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bullet ant
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Bullet Ant: World’s Most Painful Insect

The Bullet Ant (Paraponera clavata) is a species of ant native to parts of Central and South America. Bullet ants, also known as giant hunting ants and conga ants, are known for their aggressive defensive behavior and extremely painful sting. Bullet ants are commonly found in wet rainforests in Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, […]

insect taxonomy

Introduction to Insect Taxonomic Classification

Here is a question: is a butterfly a bug? Contrary to what you might think, no, butterflies are technically not bugs. Butterflies are insects, but they lack the features necessary to be considered “true” bugs. When it comes to biology, classifications like “insect” or “bug” take on a very specific meaning that often comes apart […]

Acherontia-lachesis-Female-1
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Death Head Moth Natural History

The Death Head Moth, also known as the Death’s-head hawkmoth, refers to any one of three moth species in the genus Acherontia (A. atropos, A. styx, and A. Lachesis).  Atropos species is most commonly found in Europe and Africa while the other two species are mostly found in Asia. Death head moths are most recognized […]

eastern tiger swallowtail
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Swallowtail Butterfly Natural History

The swallowtail butterfly is a name for a number of species of butterfly that fall under the family Papilionidae. There are over 550 different species of swallowtail and they exist on every continent except for Antarctica. These beautiful, colorful, and surprisingly durable insects have been observed living in even the coldest northern reaches of Siberia […]

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Rhinoceros Beetles

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 […]

hoverfly-bugunderglass
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Insect Camouflage

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 […]

scarab beetle with dung
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Scarab Beetle Anatomy

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 […]

xylocopa carpenter bee
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Carpenter Bee Natural History

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 butterlfy

The Life of Blue Morpho Butterflies

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 […]

bee keeping
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Our Beekeeping Experience

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 […]

framed luna moth
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NEW Framed Luna Moth Black Background

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.

ant escape
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The Great Ant Escape and Naked Mole Rats

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 […]

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