#bug vlog

[bugapalooza]

I've done it! No more videos! I'll try to squeeze in a few more comics, though!

Families covered:

SIPHINOPTERA

Pulicidae

THYSANURA

Lepismatidae

TRICOPTERA

Hydropsychidae

Uenoidae

Philopotamidae

CADDISFLY JEWELERY

MORE CADDISFLY JEWELERY

[bugapalooza]

LEPIDOPTERA

Families covered:

Nymphalidae

Pieridae

Papilionidae

Noctuidae

Sphingidae

Saturniidae

Tortricidae (only mentioned)

Music is from the reading rainbow opening

[bugapalooza]

I spent over an hour making the opening for this video.

DIPTERA

Families Covered:

Asilidae

Chironomidae

Culicidae

Empididae

Pionilidae

Stratiomyidae

Tephritidae

Tipulidae

Sarcophagidae

Sciaridae

Calliforidae

Syrphidae

Special shout out to my roommate who gave her two sense on Diptera in the background.

Music is a disney version of Shoo Fly Don't Bother Me

[bugapalooza]

HYMENOPTERA

Families covered:

Apidae

Formicidae

Ichneumonidae

Mutillidae

Vespidae (only mentioned)

Tenthredinidae (only mentioned)

Something important I forgot to mention! There are two suborders in hymenoptera! Here, have a wikipedia copy-paste description of them below!

Symphyta

The suborder Symphyta includes the sawflies, horntails, and parasitic wood wasps. The group may be paraphyletic, as it has been suggested that the family Orussidae may be the group from which the Apocrita arose. They have an unconstricted junction between the thorax and abdomen. The larvae are herbivorous free-living eruciforms, with three pairs of true legs, prolegs (on every segment, unlike Lepidoptera) and ocelli. The prolegs do not have crochet hooks at the ends unlike the larvae of the Lepidoptera.

Apocrita

The wasps, bees, and ants together make up the suborder Apocrita, characterized by a constriction between the first and second abdominal segments called a wasp-waist (petiole), also involving the fusion of the first abdominal segment to the thorax. Also, the larvae of all Apocrita do not have legs, prolegs, or ocelli.

[bugapalooza]

Families covered:

EPHEMEROPTERA

Ephemeridae

ODONATA

Coenagrionidae

Labellulidae

NEUROPTERA

Chrysopidae

Hemerobiidae (mentioned)

Ascalaphidae (mentioned)

Myrmeleontidae (mentioned)

Mantispidae (mentioned)

I'm too lazy to type of facts, so have some cool videos!

Dragonfly Larvae Hunting

Antlion Hunting

Lacewings

An Owlfly doing its silly butt thing

Wasp mimic mantispid

[bugapalooza]

Families mentioned in this video:

BLATTODEA

Blaberidae

Blattidae

Blattellidae

ISOPTERA 

Rhinotermitidae (not actually mentioned but this is the only family I have)

MANTODEA

Mantidae (the only order in north america)

Fun facts!

Did you know that termites have symbiotic relationships with nematodes in their guts? These nematodes help them break down cellulose found in wood, but termites aren't born with these nematodes. To get them, they preform anal trophallaxis, or "anus to mouth" feeding. Yes, they eat the droppings of their brethren to get these important protozoans into their systems.

Did you know there is one family of mantid in north america, but eight families world wide? Mantids can fly, and they can also hear. Their biggest threat is bats, and they listen for their echolocation to find the bats before the bats find them.

Did you know that if a female cockroach is mortally wounded, she will immedeately start laying eggs as a last stitch effort to save her progeny. It doesn't matter how well the eggs are developed, she will just lay them. I know this first hand from decapitating so many in live dissection labs. 

[bugapalooza]

This is Uno. Uno is a praying mantis I found in the butterfly garden on the physics building on November 2nd, 2012. Uno only had one front arm, hence his name. I originally debated on pinning him or not for my insect collection, but couldn't at the time because my collection was being graded. Plus, insects with missing limbs are a point deduction. So I had to keep Uno alive until I got my collection back. I had to force feed him by holding a live butterfly in front of his face so he would eat. Not only his is arm injured, but so is one side of his mandibles, making it difficult for him to hunt and eat.

  I got my collection back on Tuesday, my birthday, and was planning to pin him the next day... Until I found out Uno wasn't a he. Yes, later that day, my birthday, Uno laid eggs in the container I kept her. I was flabbergasted. So in the end, I decided I wouldn't pin Uno for my insect collection. I really have no need. I already have 10 insect orders and aren't required to have any more. So now Uno was my pet. Every few days I needed to go out and catch butterflies and force feed her. She acts like a priss and climbs all over me, trying to attack my nose. I have yet to see her spread her wings, but I don't think her species (Stagmomantis carolina) does unless they are escaping predators (like the thousands of bats this campus homes). 

Uno passed away on November 17. I cannot say exactly what was her demise, but I believe it was a combination of things, being her injury, age, and temperature. An adult praying mantis lives, on average, six months. I have no idea how old Uno was, but I do know she was an adult and laid eggs. I recognized Uno getting weaker these last two days, refusing to eat. I think is because I could not keep her warm enough. During the winter months, the thermostat of my dorm is always at 85 degrees, but the thermometer will barely stay above 70. Although mantids can survive in this cool environment, it makes them less active. She wouldn't eat because she was cold, plus her injured mandibles made it difficult for her. I think she partly slowly starved to death. She at least passed away warm and safe, in a container heated my the fan of my laptop.

[bugapalooza]

The wildlife around here is SO RUDE. I'll NEVER get 20 orders thanks to them.