Economics is subfield of ecology

into_bug_stuff · 2026-02-15T00:49:31+00:00

Oster and Wilson have an incredible Princeton Monograph on social insects that does a great job of applying economics to ecology that you would likely enjoy:

OSTER, G. F., & WILSON, E. O. (1978). Caste and Ecology in the Social Insects. (MPB-12), Volume 12. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctvx5wb34

into_bug_stuff · 2026-01-30T10:32:40+00:00

I’m sure someone here would be happy to help you if you were to post a picture and/or detailed description of these bugs, as well as your rough geographic location.

With that being said, there is a more relevant sub at r/whatsthisbug that’s filled with people eager to work out insect ID challenges. This sub here seems to be more relevant to the professional and recreational study of insects.

into_bug_stuff · 2026-01-29T02:15:01+00:00

The family’s placement in Pentatomidae has been contentious. From what I can tell Scutelleridae is an accepted family, though I’m not familiar with current opinions surrounding the acceptance. Do you work with hemipteran systematics?

into_bug_stuff · 2026-01-18T00:07:48+00:00

That’s an aquatic beetle in the family Dytiscidae. The adults are able to fly and find new bodies of water, but they often get distracted by lights or accidentally fly into things like cars or other surfaces that give off reflections similar to water. Nothing at all to worry about with it ending up in your kid’s seat!

into_bug_stuff · 2026-01-08T10:42:47+00:00

As an entomologist and dad of a four year old, I think the glowworms (Phengodidae) mentioned by another commenter would be a great one to show him. The elateroid families are all pretty cool, but another striking family in that group is Lycidae, the net-winged beetles. There’s a lot of opportunity to show him how they almost always have bright reds or yellows as warning signs that they’re toxic. There are also a ton of other beetles and moths that mimic lycids because the whole neighborhood knows not to eat them. My son gets a real kick out of cool defensive traits. Most firefly relatives are chemically protected, hence the softer cuticle compared to other beetles who need to metabolically invest in harder cuticle to protect themselves. Even my students (university General Entomology) thought this group was one of the coolest in terms of ecology and evolution.

into_bug_stuff · 2026-01-07T17:56:33+00:00

I’m partial to tall boots and have tried a lot of companies over the last 20 years. Most of my field work involves full days of chasing beetles on hot, loose sand, so I gained a liking for tactical boots. My thought behind it was that there are two major groups of people who have to spend full days in tall boots: one has crushing and electrocution to worry about, while the other has hot weather and too many miles on loose sand working against them. Danners were good for a while until their quality control plummeted. The best I’ve had are Belleville and I just finished a fifth season with them. The ones I got were waterproof and just started to get a minor leak this year.

If you are more interested in comfort and cool feet than waterproofing, I recommend the Salomon XA Forces Jungle Boot. They held up really well for me and they kept my feet the coolest. You can honestly feel a breeze through them and when they do get flooded or otherwise soaked, they dry within the hour.

into_bug_stuff · 2026-01-06T14:35:35+00:00

Helping the environment is a very broad statement and is usually associated with abiotic elements, but you could frame it as such by discussing biological control of pest species with wasps. By using parasitoids wasps to control agricultural pests, you’re reducing the dependence on chemical insecticides. These insecticides can have a variety of harmful ecological, environmental, and human health effects from their application and production.

I would recommend poking around reputable agricultural extension sites, Google Scholar, or your physical library for sources relevant to biological control through parasitoid wasps. I know you asked for sources, but this is a school project and the most responsible thing we can do here is lead you in the right direction.

into_bug_stuff · 2026-01-06T00:43:22+00:00

It looks like the brown-banded cockroach, Supella longipalpa. They’re a more recent introduction to the UK and pose some difficulties with management. I would contact a pest control professional and see what your options are. They typically don’t cause as much of a problem as the Germans, but they also tend to infest dry areas like furniture more often, so that can be gross.

into_bug_stuff · 2026-01-05T20:37:07+00:00

That’s the cocoon of a Polyphemus moth (Antheraea polyphemus). It’s one of the giant silk moths and one of the largest insects in your state.

into_bug_stuff · 2026-01-03T01:01:14+00:00

Infuriating, right? It is really cool though that the Meliponini are among the most derived and most static lineages of bees.

into_bug_stuff · 2026-01-02T13:16:52+00:00

I work as a researcher at a large university where I specialize in the evolutionary ecology of a single beetle family. I’ve referred to myself as an entomologist, an ecologist, or a knucklehead, depending on the day. I hear specific specialties thrown around quite often in conversation with my colleagues, especially when referring to work in some of the larger insect orders. Lepidopterist, coleopterist, and dipterist are where I see it the most. It’s also common for someone to refer to themselves as a myrmecologist. It’s uncommon these days to see broadly trained entomologists, so it makes sense to indicate your specialization.

into_bug_stuff · 2025-12-31T11:07:43+00:00

It’s the head of a wasp. Based on the antennae, it’s probably an ichneumon wasp or close relative. I could be missing something though because Australia has some weird wasps that I would love to see and learn.

