TOPIC
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QUESTION
(date)
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ANSWER
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| HOW TO STUDY BUGS WITHOUT
KILLING THEM |
Hi I work as an Urban and
Countryside Ranger here in Sheffield, England and we
regularly do bug hunts with local schools and
play-groups. We try as much as possible to follow
environmental best practices such as returning bugs to
the place they were found, not overcrowding them and not
destroying habitats. I wondered if there were any
protocols or guidelines relating to insect surveys. I did
one at uni a couple of years ago where all the specimens
were killed in order to be studied under a microscope.
All the web sites I have visited refer to killing jars
and so on. What would be the environmental best practice
in this area. As a service we must always maintain E.B.P
and in doing so recieve credit towards proffesional
qualifications. (Tue, 12 Dec 2000) |
We don't know of any
protocols for insect surveys like the ones you are
requesting. Your practice of keeping the insects alive
and returning them to the area in which they were found
seems like a good one. We are also unsure what E.B.P.
means.... Sorry we can't be of more assistance. |
| SOIL ELATERIDAE |
I'm dealing with soil
macrofauna population dynamics in oak and beech forests.
I will highly appreciate receiving a copy of your papers
dealing with similar subject mentioned above. Institute
of Biology, MAKEDONIJA (Tue, 6 Feb 2001) |
We don't have papers
available through our website unfortunately. Nor do any
of us work on soil macrofauna. We might suggest you do a
literature search to get an idea of which researchers are
working on the particular field you are interested in.
Then you can contact them for reprints and professional
interaction. |
| TINEIDAE |
I am a young explorer from
Yugoslavia. I have been studying chemistry for several
years and I was working on the couple of projects from
chemistry,too. Now I am working (in the Istitution of
Science in Petnica) on the scientific project about
clothes moths. I have been trying to get some more
information about Tineidae but it is not quite what I
want. I was hoping if you could send me any kind of
information(text,pictures) about Tineidae. I am also
interested in the influence of the Aetheroleum Lavandulae
on the moths. (Mon, 5 Feb 2001) |
We are sorry but the only
text and pictures we have are up on our web site, which
you visited. It is possible that this site might have
some pictures of Tineodea that might be of interest to
you: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu
|
| SIMULIIDAE |
I'm from Turkey and PhD
student. I study on determining simuliids fauna of a
river system in north Anotolia. I'm new in this subject
and need any help. (Mon, 20 Nov 2000) |
Unfortunately we are not
very knowledgable in the field of your interest. We
specialize on answering questions regarding the insects
of California, and do our best regarding other regions.
AS a student of Entomology you are aware of the
incredible diversity of insects in the world, so we hope
you understand that we are not able to offer good advice
on those of your region. We will try to find someone more
knowledgeable, but we can't promise you success. good
luck in your endeavors! |
| GOOD BUG IDENTIFICATION BOOK |
My name is Theresa Norman
and I am the Collections Assistant with the Siouxland
Heritage Museums in Sioux Falls, SD. I am currenly
implementing an IPM system for the museums and am in need
of a good bug identification book. However, I don't know
much about bugs or who would be considered good
author(s)/ publisher(s)/ etc. in this field. Could you
please recommend an identification book to me? (Thu, 15
Mar 2001 ) |
The exact book that would
best fit your needs really depends on what level of
information you want. If your intertest is in IPM you
should probably look into one of the many texts that
involves the latest practices. However, it sounds like
you want IPM information for museum pest management? In
which case you are looking for a rather specific suite of
advice. I don't know of any books specifically on
household IPM, though they may exist. A good place to
start might be a local field guide, one specific to your
region. From there you may be able to learn more about
the insects that you are having problems with and how to
control them. |
| FOOD FOR PILL BUGS? |
Hi! My name is Alex Phipps.
I found a rolly polly (pill bug) in my back yard. I would
like to know what it eats as I have put it in a container
for the day. I am in kindergarten and am off-track this
month so I have a lot of time to explore in my backyard.
Please answer soon as he may be hungry! (Fri, 9 Mar 2001
) |
Pillbugs are actually not
insects. They belong to a group called isopods and are
crustaceans like crabs and shrimp. Most isopods live in
the water but pillbugs are one of the few isopods to live
on land. They seem to be pretty flexible in what they eat
and can occasionally be pests on seedling plants, etc.
While we have not kept them as pets we would guess that
things like alfalfa sprouts, small bits of vegetables,
and maybe a little bit of dry dog or cat food would
really be fine. The trick will be this: pillbugs like to
be a little moist, like it would be under a log, but if
the food is moist it gets moldy, and then the pillbug
won't be able to eat it. So we suggest that you keep the
pillbug in a container with some moisture, like a wet
cotton ball available so the creature doesn't dry out.
But then put small amounts of food in the container and
change it when the food gets moldy. Remember a little
creature like a pillbug won't need to eat very much...Try
little bits of different food and find out what you
pillbug prefers to eat, we expect it should be fairly
flexible. |
| NEED TO IDENTIFY BUG |
Hi. I live in Kansas and my
house has been invaded by bugs! They look like a Elm Leaf
Beetle but have a orange/red stripe down the body. They
are everywhere. Last fall you could see them on the
outside of the house in large masses. I sprayed with
pesticide that did not seem to help but thought that they
would go away in the winter. Only saw a few during the
winter but now that the weather is getting warmer they
are coming back inside the house. My son was asleep in a
chair and had one in his ear. My other son's girlfriend
was at the house and had one and in her hair, being the
gentleman that I have taught him to be, he smashed it in
her hair. We could be traumatized soon if we can't find a
way to get rid of this bug. (Mon, 26 Feb 2001) |
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