Category: Insects

  When we think of spiders, what do we usually think of? Webs! A sticky, dusty mess of webs always getting into corners. We don’t usually think of spider thread’s utility in the manufacture of clothing or band aids. But when we look into it, spider silks are an incredibly useful material that has extraordinary potential.  Why is spider silk such a useful material? Spider silk is unique. Spiders actually produce seven different types of silks; the silk of most interest to scientists is called dragline silk. This is the silk used to create the framework of a spider’s web. Its strength lies in the hundreds of protein fibers stacked and linked together like building blocks. This structure gives dragline silk a toughness and elasticity that is one of a kind—stronger than Kevlar, more flexible than nylon, and with a thinner diameter than a strand of human hair.  Potential utilization of…

“Don’t let the bed bugs bite!” How many times have we heard this phrase? Probably too many. But have you ever heard of bat bugs? In this article we will learn a little bit about the bat bug, the lesser-known cousin of the bed bug. What is a bat bug?  As a member of the Cimicidae family, bat bugs are closely related to bed bugs.  In fact, they are so similar in appearance that people with bat bugs often assume they have bed bugs without bothering to have a correct identification done. Bat bugs are blood sucking parasites that feed chiefly on bats. Because of this, it’s important to be on the lookout for bat bugs if you’ve recently had a bat problem. A bat bug problem is often discovered in the wake of a bat eviction. Although they primarily feed off of bat blood, they can also  feed off other…

The infamous year 2020 has finally drawn to a close and, for most people, it couldn’t end quickly enough. We’ll all look back on 2020 as a year of craziness. But when we do take a pleasant trip down memory lane, let’s not forget the Murder Hornets. What happened to them anyway? In the spring of 2020, the so-called “Murder Hornets” became the newest macabre fascination of the year. There seemed to be no end to the hysteria over the fearsome stinging insects: stories of hornets killing elephants just by buzzing nearby, anecdotes about their excruciatingly painful stings, and conspiracy theories over their origin—were they released in the U.S. intentionally as a new type of hideous biological weapon? But what is the truth behind the 2020 Murder Hornet scare? Though most people became aware of the giant Asian hornet (dubbed “Murder hornets” by the internet) with the Washington State Agriculture Department’s…

One of the most alarming pest control problems for any homeowner is the unexpected discovery of stinging insects building a hive inside the walls or ceiling of a home. German yellow jackets are particularly notorious for this. Their capacity for creating massive nests that can expand to fill spaces of astonishing size; if you don’t believe me, review our post on the biggest yellow jacket nests ever. In a home, yellow jackets get access to a ceiling space or wall void and begin constructing a nest. The construction of the nest is itself a destructive act; yellow jackets actually create their nests by chewing tiny fragments of drywall, mixing the material with their saliva, and then use the mixture as building material. For this reason, the presence of a yellow jacket nest can often be identified by a kind of crackling, crunching sound—almost like the sound of Rice Krispies snapping….