Hello bug lovers! Today, we're guided by Mike Skvarla into a deep dive on West Nile virus. A mosquito borne illness, West Nile is something the Arthro-Pod crew has learned a lot about over the course of their lives and careers. In fact, one of them even tested positive for it after trying to give blood... Mike was inspired by Episode 1031 of the This Week in Virology podcast, where they discussed a recent paper on the subject. The paper is “Autoantibodies neutralizing type I IFNs underlie...

  Howdy bug lovers! Last episode, we started our discussion of insect locomotion by getting up close and personal with insect legs. Today, we'll be a little more airborne as we discuss insect wings. Insects are the only invertebrates with the power of flight and there have long been questions about the origin of insect wings in the evolutionary record. Tune in to hear about the multiple theories on the origin of wings, how wings help with insect identification, and just how bugs take flight. ...

Howdy bug lovers! Over the next two episodes, the Arthro-Pod gang is going to be talking about insect locomotion, how they move through the world. In part one today, we're covering insect legs from hip to toe or rather coxa to tarsi. Tune in to learn about insect leg anatomy, the different types of legs and their function, and how legs were evolved in the insects.  Show noteshttps://cronodon.com/BioTech/Insect_locomotion.html https://academic-accelerator.com/encyclopedia/arthropod-leg...

  We continue our deep dive into alpha-gal red meat allergy today by taking a closer look at Galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, the carbohydrate at the center of this issue, and the ticks that carry it. To help us unpack such a complicated situation, we have two special guests, Dr. Paulina Maldonado-Ruiz and Dr. Yoonseong Park, both currently at Kansas State University. Join us to learn more about the origins of alpha-gal red meat allergy, the research into how ticks carry it, and what the future...

Hello bug lovers! Over the next two episodes, the Arthro-Pod gang is going to explore the science behind alpha-gal, also known as the red meat allergy. This is a hot topic in the US right now, with many news outlets talking about the possible extent to which this is spread out across the country. This tickborne issue, associated with lone star ticks in the US, results in an inability to consume red meat such as beef, pork, and venison. For those who live with alpha-gal, life is very different...

  Hello bug lovers and uh, tick haters, to today's show! Today, the gang is joined by Jesse Evans, a master's student at Penn State. Jesse studies the intersection of ticks, wildlife, and wildfires- specifically controlled burns. People who have been dealing with surging tick populations seem to frequently wonder if fire could be to ticks what it once was to Frankenstein's monster, a potential deterrent. Tune in to hear Jesse discuss wild mice populations, how fickle fire can be for research,...

Howdy bug lovers! Today's episode is all about insecticides and some of the basics of how they work and are classified. These are ubiquitous pest control tools and despite their ease of use, the science behind them can be surprisingly complicated. Tune in to learn all about active ingredients, trade names, chemical classes, and modes of action and techniques we can utilize to best apply and preserve the technology behind insecticides.  So many choices! Show Notes The Insecticide Resistance...

Welcome back bug lovers! Today, we put on our mythbusting aprons and tackle some of the various misconceptions, myths, urban legends, and internet pranks that involve insects. We're covering everything from pest control via tree fruits to the legality of mantis murder. If you have a favorite insect urban legend, sound off on Twitter and let us know it. Maybe we can do a follow up episode! Nature's bug bombs? Show notes Ultrasonic pest control...

Hey there bug lovers! Today, Jody and Jonathan meet up with friend of the show, Dr. Jen Gordon of Bug Lessons consulting to talk about one of the most reviled insects known to humanity; the mosquito. There are lots of opinions and myths floating around out there about these bloodsucking parasites, but what is the truth. Tune in to learn about mosquito biology, methods of mosquito preventions, and for some myth dispersal! Aedes aegypti courtesy of “CDC/ Amy E. Lockwood, MS Dr. Gordon, fighting...

Howdy bug lovers, join Jody Green as she interviews Kevin O'Shea. Kevin is an international educator who loves bugs, birds, and just about anything out of doors. In his role as a teacher, he has realized over time just how disconnected many young people are from nature. He uses his talents to try and change that. If you would like to know more, you'll have to tune in! Kevin and beetle pal bringing the education! Show Notes:   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justjapanstuff...

Today's episode is a little different than our usual offering. Recently, we were honored to be invited to present at Purdue's Department of Entomology as seminar speakers. One of our former guests, Dr. Krystal Hans, put together this special opportunity for us to come "home" to the department we all graduated from! It truly was a treat for us and we wanted to share the presentation we gave. You can listen to it here today, we hope you enjoy! You will learn about how the show got started, the...

Howdy bug lover's and welcome to today's episode of Arthro-Pod! Over the last couple of years, Jonathan has noticed it seems like the Colorado potato beetle pops up again and again in the history of entomology. So, for today's show, he tried to cover this handsome beetle's history from the 1800s until today. It's a crazy tale that involved colonization, war, Cold War era tactics, and even the Ukrainian-Russian War. Tune in to hear how this humble coleopteran from the Great Plains has become...