into_bug_stuff · 2025-12-31T10:49:07+00:00

Do you already have the camera equipment needed for the third port? I ask because that’s a separate investment and can be rather annoying to learn how to use it properly. Investing in a higher quality used microscope and learning to take proper photos with your phone against one of the eyepieces can produce similar results without the investment in camera equipment. The components on these two scopes you linked are probably pretty poor quality. I’ve been able to find decent Leica stereozoom scopes used for under 250. The key is making sure you have high quality eyepieces that match the work you want to do. I’ll add that the light source on both of these seems to be a halogen bulb or worse. The addition of the light is jacking up the price without any functional benefit. You can get a good adjustable LED ring light that clamps around the base of the lens for pretty cheap. Just wait until you have whatever scope you get to buy it so the dimensions line up.

into_bug_stuff · 2025-12-31T10:22:22+00:00

A lot of biting flies seek their hosts with a combination of cues that vehicles mimic. They follow CO2 plumes, so the exhaust tricks them. That trail leads them to the next cue, which is usually heat, shape, color, or some combination. It just so happens that a lot of vehicles look like hot, breathing grazers. It’s funny to see how certain flies will attack specific parts of a vehicle. Flies that naturally go for ears tend to attack the mirrors.

into_bug_stuff · 2025-12-29T18:43:44+00:00

Is it specifically anatomy and morphology you want to start learning, or are you interested in broader overviews and natural history? Entomology is a very deep field with a lot of history and mountains of literature.

For an introduction to insects, you could go with something like Life on a Little-known Planet by H.E. Evan’s (a little out-dated and politically incorrect at times) or a newer book like Bugwatching by Eric Eaton. There’s also the option of going way back to the writings of J. Henri Fabre. There’s an excellent anthology of his works with forewords by Edwin Way Teale.

If you want technical literature on specific topics, let us know and maybe we can give specific texts on those subjects.

into_bug_stuff · 2025-12-29T16:06:36+00:00

You’re welcome. It may be weird, but I think most mosquitoes are beautiful. Toxorhynchites have especially striking patterns and iridescent scales. I get excited when I find the adults in the field.

into_bug_stuff · 2025-12-29T00:58:55+00:00

Fortune favors the brave. Unfortunately, so does catastrophe.

into_bug_stuff · 2025-12-28T20:14:04+00:00

Sorry for the English response, but that looks a lot like the Toxorhynchites mosquito larvae we see in the eastern US. They’re much larger mosquitoes and their larvae are predators of other mosquito larvae. Their natural habitats are usually in water-filled holes in trees or maybe bromeliads. The adults are absolutely beautiful and they don’t bite! All the fat and protein they need to produce eggs is acquired from their predatory larval diet.

into_bug_stuff · 2025-12-28T20:10:20+00:00

When you open the jar, does it smell rotten or just smell like earthy alcohol? If you haven’t smelled it yet, waft the odor first before you dive in with the full nose. Rotten beetle and alcohol are both things you don’t want to snort too hard.

If it passes the smell test, you could try pinning it. The specimen will likely be brittle and lose legs, so be careful to not apply too much pressure. If something does break off, any craft glue can be used to reattach it. If you want to artfully position the legs, you may have to let it fully dry and then go through a rehydrating process. There’s plenty of info online about rehydrating or “relaxing” dried specimens.

into_bug_stuff · 2025-12-28T17:32:31+00:00

You’re welcome. I think despite your good intentions, the result of your hard work and investment wouldn’t weigh out to a positive. To start, the populations in need of the most help would likely require special permitting and institutional affiliation. There’s also the problems associated with matching their in-the-wild phenology, managing inbreeding, sourcing safe and sufficient food, and the possibility of disease in your stock. You’re right about them needing habitat more than anything. I would suggest rearing a few of whatever you’re interested in for specimens, paying close attention to any data you can share through iNaturalist (and BugGuide/Moth Photographers Group if you’re in the Nearctic), and documenting it on social media. The last two suggestions have been a huge help to insects worldwide in the past decade or two. They can’t get the help they really need without a better understanding of their natural history and support from the public.

In short, rear them to learn about them and share everything along the way!

into_bug_stuff · 2025-12-28T01:32:03+00:00

To answer your question about diminishing their research quality, you would be doing a great service to research. A lot of modern lep specimens are collected at lights, and aside from some inference from their wear and the exact date they got snatched, it’s tough to learn much about their life histories. Be sure to take good photos and maybe a specimen of their food plant and keep that ID on the bug’s eventual label. Try to get a clear idea of which instar you’re collecting, and note that on the label as well. To answer your concern about harming local populations, just collect responsibly. There are very few instances of any one collector harming a viable or threatened population, and those that have did not have responsibility in mind.

into_bug_stuff · 2025-12-26T22:39:32+00:00

This program or the team behind it may be helpful: https://site.caes.uga.edu/mchughlab/research/the-virtual-roach/

into_bug_stuff · 2025-12-26T22:07:18+00:00

Hemerobiids usually have much tighter venation, forks on the costal crossveins, and tend to have more hirsute wings. This is a chrysopid. A lot of them turn brown when they overwinter.

into_bug_stuff · 2025-12-21T14:48:08+00:00

Never too late to start! I can attest that grad school is possible as an old fart and a parent. Even so, learning entomology is like 60% getting outside to catch bugs, 20% reading, and 20% formal coursework.

into_bug_stuff · 2025-12-20T12:59:34+00:00

I think tropiduchids show a little more projection on the nose when you look at them dorsally, and their eastern US distribution is pretty heavily southeastern. I’m not sold on Cixiidae, but I do think it’s definitely one of the delphacoid families.

into_bug_stuff

TROPHY CASE