Bug Eric

One of the benefits of having written one or more books is that as an author you are then presented with opportunities to review proposals, manuscripts, and published books by other writers in yo...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2024/04/book-review-insectorama.html

Since I posted about my last night of blacklighting last year, it seems only fitting that I post about the first night of blacklighting this year. We had an unseasonably warm and humid night on M...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2024/04/first-night-of-blacklighting.html

Recently, I asked my friends on a social media platform to express their opinions on the trend of anthropomorphism as applied to traditionally uncharismatic fauna such as spiders (“spooders”)...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2024/03/spooders-and-noodles.html

Recent studies have shown that wasps are among the most loathed of all insects. Consequently, much time and money is wasted on trying to eradicate them, especially by homeowners. Let’s consider...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2024/03/how-we-can-stop-hating-wasps.html

Recently, in certain circles, insects have come to be defined as “bird food.” I was going to devote this post to describing why this is offensive, because it is, but it also occurred to me ho...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2024/02/bird-food.html

It is a rare occasion when I am able to document all life stages of an insect species, let alone in the same location, or over a period of a couple of days. That is what happened, though, when I ...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2024/01/hibiscus-scentless-plant-bug-life-cycle.html

Termites exist at the intersection of biology, chemistry, ecology, engineering, and perhaps even philosophy. In Underbug: An Obsessive Tale of Termites and Technology, author Lisa Margonelli mast...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2024/01/book-review-underbug.html

I must preface this review by stating that the author, Angella Moorehouse, and publisher, Heather Holm, are personal friends. That is not why I am conflicted in my reaction to this book. Neither ...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2023/12/book-review-flower-bugs.html

A green mantisfly (left) and a leafhopper parade across the top of the sheet behind our blacklight at night.Back on October 23, 2023, we had an abnormally warm day of 86℉. I took advantage ...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2023/11/last-night-to-blacklight.html

I had not attended the annual Bug Fair at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (California) since about 2011, so I was overdue in seeing old friends and making new ones. Heidi and I h...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2023/08/bug-fair-2023-recap.html

Visitors to this blog need to know that Blogger will no longer allow me to reply to your comments and questions on my posts, or even make my own comments. I understand your frustration, as it is ...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2023/08/i-am-unable-to-reply-to-comments-and-im.html

by Caity JuddCaity Judd is one of those people who I put in the category of “best friends I haven’t met in person yet.” She is curious, adventurous, and a tireless advocate for all things u...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2023/06/guest-post-friend-or-foe.html

Pearl Crescent butterfly, Phyciodes tharosHere, in our neck of the woods in Leavenworth, Kansas, USA, the 2023 City Nature Challenge was, well, challenging. Our county is part of the Greater Kans...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2023/05/city-nature-challenge-2023-recap.html

Spring has been dragging her heels here in northeast Kansas, USA, but my partner and I managed a brief outing to take advantage of a certifiably warm and sunny day this past Saturday. Finally, th...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2023/03/strange-flies-on-fish-carcass.html

Last night I presented a webinar on "Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect" to the Athol Bird & Nature Club. Here is the embedded recording from Youtube if you would like to ...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2023/01/wasp-webinar-presentation-to-athol-bird.html

Adult female ichneumon wasp, Calliephialtes grapholithaeIt started out innocently enough. Back in 2021, a Facebook post by Sloan Tomlinson (@thatwaspguy on Twitter) caught my attention. He had re...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2022/12/a-potential-new-host-record-for.html

Recently, the debate about invasive species has become more polarized than ever, with a degree of defensiveness and anger not seen previously. The reasons for this are many, some difficult to adm...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-changing-conversation-around.html

October is the heart of autumn in many parts of North Amreica, with intensifying colors of fall foliage. Insects reflect the changing hues of plants, the better to camouflage themselves. As chlor...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2022/10/fall-bug-colors.html

Last week I learned that my first true mentor, Jim Anderson, passed away on September 22, 2022 at the age of 94. It was my intention to honor him while he was still among the living, but I did no...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2022/10/jim-anderson-my-original-mentor.html

It is “Spider Sunday” on this blog, so what better to post than a rave review of the newest spider identification resource, the Princeton Field Guide to Spiders of North America, by Sarah Ros...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2022/09/book-review-spiders-of-north-america.html

Sometimes, with luck, you stumble upon a wonderful circumstance of insect abundance. My partner, Heidi, did so this past Saturday afternoon, September 17, along a trail through Wyandotte County L...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2022/09/fungus-party-y-y.html

Crickets in the family Gryllidae are sufficiently diverse, and abundant enough, to be the target hosts for a variety of parasitoid wasps, especially those in the families Sphecidae and Crabronida...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2022/08/wasp-wednesday-another-cricket-hunter.html

Pristaulacus fasciatus femaleSometimes an unfortunate event yields something interesting later. More on that in a minute. Aulacid wasps are seldom seen, but also often overlooked due to their sup...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2022/08/wasp-wednesday-aulacids.html

I have been accused of being “political” even in some of the entomology posts in this blog, but there is nothing political about human rights. It is my opinion that there will be no abatement...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2022/08/why-i-am-reviewing-trayvon-generation.html

Yes, National Moth Week is once again upon us! This year it happens starting yesterday, July 23, and ends Sunday, July 31. NMW is an annual citizen science event that anyone can participate in. Y...

https://bugeric.blogspot.com/2022/07/its-national-moth-week-already.html