Join the Arthro-Pod gang as they meet up with Erin Bauer of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Entomology to learn about Nebraska's online master's degree and how entomology education works on the internet! UNL's online master's was the first of its kind in entomology and Erin is not only the academic advisor and lecture for this program, she's a graduate of it! Tune in to learn about the three online entomology degrees in the US, how the experience is different than an in...

Recently, Michael has been making the rounds in the news due to a discovery he made starting in 2012 back in his old stomping grounds of Arkansas. What started with insect collected straight off the side of a Wal-Mart has ended with a media blitz covering the epiphany that Mike had in front of a Zoom class in 2020 and the release of a journal article focused on a giant lacewing! Tune in and read on to find out more.   Photograph of the giant lacewing specimen, used as Figure 1 in the...

  In February's final episode, Mike is hosting solo! Tune in to join him and his graduate student, Logan Stenger, as they dive in to water mites and talk about Logan's work! Questions? Comments? Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_PodshowFollow the hosts on Twitter @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36 Get the show through Apple Podcast, Stitcher, 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...

On today's episode of Arthro-Pod, the gang meets up with a returning guest! Dr. Ainsley Seago was first featured in Arthro-Pod Episode number 8, way back in 2015, and we're so glad she agreed to come and talk to us about her life as the associate curator for the Section of Invertebrate Zoology at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, PA. Tune in to hear about this unique career path, a discussion on why beetles are the most superior insect order, and why museums are important!...

  Insects are extremely diverse. Part of that diversity is apparent in the ways that they consume their preferred food. Today, inspired by an anonymous listener question, the Arthro-Pod gang goes over the different types of insect mouths and how they help insects to begin the process of digestion. Then join them as they traverse the three "guts" of insects and end up on the other side of the anus with insect frass. It's an episode with lots of colorful descriptions and turns of phrase, that's...

 Welcome to the 2023 season of Arthro-Pod! In today's episode, we meet up with Dr. JoVonn Hill of Mississippi State and the Mississippi Entomological Museum to have our final word on Rocky Mountain locust. We've heard about their historical destruction, we've covered the biology of what happened on the plains all those years ago, and now we want to hear about the current era of research on this insect. Plus, JoVonn shares his story of how he got into entomology, how to become an orthopterist,...

  Welcome back to Arthro-Pod bug lovers! Today, we are finishing the year out with part of our book club, focused on "Locust" by Jeffrey Lockwood.  In part one, we talked about some of the historical sources and reactions to locust plagues. In part two, we'll be talking more about what locusts are, how they happen, and the mysterious demise of the rocky mountain locust. Join us, won't you? Questions? Comments?  Follow the show on Twitter @Arthro_PodshowFollow the hosts on...

 Welcome back to Arthro-Pod bug lovers! Today, we are trying something new. As we conclude 2022, we decided to have a "book club" type approach to our next two episodes. One book that has been on our mind when considering a book club was "Locust" by Jeffrey Lockwood, of the University of Wyoming. We hope you will pick up the book or check it out from your local library and join us on an entomological history journey that concludes with an extinction cold case being solved in the chilly...

Today's episode is a special treat as we invite our very own, Michael Skvarla to swap his host hat for a guest's chair. For years, Jody has wanted to pick Mike's brain about deer keds, a topic both she and Jonathan know little about. Luckily, over the past few years, Mike has become something on an expert on the topic. Tune in to learn all about these ectoparasitic, wingless, and interesting flies and how they live, thrive, and survive (plus a little about when people run into them). It's us!...

Howdy bug lovers! Today's show is inspired by a listener request to talk about the different graduate entomology programs you can find here in the United States. We didn't want to rank programs necessarily, so we decided to talk about what we think is most important to think about when you are choosing a school to call home for a master's or doctoral degree. Tune in to hear about how each of us ended up in our graduate programs, what to look for in a potential mentor, some of the pitfalls of...

  Welcome back to Arthro-Pod! Today's show features Dr. Krystal Hans of Purdue University. Dr. Hans is a forensic entomologist and she guides the gang through wriggly and wonderful world of using bugs to solve crime. Tune in to learn about how to get into forensics, how evidence is collected, and in what order the insects would colonize your body! Larval Chrysomya rufifaces, photo by Andrew Meeds Show Notes You can find Dr. Hans online in these spaces Lab website:...

  Today on Arthro-Pod, the gang meets up with Dr. Rick Vetter of UC Riverside to bring you buckets of info on the brown recluse spider. This species of arachnid seems to inspire the most fear of all our eight legged friends. Tune in to hear all about their biology, why they seem to do well living in our homes, and some facts about their venom and bite. Maybe after hearing what we have to say, you'll see these spiders in a slightly different light!The "face" of a brown recluse spider, Jody...

Howdy bug lovers! Today the Arthro-Pod gang is going back in history to discuss the spongy moth after its introduction by Trouvelot. We will start our journey at the nascent site of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1891 when specimens of the spongy moth were delivered to some entomologists working there. After that, it is off to the races with political intrigue, bureaucratic  frustrations, a variety of economic entomology pioneers, and unfortunately no eradication of this...