Why "Bug Brain" isn't an insult...

Insects are capable of some amazing behaviors, despite their tiny, tiny brains. Some researchers even argue that these behaviors and the success of insects in general are possible because of their tiny brains. A friend of mine sent me this interesting article about Dr. Jeremy Niven, a neuroscientist at Cambridge University who uses locusts to study the connections between the brain and behavior.

Cicada Killers are Flying

by Blake Newton, UK Extension Entomologist

In Kentucky, annual cicadas are currently singing. For me, cicada-song is the sound of heat, humidity, and summer and I love it. Annual cicadas also mean the return of one of Kentucky's most amazing insects, the Cicada Killer Wasp. I just saw two of them this week. We are bound to see more of them as July progresses.



With a body length of about 1.5", the cicada killer is one of the largest wasps that live in Kentucky. They are easily confused with one of our other large wasps, the European Hornet. Cicada Killers do not live in colonies, though, like hornets do. Cicada Killers are solitary and they are much less likely to sting humans than a hornet. Generally, colony-dwelling bees and wasps (like honey bees, bumble bees, paper wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets) are much more likely to sting humans than solitary wasps and bees. So if you see these huge cicada killer wasps flying around in your yard, don't worry about them: they will only sting if provoked.

Cicada killer wasps don't actually kill cicadas: their larvae do. A female cicada killer will catch and sting an adult cicada (paralyzing it, but typically not killing it) and return it to her underground burrow. Their, she will lay an egg on the paralyzed cicada. The larva hatches from the egg and then devours the cicada.

I suppose it is ironic, but cicada killer wasps tend to miss-out on the mass periodical cicada emergences that occur in the United States. Periodical cicadas emerge every few years, and they tend to emerge in huge numbers. But they emerge early in the summer, before cicada killer wasps are flying. Because of this, at least in Kentucky, cicada killers specialize on annual cicadas--these are the slightly larger cicada species that emerge every year, typically later in the summer.

Read more about cicada killers and their relatives in our Critter Files section, Narrow-Waisted Solitary Wasps. And: Cicadas.

Architecture of Insect Wings

by Blake Newton, UK Extension Entomologist

As I mentioned in a previous blog post (Arts & Sciences), I love it when entomology and the plastic arts collide!

Beverly Pearce let us know about a project that she is working on which takes a close (and artistic) look at the amazing intricacy of insect wings. In particular, she is interested in dragonfly wings. Dragonflies have incredibly complicated wing-venation, so there is a LOT to look at. Vein patterns in insect wings are also important for insect identification, as you can see in our Critter Files entry about Green-Eyed Skimmers (which are a type of dragonfly).

You can take a look at Beverly's project here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1821350237/architecture-of-wings

This is a video of a crab moulting if you have ever eaten a "soft shell crab" its just one that is post moult.

Dissolved Oxygen Rap

by Megan Parker, Laurel County Water Pioneer

Dissolved oxygen's what we're talkin' about
we're testin' the water before it comes out the spout

Tap the cap to make sure there's no bubbles
'cause if there is you could be in big troubles!

Next add the drops of Manganous sulfate
but you better be careful, 'cause you only need eight

Add in the drops of Alkaline Potassium
it's gotta be clean before you can get some

Add in sulfuric acid and take a look,
you won't see this in a science book

You better watch out if the water is cloudy,
you might get sick--not feelin' so rowdy!

The Annotated Dissolved Oxygen Rap:
Megan wrote these lyrics to describe the process of testing a stream for its dissolved oxygen content. It's a demanding test, and the rap contains some helpful hints! The 2nd stanza (tap the cap to make sure there's no bubbles, 'cause if there is you could be in big troubles), for instance, contains one of the most important reminders: when you take the water sample, the bottle must be totally free of air bubbles, or else the test will be compromised.

By the way, there is a very important relationship between dissolved oxygen and entomology. Aquatic insects (like immature mayflies, stoneflies, and dragonflies) require lots of dissolved oxygen to breathe. The dissolved oxygen content frequently drops to lethal levels in wild streams, especially when trees are removed from streamside areas: trees provide shade which reduce water temperatures, and dissolved oxygen leaves the water at higher temps.

Kudos, again, to Megan, the queen of water-investigation hip-hop!

Wetland Rap

by Megan Parker, Laurel County Water Pioneer

We all smell bad, we're covered in ticks
in case you couldn't guess, we're straight-up hicks

It's a hundred degrees, with the sun beatin' down,
You may have a heat stroke and fall to the ground

We testin' the water and playin' in dirt
you better be careful or you might get hurt

Identifying trees, we're good--that's no joke,
Pine, dogwood, even red and white oak

We lookin' for beetles, salamanders, and bugs,
we wearin' our waders, we rollin' like thugs

You get stuck in the mud, so you might get wet,
but with this scholarship our futures are set

This rap was written by Megan Parker from Laurel County, one of the Robinson Scholars that I am working with this week at the Water Pioneers program. The scholars are learning about water quality, insects, forestry, and other fun stuff. At this very moment (9:38am at the Kentucky Leadership Center in Jabez, KY), they are getting ready to present their community action plans!!

Watch for MORE water-quality raps written by Megan.

State butterfly

the Viceroy Butterfly (Limenitis archippus) – it’s Kentucky’s state butterfly. But what do you really know about it? I could not find out any particular reason it is the state butterfly other than it is rather common here. However, this isn’t the extent of its range; it can be found all the way from Canada to Mexico. I think that Viceroys are best known not for being Kentucky’s state butterfly but rather for being “not Monarchs”. These butterflies are very hard to tell apart from the Monarch. They are distinguished from the Monarch by their smaller size and by the black stripe on their bottom wings that the Monarch lacks. They mimic Monarchs because of the fact that Monarchs are poisonous (due to their consumption of Milkweed). It is interesting to note that they mimic other butterflies as well, such as the Queen and the Soldier, depending on the location. The deception doesn’t stop there. As soon as these insects hatch they deceive predators, not by mimicking a beautiful but toxic butterfly, but rather a revolting drop of bird poop which is obviously unappetizing to potential predators. The larva feed on Willow trees as well as other related trees. In conclusion, whether you are an insect collector or just an observer, next time you see a Viceroy butterfly (which you may learn to distinguish from the Monarch) don’t just think of it as a “not Monarch” but as a fascinating and elegant yet stealthy and deceptive unique species of its own.