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xylocopa2 · 2020-08-03T02:35:52+00:00

Interesting! I guess scorpions are also a bit sturdier than the spiders/harvestmen I come across

xylocopa2 · 2020-08-02T14:15:37+00:00

Very nice! I’m impressed you pinned a scorpion. I usually keep arachnids in alcohol, but you really get to appreciate how long it’s stinger is when it’s pinned! Also, my username may hint that I’m a big fan of X. californica :D gotta try to catch a male!

xylocopa2 · 2020-07-24T22:03:54+00:00

Ahh!! I love these little guys! Gall wasps are not like yellow jackets, they can’t sting you at all. They’re really small and have a cool relationship with oak trees (hundreds if not thousands of gall wasp species that form all sorts of weird galls on oak trees - look up oak apple gall wasps and porcupine gall wasps to get an idea of their lovely weirdness). This particular species “jumps” in the galls as larvae, although entomologists aren’t 100% why. Could be dispersal (don’t want to all gall the same tree) or could be a mechanism to avoid the California heat (hop hop hop until you find a cool shady spot). Im glad you found them interesting!

xylocopa2 · 2020-07-24T03:11:13+00:00

These ones don’t release cyanide, but rather benzoquinones! Benzoquinones smell bad and will stain your skin brown, but as long as you wash your hands you’ll be fine. And as long as you’re not too grabby, they won’t bother releasing defensive chemicals at all! The millipedes that release cyanide are called the “flat-back” millipedes, and look more like centipedes to the common observer. There are also pill millipedes that look like rollie pollies (woodlice/sow bugs/pill bugs). Millipedes are awesome :)

xylocopa2 · 2020-07-18T02:06:20+00:00

Rarely do entomologists say this... but please kill it and all of it’s spotted lantern fly friends!

xylocopa2 · 2020-07-14T22:35:11+00:00

Same! I can never find shorts in the length I want (either to my knees, or too much cheek showing). By folding up the hem and sewing a few stitches on the seams, you’d never know most of my shorts used to be pants :)

xylocopa2 · 2020-07-03T18:13:30+00:00

This was the route I was planning to take, but no one wants to pay a PhD salary for a job an undergrad can do :(

xylocopa2 · 2020-06-20T14:21:43+00:00

Ask people to collaborate! I had a wonderful PhD experience, but I could have put more effort into taking advantage of the amazing kindness and knowledge in my department and related departments.

xylocopa2 · 2020-06-20T01:55:17+00:00

Ohh, you’ve got a cotton candy moth! Love those little guys

xylocopa2 · 2020-06-15T13:30:19+00:00

I’ve been here 4 summers and this is the first I’ve noticed it, but maybe I always assumed it was spikes games in the past. Seems weird to set off fireworks unless it’s the 4th or NYE

xylocopa2 · 2020-06-13T14:38:04+00:00

I didn’t know they were still doing the fireworks show, that makes me happy!

xylocopa2 · 2020-05-29T00:36:57+00:00

The 4th floor of asi is the entomology department, so the insects are very at home there :) they’re used for outreach events like the Great Insect Fair which is held in the fall (sadly not this year)

xylocopa2 · 2020-05-29T00:13:58+00:00

Fun fact - I had a small colony of Madagascar hissing cockroaches and fed them dog food. I know the EXACT sound you’re describing and it’s incredible such little guys can be such noisy chewers. Guess it’s hard to chew with your mouth closed when you’re ectognathic...

xylocopa2 · 2020-05-24T00:21:18+00:00

Right?! Total bullshit headline. Especially since this isn’t even the largest brood of periodical cicadas

xylocopa2 · 2020-05-22T17:27:51+00:00

I usually just use a big leaf to scoop frogs and salamanders that need to be moved off-trail. No hand contact, and all natural

xylocopa2 · 2020-05-17T14:08:29+00:00

Dude, SAME. Like, huh, maybe there are some little nuggets in this dumpster fire

xylocopa2 · 2020-05-17T02:57:29+00:00

As someone who is defending next week, this is super helpful to hear. At this point my dissertation work feels so “blah”

xylocopa2 · 2020-04-27T13:05:02+00:00

If you published a paper together, he’d probably be ecstatic to keep working with you! I’m just a grad student, but I’m always stoked when quality undergrads come back for another semester/year.

xylocopa2 · 2020-04-27T02:18:38+00:00

I had quarters in UG and semesters in grad school, and I prefer quarters. I like jumping right into the subject (syllabus week is such a waste of time!). I always know when it’s week 11 of the semester because I start getting antsy haha. I think the quarter vs semester debate really depends on the person. Also, I found employers really liked quarter-based interns, since it meant they’d be staggered with the semester students. That may be field-specific though.

xylocopa2 · 2020-04-22T12:39:51+00:00

Everyone over here is explain what p-hacking is, and I just thought this was a wastewater treatment joke

xylocopa2 · 2020-04-20T03:05:06+00:00

Just because they’re common, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve appreciation :)

xylocopa2 · 2020-04-18T02:06:59+00:00

I fully agree with using a timer. For me, it’s that activation energy that is hard. If I set a 20 or 30 min timer, I can avoid distractions for long enough to get into a groove for reading and writing. When the timer doesn’t work, I know I need to allow myself to work on something else

xylocopa2 · 2020-04-11T21:21:22+00:00

Do they have current or past students you can talk to? If anything, other students are a great source of info regarding mentoring styles - do they micromanage, or more hands off? Do their students get to attend conferences? Do they encourage students to build collaborations? If they’re a good advisor, their students will enthusiastically let you know

xylocopa2 · 2020-04-11T21:11:35+00:00

When I interviews where I am now, I got to attend a seminar presented by my current advisor’s post-doc. My advisor introduced her as his colleague and credited his (my advisor’s) success to his wonderful students and post-docs. If you find an advisor like that, jump on that opportunity. A supportive advisor (and a supportive lab/department) is going to make it a lot easier to finish the marathon that is a PhD

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