Research Paper on the Northern Mole Cricket

by Devin Kreitman, High School Student and 2010 KFELP Alumnus

The Neocurtilla hexadactyla, also known as the Mole Cricket in English, is an insect that is a nocturnal herbivore, native to the Eastern part of North America. This insect is a member of the order Orthoptera. The Northern Mole Cricket is also my favorite insect because of their ability to cross most terrains. They have a life expectancy of two years except in central Florida where they live for only one year.

You may ask, how do I know what a Northern Mole Cricket looks like, so I can observe it in natural habitat? Well, they have short wings and their average size is 19 to 33mm. Their front legs are enlarged, shovel-like, and modified for digging. They are capable of flying for up to five miles during mating season, and can run quickly, yet they are poor jumpers. They can also swim if they land in a body of water. The nymphs resemble the adults but are smaller and do not have fully developed wings. The Northern Mole Cricket is completely harmless to humans.

Their habitat is usually wet, sandy, or muddy soil near streams, ponds, or agricultural fields. To mate, the male calls from its burrow. Then after mating, the female lays eggs in a chamber at the end of the burrow. The female guards the nymphs until the nymph’s forth-molting stage. The nymphs acquire food by feeding on the nutritious roots of plants. In Iowa, they are considered beneficial for the soil, since their tunnels loosen the soil to improve the drainage and aeration of the soil. Their predators include birds, assassin bugs, ground beetles, tiger beetles, and wolf spiders.

The Neocurtilla hexadactyla, or Northern Mole Cricket is a very mobile creature because it can swim, jump, run, fly, or dig across any terrain. They also have an interesting call that is like a cicada’s but weaker and less loud. In my opinion, the Neocurtilla hexadactyla, or Northern Mole Cricket is a wonderful insect.

Sources: bugguide.net/node/view/8789/bgimage, www.orkin.com/other/crickets/mole-cricket, www.ent.iastate.edu › Insect Diagnostic Laboratory, www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/prairie/htmls/popups/ins...

Back from KFELP

by Blake Newton, UK Extension Entomologist

I have now returned from the Kentucky Forestry and Entomology Leadership Program (KFELP). It was an intense week, and we got a lot accomplished. All of the entomologists completed their insect collections with specimens to spare. I was also happy to see that one of the program attendees learned about the program via this blog. I am planning to add him as an author for this blog as soon as I get his email address. I think one of the other campers is interested as well. Hey Ryan and Devin: send your email address to me at blaken@uky.edu and I will add you to the list.

We have a similar week-long camp coming up in one week. Maybe I will meet some more potential bloggers there!

Entomology Leadership Program

by Blake Newton, UK Extension Entomologist

I'm leaving today for a a week in Jabez, Kentucky. There, I work with Doug McLaren from UK's Forestry Department to present the Kentucky Forest and Entomology Leadership Program (KFELP). This is an intense, week-long, overnight, residential program that immerses students in the world of natural-resource management. We will be working with about 30 high-school kids, and about 1/4 of them have signed up to be "entomology specialists" for the week. The entomologists will learn how to observe, study, collect, and preserve insects that are important in the forest ecosystem. They will also see how entomologists and foresters depend upon one another to solve problems. This is one of the best weeks of the year for me, because it is one of the few times that I get to work with students for an extended period of time. Also, we spend almost the whole week outdoors in the woods!

Learn more about the entomology component of KFELP.

Ornithopter what? Artificial butterfly flight!

by Andy Boring, UK Entomology Graduate Student

This is a pretty neat news article that came my way and I thought I would share it. A quick summary is that a group of researchers have made a robotic swallowtail butterfly that flies. The link has a video of the "Ornithopter" in flight and a brief description of what this is all about.

http://www.iop.org/News/news_41310.html

Enjoy!

First HD Video: Native Kentucky Scorpion

by Blake Newton, UK Extension Entomologist

I recently figured out that I can upload high definition videos to YouTube, so I just added our first one. It's a short clip of Kentucky's only native scorpion, Vejovis (a.k.a. Vaejovis) carolinianus . The nice thing about HD is that it fills the YouTube viewing frame better than standard-def.

Here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/user/UKEntomology#p/a/u/0/VOC4jF61TDo

These are cool little scorpions. They are found in wooded areas in southern Kentucky, and they sometimes wander into cabins. They have a very mild sting, so they are not considered dangerous. You can read more about them in our Kentucky Critter Files: Kentucky Scorpions.

Edible Invasives

by Blake Newton, UK Extension Entomologist

If you read this blog, you know that we in the Entomology Department at U.K. are concerned about exotic and invasive organisms. Lots of other people are, too. Michael Russell, Scotland's Environmental Minister, believes that "the invasion of non-native species now constitutes the biggest threat to our native biodiversity after climate change." At a recent seminar here in our department Dr. David Wagner (University of Connecticut) showed that invasive species are the second biggest threat to insect diversity after development.

So, we know that invasives are a problem. But what can we do? There are lots of government programs and volunteer efforts that are working to eradicate these organisms, but most take a military approach: they try to spray, cut, infect, and generally shock-and-awe these organisms to death. But what about a more subtle approach? How about... a culinary approach?

I've been reading more and more about efforts to put invasive species on the menu. It's a perfect solution: if invasive species are eating our stuff, let's eat them instead. It doesn't work in all cases (don't try to eat an invasive thistle!), but here are some examples that I've seen recently:

-kudzu. Kudzu is a nasty invasive weed that has been taking over the southern U.S. You can make jelly from it.
-garlic mustard can be used in pesto
-Japanese knotweed is another pest in our area. It has a number of uses.
-an invasive Ray species in the Northeast has shown up on sushi menus. I saw this on a CNN video a few weeks ago, but I can't find it again. Can anyone send me this link? UPDATE: Here is the CNN video. This is a related story in text form. "Eat a Ray and Save the Bay."

And here are some invasive edibles that we've been consuming for years:

-honey bees. Okay, we don't eat the bees, but we eat their secretions (honey). Many people don't realize that honey bees are not native to the U.S. And although they provide a lot of benefits, they also cause problems: they out-compete native bees and their stings send lots of people to the hospital
-pork. Domestic pigs probably originated in Asia. These days, they are delicious right here in the U.S. They cause lots of problems when they become feral, though, so they "count" as an invasive species.

Of course, turning invasives into edible products has a risk: if a demand is created, it's possible that the invasive species will become raised/farmed for profit, and spread even more. So the key is to eat an invasive species until it's gone, and then find a new one to whet our appetites!

Can anyone think of any other "edible invasives?"

UPDATE: I just found a new article from the Louisville Courier-Jounral about an attempt to turn consumers and fishermen onto Asian carp, an invasive fish that is found in Kentucky (and lots of other places). Hey, serve it up. I'll eat it.

Also, another important edible invasive that I forgot: dandelions. They've been in salad mixes and regional/traditional cuisine for years.

Bugs-All-Day 2010: Tom Myers

by Blake Newton, UK Extension Entomologist

We've added another video to our YouTube channel. This one is a clip from our recent (4/24/2010) Bugs-All-Day event at the Explorium of Lexington, and shows Tom Myers from All-Rite Pest Control. Tom Myers is an experienced collector of insects, and he always brings his amazing collection of preserved insects to the annual Bugs-All-Day event. Tom is also a professional nature photographer!

See the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/UKEntomology#p/a/u/0/IM7hV8UIRqE