exotic suggestion was that the creatures had lived in water-filled clefts in trees, says Alexander R. Schmidt, a biologist at the Museum of Natural History in Berlin. However, field tests in a swamp by Schmidt and paleobotanist David L. Dilcher of the University of Florida in Gainesville provide a simpler explanation. Within hours of resin dropping into water from a damaged pine tree, a variety of organisms—including the water beetle shown here—became stuck. The resin solidified when the swamp dried out, the researchers report in an upcoming Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Filed under: Bugs in the News
Jennifer L. Berghom
October 11, 2007 – 7:08PM
FALCON HEIGHTS — Berry Nall knew he saw something special while butterfly watching recently at Falcon State Park.
Taking pictures of the colorful winged insects at the park’s new butterfly garden, he noticed a tiny green one on a flower — a type he had never seen before.
“When I found it I had no idea what it was, so I took a picture of it,” the Falcon Heights resident said. “I tried to get as many pictures as I could, but it took off.”
Filed under: Bugs in the News
When walking a roof, it’s always a good idea to peek down the plumbing vent stack. You never know what might be clogging that air flow.
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20057325_20089679,00.html
Filed under: Bugs in the News
“The state is seeking approval to release a tiny African insect on all islands that is believed to be the best hope in controlling its invasive cousin — the destructive Erythrina gall wasp. Since it was first detected in Manoa two years ago, the wasp has killed thousands of trees from urban Honolulu to remote regions of the Neighbor Islands.”
See the full story at: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2007/Sep/16/ln/hawaii709160348.html
Filed under: Bugs in the News
The grainy structure stuck to the bee, which is trapped in amber that’s 15 to 20 million years old, holds orchid pollen. This is a direct fossil observation of a plant-pollinator interaction.
Read more here:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/08/070829-orchid-fossil.html
Check out some bee facts here:
http://www.totallybuggin.com/site/1586384/page/836011
Filed under: Bugs in the News
From the CDC: BBQs, gardening, swimming pools and hikes…and mosquitoes.
Enjoy the outdoors, but remember to protect yourself from mosquitoes and use insect repellent. West Nile virus transmission is underway in many parts of the US.
This virus can cause serious, life-altering and even fatal disease, so it’s worth it to take a couple minutes to prevent mosquito bites.
CDC West Nile Virus Home Page: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/index.htm
Check out some mosquito facts here: http://www.totallybuggin.com/site/1586384/page/838258
Filed under: Bugs in the News
(CNN) — A virus found in healthy Australian honey bees may be playing a role in the collapse of honey bee colonies across the United States, researchers reported Thursday. Honey bees walk on a moveable comb hive at the Bee Research Laboratory, in Beltsville, Maryland.
Colony collapse disorder has killed millions of bees — up to 90 percent of colonies in some U.S. beekeeping operations — imperiling the crops largely dependent upon bees for pollination, such as oranges, blueberries, apples and almonds. Get the full story here:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/09/06/bee.disorder/index.html?eref=rss_tech
Check out Honey Bee facts here:
http://www.totallybuggin.com/site/1586384/page/836011
Filed under: Bugs in the News
Entomologists are debating the origin and rarity of a sprawling spider web that blankets several trees, shrubs and the ground along a 200-yard stretch of trail in a North Texas park.
Officials at Lake Tawakoni State Park say the massive mosquito trap is a big attraction for some visitors, while others won’t go anywhere near it.
“At first, it was so white it looked like fairyland,” said Donna Garde, superintendent of the park about 45 miles east of Dallas. “Now it’s filled with so many mosquitoes that it’s turned a little brown. There are times you can literally hear the screech of millions of mosquitoes caught in those webs.” Watch the video:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/30/spider.web.ap/#cnnSTCVideo
Check out some spider facts here: http://www.totallybuggin.com/site/1586384/page/843135
