MOSQUITOES – The BugLady always snickers at the obligatory TV news spot in mid-spring in which someone earnestly tries to predict what kind of mosquito season is on the horizon (“Well, Pete, if we get a lot of rain, we could have a lot of mosquitoes this year…”).  Whatever the summer brings, how do mosquitoes find you, and do they find you delectable?    https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-do-mosquitoes-bite-some-people-more-than-others-your-blood-type-sweat-contents-even-alcohol-consumption-may-make-you-more-attractive-pesky-insects-10255934/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&lctg=91269370. 

(The BugLady also snickers at the weather folks who report that visibility is limited to only five miles or two miles instead of ten.  Most people don’t live where they can actually see five miles, and most of us aren’t flying an airplane.  All we need is enough visibility – maybe a quarter mile in each direction – to be able to pull through an intersection safely.  But that’s a different soapbox).

INSECT SPECIES – There are about 100,000 species of insects in the US, and almost one-fifth of those species can be found in Wisconsin!  Most live out their whole lives without producing a single blip on our collective radars, and formal insect surveys are a recent phenomenon, so it’s hard to say what the population trends are for many species.  https://news.cals.wisc.edu/2002/06/03/study-reveals-how-little-we-know-about-wisconsins-insect-diversity/

SPIDERS: – Spiders would appreciate a little peace and quiet https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/getting-annoyed-at-your-noisy-neighbor-spiders-are-too-new-research-finds-theyll-build-webs-differently-in-loud-conditions-180986296/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&lctg=91269370

LADY GAGA TREEHOPPER – Ever wonder how newly described insects get their names https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/insect-wacky-fashion-sense-named-after-lady-gaga-180974435/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200317-daily-responsive&spMailingID=42045395&spUserID=ODg4Mzc3MzY0MTUyS0&spJobID=1721617709&spReportId=MTcyMTYxNzcwOQS2?

WALKING STICK – Our Northern walking sticks max out at about 3” long (counting their antennae, maybe 5”) (and what cute nymphs they have https://www.bugguide.net/node/view/1253217/bgimage).  They’re dwarfed by this newly-discovered Australian stick insect https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/gigantic-stick-insect-discovered-in-australia-might-be-the-continents-heaviest-insect-180987108/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&lctg=91269370.

BUMBLE BEES – Turns out that extreme heat can have an unexpected impact on bumble bees https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/heat-waves-can-make-bumblebees-lose-their-sense-of-smell-study-finds-heres-why-thats-a-problem-180985119/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&spMailingID=50214690&spUserID=ODg4Mzc3MzY0MTUyS0&spJobID=2782791375&spReportId=Mjc4Mjc5MTM3NQS2.

EXTRAFLORAL NECTARIES – Some insects protect the plants they live on, and the plants reward them for it https://www.smithsonianmag.com/blogs/smithsonian-tropical-research-institute/2025/07/28/mutualism-under-pressure-new-research-in-panama-shows-a-plants-ability-to-keep-its-defender-ants-happy/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&lctg=91269370.  BOTW explored EFNs a while back https://uwm.edu/field-station/bug-of-the-week/ants-in-my-plants-rerun/   

INVASIVE SPECIES ALERT – be on the lookout for a new alien species, the Elm zigzag sawfly – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-invasive-wasp-is-wreaking-havoc-on-elms-in-north-america-and-the-damage-may-soon-spread-to-other-trees-180987991/?utm_source=smithsoniandaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&lctg=91269370.  Here’s some info from the Wisconsin DNR https://forestrynews.blogs.govdelivery.com/2024/08/15/new-invasive-pest-discovered-in-wisconsin/.

The BugLady saw a fly sitting on the outside of her cottage the other morning. 

The BugLadye routes between those places.  A male will be more faithful to a territory where he has mated and less interested in a territory where he’s been beaten by a rival.

Kate Redmond, The BugLady

Bug of the Week archives:
http://uwm.edu/field-station/category/bug-of-the-week/