Arthro-Pod Ep 184: Salt Creek Tiger Beetle with Dr. Gary Brewer

In this episode of Arthropod, we explore the complex challenges of habitat restoration and species conservation through the lens of the endangered Salt Creek Tiger Beetle. Hosts are joined by special guest Dr. Gary Brewer to discuss the beetle’s unique ecological needs and the collaborative efforts to protect it—ranging from captive rearing and reintroduction projects to public outreach, community art, and the ongoing hurdles of conservation work.

Photo credit: UNL Department of Entomology

 

Guest: Dr. Gary Brewer, Professor of Insect Management, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

• https://entomology.unl.edu/person/dr-gary-brewer/
• https://www.entsoc.org/gary-brewer

 

Photo credit: UNL Department of Entomology

Photo credit: UNL Department of Entomology

Photo credit: UNL Department of Entomology

The City of Lincoln, Nebraska

Saline Wetlands. https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/City/Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Parks-Facilities/Saline-Wetlands.

Saline Wetlands Conservation Partnership.  https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/files/sharedassets/public/v/1/parks-amp-rec/saline-wetlands/conservationpartnershipbrochure.pdf.

Henry Doorly Zoo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFDW90z5R5A.

Lower Platte South Natural Resources District.

https://www.lpsnrd.org/endangered-salt-creek-tiger-beetle-release.

https://www.lpsnrd.org/sites/default/files/files/89/2021-7-9_saline_wetlands.pdf.

Nebraska Game and Parks. https://outdoornebraska.gov/learn/nebraska-wildlife/nebraska-animals/insects/salt-creek-tiger-beetle/.

Nebraska Public Media. The Salt Creek tiger beetle: Lincoln's special bug. https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/the-salt-creek-tiger-beetle-lincolns-special-bug/.

Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center.

https://topekazoo.org/conservation_sustainability/salt-creek-tiger-beetle-2/.

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Platte Basin Time Lapse Project. https://plattebasintimelapse.com/greats-of-the-plains-frank-shoemaker/.

Spomer SM, Brust ML, Backlund DC, et al. 2008. Tiger Beetles of South Dakota & Nebraska. Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/entomologyfacpub/1064.

Spomer SM, Brewer GJ, Fritz MI, et al. 2015. Determining Optimum Soil Type and Salinity for Rearing the Federally Endangered Salt Creek Tiger Beetle, Cicindela (Ellipsoptera) nevadica lincolniana Casey (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae). kent. 88(4):444–449. https://doi.org/10.2317/0022-8567-88.4.444

Spomer SM, Dunn SM, Fritz MI. 2021. A 30-year history of salt creek tiger beetle, Ellipsoptera nevadica lincolniana (Casey, 1916) (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), visual

population estimates. Coleopt. Bull. 75(3):512–515. https://doi.org/10.1649/0010-065X-75.3.512.

US Fish & Wildlife Service

https://www.fws.gov/species/salt-creek-tiger-beetle-cicindela-nevadica-lincolniana

https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/342

Xerces Society. Salt Creek Tiger Beetle. https://xerces.org/endangered-species/species-profiles/at-risk-beetles/salt-creek-tiger-beetle.

 

Arthro-Pod EP 173: Insect Farming with David Fluker

Hello bug lovers! Today's episode is a special treat as the Arthro-Pod gang is joined by David Fluker of Fluker Farms and Soldier Fly Technologies to talk about tending to crickets, soldier flies, and more. David is a second generation insect farmer and self proclaimed "ento-preneur", tune in to learn about the history of Fluker Farms, the live feeder insect industry, and what the future may hold for those who use insects as tiny livestock! We for one welcome the age of the solider fly!

Show Notes

• Fluker's main website https://flukerfarms.com/ 
• Soldier Fly Technologies website: https://www.soldierfly.com/
• If you would like to access Fluker's teaching aids we wanted to highlight them here: https://flukerfarms.com/reptile-u/knowledge-base/teaching-aids/ 
• Are you interested in joining the ranks of insect farming? Check out the North American Coalition for Insect Agriculture https://nacia.org/ 
• Check out this tour of the farm via YouTube https://flukerfarms.com/tour-of-the-farm/

A vintage "I ate a Bug Club" button

Questions? Comments? 

Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!

If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!

Arthro-Pod EP 171: Glittering, Golden, Insect Jewelry with Jennifer Gordon

 

Hello bug lovers! On today's episode of Arthro-Pod, the gang meets up with top tier guest Dr. Jennifer Gordon to learn about insects and their use in jewelry. Jennifer is an entomological consultant, her business is called Bug Lessons, but she also has a wonderful hobby of seeking out insect themed jewelry, particularly that of a Victorian vintage. Tune in and learn all about this fascinating cultural entomology topic as we learn about how pieces of insects may end up in  jewelry, what insects symbolize when crafted this way, and how you too could hunt some down on your own!

    Stick pin with Chrysomelid beetle carapace 

    Long broach of fly etched in wit cut glass 

Moth with skull necklace in bronze/brass 

    Mother-in-law sterling handmade fly, received for Christmas 

Jennifer-made lanternfly fancy Fulgorid necklace pendant 

      Jennifer-made Weta    

Jennifer-made mosquito pendant 

Jennifer-made termite, grasshopper, and ant pendant 

    Jennifer-made earwig earring 

Jennifer-made mantis earrings

    Jennifer-made made chunky ring with ant 

    Tie pin with small insect 

    Stick pin with fly 

    Bee from Sears in Kokomo Indiana 

    Cute little gold bee with Hosenthal 

    Midcentury bee jewelry

Questions? Comments? 

Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!

If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!

Arthro-Pod EP 167: What's New with Spotted Lanternfly with Dr. Julie Urban

 

Spotted lanternfly is one of the most dashing and prominent invasive species in the United States. This colorful planthopper is known for feeding on tree of heaven (another invasive species...) and grapes amongst quite a few others. Though they are likely best known for being being big and colorful and for going to bathroom all over everything. Join the Arthro-Pod gang as they sit down with Dr. Julie Urban of Penn State to talk all about what has happened with SLF since she last joined us in 2021!

Show Notes

https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly 

https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-frequently-asked-questions

https://cals.cornell.edu/new-york-state-integrated-pest-management/outreach-education/whats-bugging-you/spotted-lanternfly/spotted-lanternfly-reported-distribution-map

https://extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly-management-guide

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36 and Bluesky @NapoleonicEnto

Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!

If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!

Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

Arthro-Pod EP 165 Pheromones and Fireflies with Dr. Sarah Lower

On today's episode, Michael is flying solo when he interviews Dr. Sarah Lower of Bucknell University. Dr. Lower is an expert on the evolution of signaling in the fireflies, one of the more popular group of insects we have here on Earth. Usually when people think of this flashy group, they visualize their ability to light up. Tune in to hear Dr. Lower talk about how not all fireflies are illuminated and her work with a pheromone for Lampyridae. 

If you want to learn more about Dr. Lower's work, check out her lab website.

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36 and Bluesky @NapoleonicEnto

Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!

If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!

Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

Arthro-Pod EP 164: Mothman versus Arthro-Pod

 

Greetings from the void, bug lovers! Today's episode is a bit different in flavor... Michael and Jonathan met up this month for a dual family vacation and they are in search of the mythical Mothman! Join them as the delve into the world of cryptozoology and ask the question, why aren't there more insect cryptids? Check out the show notes to hear from John Acorn, entomology luminary, on this exact topic. Then, listen as they recount the tale of Mothman, who or what was he? Why were people in Point Pleasant, WV seeing him and what does he mean to a couple of entomologists with podcast gear? All this and more in this paranormal Arthro-Pod!

*One word of warning! At the end of our discussion on Mothman, there is a strange issue with the audio that warps our voices. This was not intentional on our part. Perhaps we had disgruntled him and he took it out on our podcast gear!*

The first indication we were in Mothman territory.

Walking to the Mothman Museum, we encountered a Man in Black.

"Welcome to the museum"

View inside the main room of the Mothman Museum.

The museum has an impressive number of newspaper clippings about the Mothman sightings. I'm honestly surprised about how much coverage it got at the time.

Paraphernalia from the Mothman Prophesies movie.

Your intrepid hosts.

Sticker graffiti we saw outside of the Mothman Museum. Goatman is a fair distance away from his home range in Prince George County, Maryland.

This mayfly we saw on a window outside of the Mothman Museum was the only insect involved in this episode.

Show notes

John Acorn on entomology and cryptozoology

The fandom wiki focused on "cryptids"

Darwin's hawkmoth

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36 and Bluesky @NapoleonicEnto

Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!

If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!

Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

Arthro-Pod EP 163: A Dip into Strepsiptera

 

Today's episode is a twisted one! After meeting one of our listeners a while back, there was a request for a deep dive into the world of strepsiptera, aka the twisted wing parasites. This order of insects may not be a big one, but they do hold a lot of surprises. Mike leads Jody and Jonathan through a tour of their biology, taxonomy, and why they are so useful for students who are in an insect collection course. Tune in!

Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36 and Bluesky @NapoleonicEnto

Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!

If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!

Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

Arthro-Pod EP 162: The Insect Head

Hello bug lovers! On today's episode of Arthro-Pod, the gang will be taking you on a journey through the first section of an insect's body, the head. This magnificent center for information gathering and processing has many wonderful adaptations of internal and external anatomy that it's truly a marvel to dissect and consider. Tune in to hear all about how the insect head came to be, what important processes occur in the head, and how fun it is to have your esophagus run through the middle of your brain!

 

Show notes

• Joro spider: https://jorowatch.org/  
• Link to 1975 Head Problem Paper 
• Antennae 
• Compound eyes 
• How bees see flowers: https://photographyoftheinvisibleworld.blogspot.com/2007/10/simulated-bee-vision-ii.html 
• Treehopper heads: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/treehoppers-bizarre-wondrous-helmets-use-wing-genes-grow-180973713/  

 Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36 and Bluesky @NapoleonicEnto

Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!

If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!

Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!  

Arthro-Pod EP 161: Insect Decline with Dr. Eliza Grames

 

Hello bug lovers and welcome back to Arthro-Pod! On today's show, the gang sits down with Dr. Eliza Grames of Binghamton University to talk about insects in decline. Terms like "insect apocalypse" are used in the media often and people have been asking Extension professionals about the gradual disappearance of things like fireflies and monarchs, Eliza helps to unpack what we know is happening with bug populations across the world. Plus, learn how scientists dissect huge stacks of data to better understand these declines and what fewer bugs might mean for things like birds. Tune in for all of it!

Show notes

https://elizagrames.github.io/

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2023989118

 Questions? Comments? 

Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow

Follow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36 and Bluesky @NapoleonicEnto

Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!

If you can spare a moment, we appreciate when you subscribe to the show on those apps or when you take time to leave a review!

Subscribe to our feed on Feedburner!