Insects that Flee the Sun

The Red Roman

animalworld.com.ua

The Red Roman Spider, also known as a Sun Spider or Wind Scorpion, is a strange creature, belonging to the Arachnida class. Although its name suggests it is a spider; this is actually not the case. The only likeness that they share with spiders is that they have eight legs. They also somewhat resemble scorpions. Now, if this fact doesn’t leave you intrigued, it is also worth mentioning that these creatures are not poisonous and do not have venom sacs, although they are found to be very aggressive and can inflict painful bites. Read More »

Cicada Summer: A Love Story

News outlets here in the United States have been buzzing in recent weeks in preparation of the emergence of periodical cicadas in the eastern states this spring and summer. The Brood II Magicicada will be out in force in states like New York, Virginia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. After spending most of their lives underground, feeding on the juices of plants, these black-bodied flying insects emerge every 13 or 17 years to mate, lay eggs and die.

In 2004, I witnessed a cicada emergence first hand while I spent a summer home from college in Columbus, Ohio. Large parts of the United States (including the Buckeye State) were occupied by Brood X cicadas. At the time, I was a hopeless romantic 19-year-old who had recently moved from Chicago and was begrudgingly employed at a local ice cream shop. I can still remember eating my lunch every day in the park behind shop listening to the deafening drone of those lovesick bugs performing their ritual of reproduction. Read More »

F is for Flies

A fly screen will stop insects entering your homeI know, this is far too obvious choice but flies are going to become very topical shortly. With the weather warming up, they will soon start to annoy us all…once again. We will be reaching for our fly swatters before we know it!

Mind you, the palm of my hand used to do the trick just as well when I was little…though back then, I did not know about the potential disease some flies could carry. Ahhh the innocence of youth! Read More »

E is for Earwig

Earwig

The name of this pest has always baffled me.  Everyone knows I am not a big insect fan. But even the name of this particular pest is creepy! Why ear? And wigs? Why name it earwig?

Having done a little bit of research into the origin of the name I can now explain to you the meaning ( I hope!). It appears that the common name stems from the Old English wicga (insect) and ēare (ear). And the “ear connection” comes from the old wives tale that this insect used to burrow into the human brain to lay eggs by crawling inside the ear canal! Like most old wives tales, I do hope this one is untrue. Read More »

King of the Crickets: the Menacing Parktown Prawn

en.acedemic.ru

As eminently depicted in District 9, and much to the fear of local residents, Johannesburg is home to the loathsome and most terrifying insect of them all – the Parktown Prawn.

As if the idea of a super-sized fighter cricket is not enough, I know of a grown man who, trembling under the watch of a Parktown Prawn is able to travel from a standing to a sitting-on-the-table position in under 0.2 seconds! Read More »