bugs

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Smuggling of Rare Butterflies Doesn't End Well for NY Man

Long Island man who labeled rare insects as 'wall decorations' pleads guilty

(Newser) - A Long Island man has pleaded guilty to illegally trafficking bird-wing butterflies and other rare insects, according to a plea deal filed in Brooklyn federal court. Charles Limmer, 75, of Commack, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to smuggle wildlife into the country and agreed to pay a $30,...

Scientists Have New Climate-Change Warning: Locusts

Researchers say climate change will prompt more outbreaks of crop-destroying insects

(Newser) - Extreme wind and rain may lead to bigger and worse desert locust outbreaks, with climate change likely to intensify the weather patterns and cause higher outbreak risks, a new study has found. The desert locust—a short-horned species found in some dry areas of northern and eastern Africa, the Middle...

Unsurprisingly, 'Hitler' Bug Is Causing a 'Ferocious Debate'
This Bug's Scientific Name
Is Causing a Big Uproar
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

This Bug's Scientific Name Is Causing a Big Uproar

'Anophthalmus hitleri,' aka the 'eyeless Hitler' beetle, is now the subject of 'ferocious debate'

(Newser) - Slovenia: home to former first lady Melania Trump, "breathtaking" landscapes , and one of the most controversial insects on the planet. Not that the Anophthalmus hitleri ground beetle is inherently a troublemaker—but, as you may have surmised from its longer scientific moniker, its designation as the "eyeless Hitler"...

Ahead of Paris Olympics, a Pesky Issue: 'No One Is Safe'

Bedbugs are overrunning France, with the Games less than 10 months away

(Newser) - The Summer Olympics kick off in Paris in a little under 10 months, but France is now contending with a pesky issue it hopes it can contain before then. NPR reports on a nationwide "resurgence of bloodsucking bedbugs," six-legged insects about the size of an apple seed that...

A Section of Nevada Is Basically Just Gross Right Now

Thanks to the invasion of foul-smelling Mormon crickets

(Newser) - Elko, Nevada, is home to about 20,000 people—and, currently, millions of Mormon crickets. It's a migratory population so overwhelming that Department of Transportation crews have been using plows to clear the roads of the insects' squashed bodies. A DOT tweet last week had photos of the guts-slicked...

They'll Soon Be Back, and It's Our Job to 'Eliminate' Them
They'll Soon Be Back, and It's
Our Job to 'Eliminate' Them
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

They'll Soon Be Back, and It's Our Job to 'Eliminate' Them

Spotted lanternflies are due to start hatching soon; experts say we need to 'smash' invasive species

(Newser) - Since 2014, when they apparently made their way from China to the US in a shipping crate, spotted lanternflies have been the bane of farmers, agricultural officials, and plant lovers throughout the Northeast. Now, it's almost time for the eggs of the invasive species to hatch, and experts are...

'Super-Rare' Bug Found at Walmart Stuns Experts
'Super-Rare' Bug Found
at Walmart Stuns Experts
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

'Super-Rare' Bug Found at Walmart Stuns Experts

It's the first giant lacewing recorded in eastern North America in half a century

(Newser) - Michael Skvarla, director of Penn State's Insect Identification Laboratory, was examining an insect in front of students over Zoom in the fall of 2020 when he froze. He'd just been explaining that this insect from his personal collection—plucked from the side of an Arkansas Walmart during a...

Border Officials Spot This Bug for the First Time

Insect 'corimelaena palmeri' was in a shipment of flowers from Mexico

(Newser) - US border officials intercepted an unwanted visitor at the border—a bug never before seen in this country. Customs inspectors spotted the insect corimelaena palmeri in a shipment of cut flowers from Mexico, reports CNN . A news release from US Customs and Border Protection says inspectors at the Otay Mesa...

These Wasps Love Planes, Could Bring Them Down

Airports employing insecticide, Pitot tube covers to deter keyhole wasp nests

(Newser) - There are numerous examples of birds colliding with planes in incidents that prove deadly for human passengers, hence why airports use various methods to deter fowl. Now, several airports are working to deter a smaller, airborne pest that also proves a deadly threat: wasps. As the Wall Street Journal reports,...

Spiders to Intentionally Run Wild at Museum

Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum is letting its creepy-crawlies have free reign over venue during exhibit

(Newser) - At one of Europe's most famous museums, life is definitely imitating art until early next year. "The museum is teeming with animals this season!" promises Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum in its promotion for "Clara and Crawly Creatures," its new exhibit focusing on insects and other creeping...

