Science Friday

It’s always amazing to me that no matter the circumstance, no matter the place, kids want to talk bugs with us. All children, all over the world speak 'bug'.

Kenya, research, science, entomology, travel, bugs, insects, education

Oct. 17, 2012

Late Bloomers

by The Bug Chicks

The other day we caught a glimpse of an insect that's usually seen in the spring -- the mayfly! Check out this video to learn more about these short-lived insects.

autumn, mayfly, cultural entomology, aquatic, bugs, insects

Oct. 10, 2012

Silverfish: Your Quiet Roommates

by The Bug Chicks

What's that silver insect in your bathroom sink? A silverfish! Check out our video to learn about these ancient animals.

silverfish, The Bug Chicks, hexapod, video, nature, bugs, insects

Oct. 03, 2012

Tarantula ICU

by The Bug Chicks

When a tarantula is sick and weak, what do you do? Stick it in the ICU!

tarantula, care, icu, pets, spider, bug chicks,

Sep. 26, 2012

Head Lice: Itching for the Facts

'Tis the season! The kids are back in school and head lice are going to be on the forefront of parents' minds. It can be hard to find facts on these animals when internet searches provide myths, fear, and outdated remedies. But The Bug Chicks are here to teach about the insects themselves. Arm yourself with knowledge! (And a good nit comb.)

head lice, lice, phthiraptera, kids, school, itch, nits, bugs, insects

Sep. 19, 2012

Cool Characters

by The Bug Chicks

Cooler weather is on it's way, but we're not worried! We've planned some winter expeditions to find insects in the sea caves and glacial fields of Oregon.

boreidae, scorpionflies, insects, bugs, crickets

Sep. 12, 2012

Insectivus for the Rest of Us

by The Bug Chicks

For bug lovers, there are lots of cool events happening all over the country.

bugs, insects, festivals, insect festival, bug celebration, EntoBlitz, Bug Bowl

Sep. 05, 2012

Insectos en Español? Que fantástico!

by The Bug Chicks

Learn about the yucca moth and the yucca plant and why pollinators are so important. In English and Spanish!

insects, bugs, pollinators, pollination, mutualism, yucca moth, yucca moth

Aug. 22, 2012

Insect Collecting: Pan and Baited Traps

by The Bug Chicks

A few weeks ago we showed you how to make a piece of insect collecting equipment called a beat sheet. In this post, we’re going to add pan traps and baited traps to your DIY collecting tools.

bugs, insects, entomology, bug collecting, nature

Aug. 15, 2012

Tricky Mister! Indirect Sperm Transfer in Primitive Hexapods

by The Bug Chicks

In this video, we teach about indirect sperm transfer behaviors of these arthropods, in a slightly different way than other entomologists. Our way involves costumes. And mustaches. Enjoy!

bugs, insects, silverfish, mating, animal behavior, sexual reproduction

Aug. 08, 2012

the tANTalizing touch

by The Bug Chicks

This podcast explores the tactile communication of ants and how they use touch to interact with their environment.

bugs, insects, nature, podcast, apps, senses, arthropod

Jul. 25, 2012

Message in a Cornicle

by The Bug Chicks

Aphids produde an alarm pheromone to defend themselves against predation.

bugs, insects, pheromones, biochemistry, alarm pheromone, predation

Jul. 11, 2012

Amazing Insect Feats

by The Bug Chicks

Fleas can jump over 150 times their own body length. A house fly can beat its wings 200 times per second. How do these feats compare with those of other animals?

bugs, insects, locomotion, entomology, cockroaches, fleas

Jul. 05, 2012

Top 5: Red-headed Mouse Spiders

by The Bug Chicks

For Kristie, this spider is #1 on her "Top 5 Spiders To See Down Under" list. Sadly, she missed it last year while traveling in NSW but we thought we'd share this photo and take the opportunity to teach about some of the cool morphological features these spiders and their relatives have.

spiders, bugs, insects, photography, natural history

Jun. 27, 2012

Cultural Entomology: Cockroaches

by The Bug Chicks

Cockroaches get a bad rap. Just the word makes people “ew” and “ugh”. Even though only 10% of species are pests of humans, we tend to associate all of them with filth. This video explores the biology, morphology and mythology surrounding these misunderstood animals.

insects, cockroaches, roaches, entomology, bugs

Jun. 20, 2012

Bug Bytes: Chill Out

by The Bug Chicks

For this podcast, world renowned architect Mick Pearce joins us from Zimbabwe to talk about the design of the Eastgate Center in Harare. There are no electrical AC units in the building – instead, Pearce used termite mound structure as inspiration for the ventilation system!

bugs, insects, termites, convection, architecture

Jun. 14, 2012

DIY Insect Collecting: Beat Sheet

by The Bug Chicks

People always ask us how they can collect insects safely. Professional insect collecting equipment can be expensive, so we’ve decided to make a little DIY series about how to make your own insect collecting equipment on the cheap.

