Flight of the Ants

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This ‘one minute bugs’ post is a video about a nuptial flight of ants. Ants perform these ‘nuptial’ or ‘reproductive’ flights so that new colonies can be started. Winged males and females fly up into the air where they meet, mate, and then the females look for suitable nesting sites. The females then become queens of their new colony.

I filmed this material last week, and there have been other ant flights since then. There was even one today. But I reckon that’s got to be the last one for the season because tomorrow a severe cold front hits the area. Just in time, ants!

I hope you enjoy the video – as usual it’s short and sweet! Let me know what you think. Please hit the subscribe button in the widget if you would like to receive email alerts about new posts.

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Night of the Moths

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Nerd alert! In my latest video I get rather excited about the arrival of the ‘rain moths’ (Trictena atripalpis). The first rains of autumn usually brings them out and this year it was spectacular!

These moths are quite harmless, but may vary in size from relatively modest to rather huge (depending on how much food they consumed while larvae). Just listen to the sound a large one makes as it crashes into my microphone!

I hope you enjoy the video – as usual it’s short and sweet! Let me know what you think.

If you want to learn more about these moths, you can read one of my earlier posts by clicking here.

Please hit the subscribe button in the widget if you would like to receive email alerts about new posts.

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“Garden Pests, Diseases & Good Bugs”
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What have insects ever done for us?

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I know my title is a lazy reference to a scene from the Monty Python movie The Life of Brian, but I think it is appropriate given all the recent talk about the decline of insects around the world. Does it matter if all the insects disappear?

Many (most?) people only notice insects when those insects are affecting them directly and in a negative way, e.g. stinging them, biting them, annoying them with buzzing, or chewing on one of their beloved plants (like the Grapevine moth Phalaenoides glycinae larva below).

Phalaenoides glycinae

Continue reading What have insects ever done for us?→