Only Humans Were Known to Do This—Until Now
Only Humans Were Known
to Do This—Until Now
NEW STUDY

Only Humans Were Known to Do This—Until Now

Chimpanzees appear to self-medicate with insects: study

(Newser) - Officials with the Ozouga Chimpanzee Project at Loango National Park in Gabon first spotted a female chimp taking a tiny winged insect from her mouth and placing it in a wound on her son's foot in November 2019. She then removed the bug and repeated the process two more...

He Thought He Had Water In His Ear. It Was a Roach
Man's 3-Day Ear Clog
Has a Most Unpleasant Source
in case you missed it

Man's 3-Day Ear Clog Has a Most Unpleasant Source

New Zealand's Zane Wedding had a cockroach in his ear

(Newser) - A New Zealand man who thought his ear was clogged with water for three days found out the actual, more unpleasant truth after visiting a specialist on Monday: A cockroach had burrowed its way into his ear canal. CNN reports that Zane Wedding had started feeling like his ear was...

Relentless 'Murder Hornets' Keep Building Nests

Wildlife officials in Washington state have destroyed 2 this year, and found a third one

(Newser) - Murder hornets—more formally known as Asian giant hornets —seem bent on putting down roots in North America. Wildlife officials in Washington state already have destroyed two nests this year and say they'll soon wipe out a newly discovered third one, reports the Guardian . The invasive species first...

Too Many Cicadas to Eat? Here's Another Use

Dead nitrogen-rich cicadas can be used as fertilizer

(Newser) - We're about a month into the emergence of Brood X or Great Eastern Brood cicadas, which means the nuisance is nearing an end. "From past cycles, broods last about 4-6 weeks from their first emergence," University of Maryland entomology professor Daniel Gruner tells the Washington Post , which...

People's Feet Turn Black From Walking Through Beach's Dead Bugs
Beachgoers Find Out
What's Been Staining
Their Feet and Ew, No
in case you missed it

Beachgoers Find Out What's Been Staining Their Feet and Ew, No

Millions of dead bugs make up black mystery substance at Maine's Wells Beach, scientists say

(Newser) - People who've recently visited Wells Beach in Maine have often gone home to find their feet stained black—and scientists say they've figured out the gross reason. State officials say it's millions of dead bugs, washed ashore to form a black, slimy substance that resembles tar. Local...

After 17 Years, 'Brood X' Is Emerging. Grab a Fork

Cicadas are a low-fat, protein-rich sustainable food source, advocates say

(Newser) - Brood X is about to arrive . That's the name for the group of cicadas that have been nestled underground for the past 17 years, waiting to emerge this month and next month and overrun our yards and parks. Some people enjoy their summer interludes , while others fear them , but...

Billions of Cicadas to Swarm Eastern US

Have earplugs ready as 17-year cicadas 'may amass in millions'

(Newser) - Residents of 15 eastern states and the District of Columbia can experience "a rare wonder of the natural world" this spring—if they can get over the noise. Billions of cicadas are expected to emerge from the ground for the first time in 17 years in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois,...

How to Fight Back Against the 'Insect Apocalypse'
Earth Is Facing an
'Insect Apocalypse'
NEW STUDY

Earth Is Facing an 'Insect Apocalypse'

1% to 2% of insects disappear annually, but new habitats could help

(Newser) - Insects, considered vital to the food chain, are slowly disappearing, at a rate of 1% to 2% each year in some parts of the world, according to researchers, who are urging the general public to lend a helping hand. We're already seeing "death by a thousand cuts,"...

VP Debate Has Unexpected Guest, on Pence's Head

A fly hanging out in his hair provided a little levity; folks also worried about his red eye

(Newser) - Two minutes and three seconds. No, that wasn't how long it took moderator Susan Page to rein in the candidates whenever they went over their allotted time. That's how long a clearly noticeable fly remained perched in Mike Pence's closely cropped white hair, offering what People calls...

In This Nation, 'Murder Hornets' Used in Snacks, Drinks, Decor

But don't try what they do in Japan here in the US, scientists warn

(Newser) - Asian giant hornets (aka "murder hornets") may now be scaring people in the Pacific Northwest and Canada, but while they're just as aggressive and dangerous in Japan, people there don't simply fear them: They eat them. The New York Times notes that Japanese gourmands appreciate the...

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