bugs, insects, insect collection, hands-on activities, for kids

Jun. 07, 2012

Cultural Entomology: Walking Sticks

by The Bug Chicks

Call them what you want – stick insects, walking sticks or stick bugs – we call them masters of camouflage! Insects in the Order Phasmatodea look and behave like plants and hide from even the most intrepid entomologists. In this new video we created for Texas A&M University’s Department of Entomology, we take you through the morphology, biology and mythology of these fascinating creatures.

bugs, insects, walking sticks, entomology, sociology, anthropology, culture

May. 16, 2012

Cultural Entomology: Dragonflies

by The Bug Chicks

This video, created for a course called Insects and Human Society at Texas A&M University, explores the biology and morphology of dragonflies and examines them through the lens of cultural entomology. Also, we explain mating and courtship behaviors dressed up as giant dragonflies.

bugs, insects, dragonflies, entomology, sociology, anthropology, culture

May. 03, 2012

Entomology and Pop Culture: The Wrath of Khan!

by The Bug Chicks

We paid tribute to one of the most famous scenes from Star Trek's The Wrath of Khan. Disclaimer: No earwigs (or Bug Chicks) were injured during the filming of this segment.

bugs, insects, pop culture, star trek, earwig, science fiction, science and the arts

Jan. 04, 2012

How Insects Move

by The Bug Chicks

In this video, we explore the different ways that animals get around their environment. It's perfect as a lesson for kids in grades K-2 (and it corresponds with national curriculum standards!), but it's fun for "kids" of all ages!

Dec. 14, 2011

Bee Bodies: Structure and (Fun)ction

by The Bug Chicks

Morphology is the study of the structure and function of an animal’s body. And sometimes, learning all the bits and pieces can get really intense! This video goes in-depth on bee morphology. We had a ton of fun creating larger-than-life body parts out of common household goods like hair combs, pipe cleaners, and toilet brushes!

Oct. 05, 2011

Insects in the Classroom

by The Bug Chicks

In this video, learn about Bess Beetles and how an insect can make a great classroom pet.

Sep. 07, 2011

Episode 1: Bug Bits

by The Bug Chicks

This is the episode that started it all! We introduce what makes an insect an insect and show you the unusual way insects taste their food.

Science

Aug. 17, 2011

Mission: Pollination

by The Bug Chicks

In this video, the Bug Chicks bring you into the bizarre world of pollination.

Science

Apr. 02, 2012

Beetle Diversity in Costa Rica

by The Bug Chicks

In our earlier post we talked about how Costa Rica is such a biodiversity hotspot. We saw a mind-boggling amount of insect species, and many of them were beetles. During our stay at the Soltis Center, we filmed and photographed ‘round the clock, and in this post, we wanted to give you a taste of the beetle diversity we found there.

Headline

Mar. 14, 2012

Tracking Insects

by The Bug Chicks

We're on our way back from an idyllic week in Costa Rica. We've been filming for a solid seven days and we can't even begin to tell you the things we've seen. Frogs, snakes, mammals and insects...oh the insects. When entomologists die, their souls go to Costa Rica.

Bug Bytes, Headline, Science

Mar. 08, 2012

Costa Rica Filming Expedition

by The Bug Chicks

By the time you read this, we will be on a plane to Costa Rica. We are filming the second installment of our insect order videos for Texas A&M University's awesome class, Insects and Human Society. Since the insects won't be buzzing around for a couple of months yet here in Oregon, we decided to go to them. Luckily, we had two plane tickets that we needed to use this year. What are two Bug Chicks to do?

Science

Feb. 29, 2012

Make Mini-Vivariums for a Touch of Green

by The Bug Chicks

We've got the end of winter blahs. You know the ones. When the weather can't decide if it's winter or spring and it's a bit past the snow but the green hasn't managed to arrive yet. So, this past week, we made some mini-vivariums and bought some special air plants for our office. Now, we know that we’re The Bug Chicks, but a) we love all things green and nature-y, and b) plants and insects go hand-in-hand! And let’s face it – after a few months of having no leaves on the trees, a little plant life definitely goes a long way.

Featured, Hands-on Activities

Feb. 15, 2012

A Valentine to Entomology

by The Bug Chicks

The week surrounding Valentine’s Day makes us think about love and joy, whether we like it or not. Learning to identify people or pinpoint events and moments that make us happy is a good exercise, though. So we decided to sit down and list 5 reasons why we love being entomologists.

Feb. 08, 2012

Eat It: The Argument for Entomophagy

by The Bug Chicks

Insects as food is making headlines again. An article released by The Daily Mail in late January discussed how the European Union is spending 3 million Euro to explore insect protein as a food supplements, as well as using insects to combat food shortages. We decided to re-post our podcast about entomophagy (the eating of insects) in order to start the discussion here on Talking Science!

Bug Bytes, Science