The B.U.G. Blog

Rhinoceros beetles are beetles that fall under the subfamily Dynastinae. They are sometimes referred to as Hercules beetles, horn beetles, or unicorn beetles. They are known for their impressive size and unique physical appearance, including the large horn-like protrusions present in only in males. They are among the largest group of beetle with many species reaching […]
The life of a butterfly is hard. Sometimes it is too cold to go out and other times it is too hot. Still other times there is not enough to eat or drink around. Luckily, butterflies have evolved some tricks to survive these periods of adverse weather and food/water shortages. Butterflies have adapted to survive […]
If you are an insect, odds are some animal is trying to eat you. How do insects avoid being some other hungry animal’s dinner? Insects have developed a number of interesting mechanisms to avoid predators. One of those mechanisms is mimicry. Several species of insect have evolved to mimic the morphology or color scheme of other […]
Most people are familiar with many kinds of butterfly, The wings of butterflies are often their most distinguishing feature and come in many different shapes, colors, textures, and patterns. But, do you know how a butterfly wing works, or what it is made out of? Butterfly wings do more than just facilitate flight. Their patterns […]
The term dung beetle refers to any of a number of species of beetle falling under the family Scarabaeoidea. As the name would imply, dung beetles are known for their affinity for dung. Many species of dung beetle survive exclusively on a diet of feces. Some dung beetles will roll excrement into little spheres that are used for […]
CARPENTER BEES FACTS & NATURAL HISTORY Carpenter bees are species of bee that fall under the genus Xylocopa. There are about 500 known species of carpenter bee in the world and they exist on every continent except for Antarctica. The name “carpenter bee” comes from their behavior of burrowing into wood for nesting purposes. They […]
BLUE MORPHO NATURAL HISTORY The blue morpho butterfly (Morpho menelaus) is one of 30 species of butterfly falling under the Morphinae family. As the name would imply, blue morphos are known worldwide for their dazzlingly iridescent wings. The shine of their wings is so bright and vivacious that its blue sheen can be seen by […]
In 2015 Kevin became a beekeeper. He took five weeks of classes, built the foundation for his hives, and when the big day came he went to Beekind to pick up the 10,000 bees he had ordered. Our boys observed the bees sitting on our kitchen table buzzing intensely for the day while Kevin made […]
Watching a child in the garden is a quick way to flashback to your own childhood. Ladybugs, rolly pollies, stink bugs, inchworms, ants and spiders always caught my attention as a kid and now they have captured the attention of my own young ones. Years before I had children I was hiking in Muir […]
We listed a new style of Framed Luna moth, now with a black background. Only available in our ETSY shop. The Luna moth with white background available in our store. Adult Luna Moths only live for about 1 week because they have no mouthparts to feed. Therefore, as an adult, their main purpose is to mate.
One of my favorite experiences while pursuing my graduate degree happened 15 years ago while attending the Ant Course, which is a collaboration between the California Academy of Sciences and Harvard University that provides unique training to entomologists at the Southwestern Research Station in Portal, Arizona. I loved this course on many levels, but meeting […]
The Assassin Bug is named not only for its indiscriminate feeding practices, but also for the dangerous mix of diseases it carries. These bugs will feast on any warm blood they can find, drinking up to nine times their weight in blood and they have a tendency to feed around its victim’s mouth earning it […]
In mid-August, 2001, I was on a chartered boat off the coast of Turkey. On day one, as the sun began to set, I heard an intense buzzing sound that filled the entire inlet we had settled in for the night. I asked the locals what the sound was and they said they couldn’t hear […]
Our houses act as unique ecosystems; the average home contains around 100 different species of arthropods. A team of researchers from the California Academy of Sciences, North Carolina State University, and the Natural History Museum of Denmark compiled a survey that aimed to study trends of insects living in our homes. They counted the number […]
We see butterflies all around us and they strike a sense of beauty and wonder every time. How can this beauty be tied to space exploration? Cassini, the NASA spacecraft that has captured vivid images of Saturn and changed our understanding of space, has also given us a new sense of beauty beyond anything we […]