All posts tagged: bugs

Watch The Insects’ Christmas from 1913: A Stop Motion Film Starring a Cast of Dead Bugs

Watch The Insects’ Christmas from 1913: A Stop Motion Film Starring a Cast of Dead Bugs

Published by José

Kind Read­er, Will you do us the hon­or of accept­ing our hol­i­day invi­ta­tion? Carve five min­utes from your hol­i­day sched­ule to spend time cel­e­brat­ing The Insects’ Christ­mas, above. In addi­tion to offer­ing brief respite from the chaos of con­sumerism and mod­ern expec­ta­tions, this sim­ple stop-motion tale from 1913 is sur­pris­ing­ly effec­tive at chas­ing away hol­i­day blues. Not bad for a short with a sup­port­ing cast of dead bugs. Ani­ma­tor Ladis­las Stare­vich began his cin­e­mat­ic manip­u­la­tions of insect car­cass­es ear­ly in the 20th cen­tu­ry while serv­ing as Direc­tor of Kau­nas, Lithuania’s Muse­um of Nat­ur­al His­to­ry. He con­tin­ued the exper­i­ment after mov­ing to Moscow, where he added such titles as Insects’ Avi­a­tion Week, Amus­ing Scenes from the Life of Insects and famous­ly, The Cameraman’s Revenge, a racy tale of pas­sion and infi­deli­ty in the insect world. The Insects’ Christ­mas is far gen­tler. Think Frog­gy Went a Courtin’, or Miss Spider’s Wed­ding with an old-time Christ­mas spin. Shades too of John­ny Gruelle’s Raggedy Ann and oth­er sto­ries where­in toys wait for their human own­ers to retire, so they may spring to life—though Starevich’s sleepy doll seems to have …

Are these tiny insects the world’s most bone-idle bugs?

Are these tiny insects the world’s most bone-idle bugs?

Published by skeptic

At less than 3mm long, you may not think Dunatothrips aneurae seem like much. And – as I have shown in a new study – you’d be absolutely right. That’s because these may be the world’s laziest insects. Dunatothrips live in the remote Australian outback where they bother nobody. They almost never leave their near-invisible miniature nests, built on Acacia trees from silk they extrude from their bottom. No known predators bother with Dunatothrips and their biggest threat is drying out in the heat if their nest is damaged. Pacifist vegetarians, they feed harmlessly on the plant surface, with no discernible effect on it. No bigger than the hyphen on your page, they belong to the thrips, which you may know as thunderbugs owing to a myth that they come out during thunderstorms. Almost everyone gets their name wrong (one thrips is a thrips, not a thrip). Some species make a nuisance of themselves as tomato pests. But for the Dunatothrips I investigated, that sounds a bit much too much like effort. I spent a …

Bugs, drugs and electric venom: is this the most deadly library in the world? | Microbiology

Bugs, drugs and electric venom: is this the most deadly library in the world? | Microbiology

Published by skeptic

The devil arrived at Andrew Walker’s laboratory in a cardboard box. Its fluorescent green body, covered in a thicket of menacing spikes, was adorned at both ends with a pair of black horns. For residents of north-east Queensland, this devil – scientific name Comana monomorpha – is known as the electric caterpillar. Its sting, typically received while tending to lilly-pillies in the garden, is exceptionally painful. The venom causes a nasty welt and a considerable rash that can last for a week. It’s so bad that some victims have spent a night in an emergency department. Health professionals treating afflicted people were seeing swelling, blood-filled boils and welts – but they could find nothing to help ease the pain. According to one poster to a Townsville community group on Facebook, this “feels like the seven rings of hell”. Glenn King holds the discarded husk of a tarantula spider. Photograph: David Kelly/The Guardian But where unlucky gardeners see an enemy, Walker sees a potential ally. “Caterpillars are my favourite venomous animal at the moment,” he says. …

Stink bugs grow a fungal garden on their legs to fight parasitic wasps

Stink bugs grow a fungal garden on their legs to fight parasitic wasps

Published by skeptic

Megymenum stink bug”/> A Megymenum stink bug Young Swee Ming/Shutterstock Female stink bugs have a bizarre organ that they use to cultivate a garden of fungi, which in turn helps protect their eggs from a species of parasitic wasp. Takanori Nishino at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tsukuba, Japan, and his colleagues found this organ when studying the hind legs of Megymenum gracilicorne, a stink bug known to infest cultivated cucumbers and pumpkins. The researchers were looking at how… Source link

Want to Get Rid of Bugs? Try One of These Common Houseplants

Want to Get Rid of Bugs? Try One of These Common Houseplants

Published by skeptic

Bugs love kitchens and it’s normal to find a line of ants on the counter or a stray cockroach scurrying across the floor in search of snacks. But just because kitchen bugs are common, doesn’t mean they’re any fun to deal with. Exterminators are expensive and bug sprays are often laced with harmful chemicals that are worse for you than a few creepy crawlers. But a few common houseplants are known to repel bugs and keep ants, flies, moths and mosquitos from taking over your kitchen. Not only do the essential oils and chemical compounds of certain flowers, herbs and other houseplants deter creatures from lingering around for long, but some can quite literally kill these six- and sometimes eight-legged creatures. Plus, plants look and smell lovely, adding instant ambiance to any room you put them in. Read more: This Houseplant Cleans Air 30 Times Better Than a Typical Plant You may not have considered using houseplants to rid your kitchen of bugs but it could be the all-natural fix for sending insects packing, especially during …

