The Swarm Thing

Keeping arthropods | Cockroaches | Arthropod biology & behaviour

[theswarmthing]

Fun with isopods #isopod #dissection #microscope #identification #taxonomy #ISTIB

[theswarmthing]

Find the katydids #katydid #leafkatydid #insect #budapestzoo

[theswarmthing]

Armadillidium sp. #isopod #woodlice #ISTIB #science

[theswarmthing]

Giant Roaches Can Grow Big Testicles When They Need Them

Madagascar hissing cockroaches can become lovers or fighters, but not both.

[theswarmthing]

Pump It Up

Butterfly mouthparts are long tubes that can be inserted into the narrow channels formed by flowers to reach a nectar reward. Flying or walking while dragging an extended tube would be awkward. Pac…

[theswarmthing]

This Cockroach May Pollinate Flowers—Extremely Rare Find

In the scrublands of central Chile, wild roaches are feeding on pollen and may even be helping plants to propagate.

[theswarmthing]

'Princess pheromone' tells ants which larvae are destined to be queens

For Indian jumping ants (Harpegnathos saltator), becoming royalty is all about timing.

[usgsbiml]

Up close view of the head of a Chironomid Midge.  This is a 10x shot stacked shot taken with a microscope objective attached to an old 200mm lens.  What fun to see the magnificent antennae of something that is around us every day.  Upper Marlboro, Maryland.  

[alithographica]

Science Fact Friday: These really weird not-worm worms.

I just learned about these little critters this week and HAD to do a Science Fact Friday on them.

Additional fact I couldn’t fit in: Some species of velvet worms lay eggs. Other species birth live young, either by storing eggs inside their bodies that hatch shortly before birth (ovoviviparity) or via actual in-uterus placental development (viviparity).

Evolution pls stop you’re being ridiculous

[arthro]

European Earwig Tends to her Eggs… Now with 200% more vigor! Binomial name: Forficula auricularia

Last Time on “Real Housewives of the Underground”, Aria (shown here) was on the brink of freezing in the harsh winter for the sake of her children. You’ve probably noticed that in the event of this warmer weather she has perked up considerably and is (rightfully) freaking out about the sudden influx of light caused by my lifting the flowerpot she resided under.

[beekeepingbuzz]

Here's What Our Dinner Plates Could Look Like Without Bees

Spoiler alert: it's pretty dire.

[thewannabeee]

Spread the news: we need bees!

[theswarmthing]

Camponotus vicinus | TAN Shorts 01

Camponotus vicinus, or the Red Western Carpenter Ant, is endemic to the western United States, southwestern Canada, and northern Mexico. They nest in decayin...

“Camponotus vicinus, or the Red Western Carpenter Ant, is endemic to the western United States, southwestern Canada, and northern Mexico. They nest in decaying wood or in soil and are present in a wide range of habitats - from pine forests to scrubland.”

[usgsbiml]

Sphecodes davisii - Collected in the Adirondack Mountains as part of an expedition to the region in 2014.   

Facts:  No Sphecodes gathers pollen.  All Sphecodes are nest parasites…laying their eggs in the nests of other species.  Most are nest parasites of species in their family of Halictidae…but sometimes they dabble in other species groups.   

This is a big one, flaunting the characteristic red abdomen.  Picture by the soon to be Doctor….Sue Boo.

All original pictures completely public domain and available at our Flickr site:https://www.flickr.com/photos/usgsbiml/

Photography Information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-_yvIsucOY

Follow us on Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/usgsbiml/

sam droege, public bee servant

[theswarmthing]

One of my new cockroaches - Eurycotis opaca

[cool-critters]

Cyclochila australasiae

Cyclochila australasiae, commonly known as the green grocer, is a species of cicada and one of Australia’s most familiar insects. It is distributed through coastal regions of southeastern Australia. It is one of the loudest insects in the world. It measures about 4 cm.

photo credits: Trudyro at en.wikipedia, cicadamania

[theswarmthing]

Medauroidea extradentata #stickinsect #insect #pet

[theswarmthing]

“I dismantle the bugs' thorax and abdomen. They get sorted into groups and then just like with a robot, I attach one part to another until I have the finished piece,” Géza Szöllősi explains.

Alternative use of dead insects - sculptures!