Sometime during the 1950s a rumor started to circulate about praying mantises. The rumor said that killing a praying mantis was illegal, and a violation of this law would result in a steep fine. Basically, many people used to believe, and some still do today, that praying mantises are protected under the law. Of course, this is just a myth since there has never been a law

Are Insects Larger In The Tropics? If you had to guess where the world's largest insects thrive, then you would probably find yourself imagining exotic locations with very little human activity, such as tropical jungles. Perhaps some would guess that Australia is home to the largest insects, while others would insist that South America contains the world's largest bugs. However, both would be right, as any region near the globe's midsection would definitely contain super-huge bugs. The experts agree that the largest bugs can be found

Termite Populations Are Expanding, But Why? We hear a lot about termites, and they are certainly common in the United States, but where? When it comes to ticks, for example, most of the American public knows that ticks are commonly found in the northeast portion of the US, as well as a few other regions. However, most Americans have no clue as to where termite populations thrive. Perhaps this is because termites do not cause disease like ticks can, so knowing where to find dangerous ticks is a matter of public health. But despite the fact that termites don't spread disease, termites can still cause tragic, and life changing problems. Therefore, knowing if you live in a region where termite populations are high can only be a benefit. In the United States, the most common

Down in the abandoned mine shafts in Mexico researchers recently discovered a new species of wandering spider called the Sierra Cacachilas wandering spider

Plastic Objects Floating In The Ocean Is Of Benefit To Insects We have all heard sad stories about marine animals dying as a result of coming into contact with plastic objects in the ocean. Plastic objects can be dangerous to marine life for many reasons. The most common problem involves fish and birds becoming trapped in plastic materials. If one particular region of the ocean becomes concentrated with enough plastic material, the consequences could be detrimental to nearby ecosystems. For example, large amounts of plastic debris have been gathering in the north Pacific Ocean for several decades now, and many environmentalists are concerned for that area's animal life. In addition to all that, seeing large amounts of plastic floating in the ocean is a real eyesore. However, some animals may benefit from these floating pieces of plastic. Insects have been known to use the ocean's floating plastic debris as vessels for their egg sacs

You would think that only the most advanced mammals would be able to recognize faces. Studies have shown that both macaques and sheep are capable of recognizing other members of their animal family based on particular facial features. As you can imagine, the ability to recognize faces is extremely rare in the insect world. In fact, only a few different species of paper wasps are able to detect the faces of others. For a long while scientists could not explain how certain wasps could discern different faces. However, a group of researchers has recently gained a better understanding about the physiological mechanisms that allow wasps to recognize faces

People Fear Bed Bugs Despite Not Knowing What They Look Like

The Heat Is Bringing Out Large Amounts Of Brown Recluse Spiders In The South Brown recluse spiders are traveling the countryside again. If you are a resident of a southern state, then you may have noticed the influx of brown recluse spiders. Dozens of spider bite incidents have been reported in the southern region of the United States. The warm weather is driving the brown recluse spiders north

Zika Could Become A Threat If Research Is No Longer Funded So far this year we folks in America have not heard much about the Zika virus, and Brazil seems to be having a much better summer this year, so maybe Zika has passed us by. Well, according to the experts, this is probably not true, but the experts cannot say anything more than that. Many researchers do not feel comfortable dismissing concern over a disease that they know so little about. Also, the budget cuts being approved in congress will extend to Zika research. So it looks like scientists believe Zika will return, but politicians are sure that Zika has passed us by. In any case, Zika research will be a little slower-going this year