These Common Houseplants Are Known to Repel Bugs

These Common Houseplants Are Known to Repel Bugs

Published by skeptic

Bugs love kitchens and it’s normal to find a line of ants on the counter or a stray cockroach scurrying across the floor in search of snacks. But just because kitchen bugs are common, doesn’t mean they’re any fun to deal with. Exterminators are expensive and bug sprays are often laced with harmful chemicals that are worse for you than a few creepy crawlers. But a few common houseplants are known to repel bugs and keep ants, flies, moths and mosquitos from taking over your kitchen. Not only do the essential oils and chemical compounds of certain flowers, herbs and other houseplants deter creatures from lingering around for long, but some can quite literally kill these six- and sometimes eight-legged creatures. Plus, plants look and smell lovely, adding instant ambiance to any room you put them in. Read more: This Houseplant Cleans Air 30 Times Better Than a Typical Plant You may not have considered using houseplants to rid your kitchen of bugs but it could be the all-natural fix for sending insects packing, especially during …

Drivers counted the number of dead bugs on their number plate | Science | News

Drivers counted the number of dead bugs on their number plate | Science | News

Published by skeptic

Drivers were asked to count the number of dead insects on their windscreens and number plates in a bid to see how the population of flying bugs has declined over the past 20 years. The citizen science survey led by Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife showed a 78 percent decline in “bug splats” on number plates across the UK since 2004. The conservationists warned the dramatic falls in flying insects were a “red flag” for the state of nature in the UK which should not be ignored. The Bugs Matter survey is based on the windscreen phenomenon anecdotal evidence from drivers who claim they are encountering fewer moths, flies, aphids, bees and flying beetles on their windscreens than in previous years. The annual survey asks members of the public to record the number of flying insects squashed on their number plate. This data is then compared with information from an RSPB analysis conducted in 2004 using the same methods. Since the original survey in 2004, records from almost 26,500 journeys across the UK have been analysed. The innovative scheme …

Cities Skylines II DLC now wrecks the main game, fix will take weeks

Cities Skylines II DLC now wrecks the main game, fix will take weeks

Published by skeptic

The first premium DLC expansion for Cities Skylines II continues to be an embarrassment for Colossal Order’s otherwise leading city building series. Already the developer and publisher Paradox Interactive decided to pull the DLC from sale and issue refunds to any who bought it. Now, it seems that a title update coping with the removal of the DLC, pending its free addition to the main game, has caused near-fatal visual glitches that wreck players’ cities. It could take up to three weeks to resolve this new issue, Colossal Order told fans. Official forums and the subreddit for Cities Skylines II are alive with complaints that existing buildings have either been replaced with gray “tombstone” place-holders, or simply wiped out altogether. “Unfortunately, due to variations in the packages purchased, some entitlements are currently inactive and causing an issue where the player cannot access the assets,” Colossal Order wrote in an update to an FAQ originally published on Thursday. “We’re looking for a temporary fix for this, but the issue may continue until the patch is released.” …

Post Office described IT bugs as ‘exceptions’ to make them sound ‘non-emotive’, inquiry told | Business News

Post Office described IT bugs as ‘exceptions’ to make them sound ‘non-emotive’, inquiry told | Business News

Published by skeptic

Senior figures at the Post Office began describing computer bugs as “exceptions” as they grappled with mounting complaints from sub-postmasters about its faulty Horizon IT system, it has emerged. The then Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells made the suggestion to colleagues after she asked her husband for advice on a “non-emotive” way of referring to computer problems, the inquiry into the Post Office scandal heard. It came amid concern within the company about bad publicity over the prosecution of sub-postmasters accused of stealing from branches. Between 1999 and 2015, more than 700 Post Office managers were prosecuted after the faulty accounting software, provided by Fujitsu, made it seem like money was missing. At the time, the company insisted its systems were robust. On Tuesday the inquiry heard evidence from the Post Office’s former lead in-house lawyer Susan Crichton, who was quizzed about a series of emails sent between senior figures. This included a message from Ms Vennells, written in July 2013, which said: “My engineer/computer literate husband sent the following reply to the question: …

Yum Bug: The London restaurant ditching beef for bugs

Yum Bug: The London restaurant ditching beef for bugs

Published by Sam

Sign up to IndyEat’s free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free Sorry, did you say worm?” I practically splutter at Leonard Tanyag, executive chef at omakase bar Juno. He’s just casually mentioned that the piece of tuna nigiri in my mouth is garnished with ground mezcal-cured agave worm. Like it’s no more interesting than regular seasoning. I thought it took a lot for an ingredient to surprise me these days – clearly, I was wrong. The poster child of fussy eating growing up – I’d pick onions out of everything and performatively retch at the sight of broccoli – now I’m eating a dehydrated, powdered version of one of my least favourite creatures. My reformed eating habits have long been a source of amusement for my parents, siblings and long-suffering friends. But still, worms are on another level of the omnivore scale. In my defence, it wasn’t in the press release; in fact, not much at all is mentioned about the bug offering at …