GGA Blog

Okay, so maybe the largest, the most terrifying, and ugliest tarantula may be a harmless little critter, but I would hate to find out. The largest spider known to man is called the goliath birdeater (GBE), and just taking one look at their menacing appearance will not give you the impression that they are safe for handling. However, despite what my own senses tell me, the GBE is, according to Harvard entomologist Piotr Naskrecki

Many homeowners have seen a wealth of boxelder bugs congregating on their property at some point. These bugs are mostly spotted during the fall as they are preparing to hibernate for the winter. These bugs often succeed at gaining entrance to peoples warm homes. Although these bugs may be annoying, do they pose a danger to your plant life or anything else? The boxelder bug gets its name from the boxelder tree. Box elder trees are commonly found in residential areas, and it looks like a typical weed. One way of keeping boxelder bugs from invading your property involves removing boxelder trees from your yard

Chagas disease has been described as the new HIV/AIDS for the Americas. But chagas disease is not new. The disease is named after the doctor who described it in 1909. So how dangerous is chagas disease for Americans? The disease is caused by "kissing bugs" or "assassin bugs", and the bugs attack humans on their lips (hence the name) during the night. While the kissing bug is chewing on your face it is also defecating, which is how the disease is spread. Chagas disease is typically not considered a major threat

Many people assume that moths pollinate plants during the night, and that moths have a taste only for nectar. However, some researchers are learning that this is not the case with all moths. For example, calyptra is a genus of "vampire moth," and, as you can guess, enjoys the taste of human blood

A company known as HiProMine (HPM) is planning on using insects to create everything from cosmetic products to fuel for space missions. The variety of different bugs that are kept at HPM feed off of waste from meat, fruit and other types of food waste that is gathered from nearby food industries. It turns out that different insects can produce

Mosquitoes are the most dangerous animals on earth as they are responsible for thousands of deaths a year. They spread terrible and deadly diseases. As a result of the danger that many types of mosquitoes pose, there has been, and are currently many scientific efforts aimed at solving the problems caused by mosquitoes. Surprisingly, an island once belonging to Marlon Brando has lead the scientific effort

The Victorian Era during the nineteenth century made plenty of room for various types of insects that Europeans at the time found absolutely fascinating

Insect wings, whether belonging to a butterfly, mosquito or a dragonfly, appear to be composed of seemingly fragile material that could tear easily. Although insect wings are rather easy to puncture, researchers from Trinity College in Dublin found that insect wings are nevertheless quite durable.

Have you ever heard of an insect known as a tarantula hawk? Maybe you recognize the strange insect name as being the state insect of New Mexico. Or, perhaps, you have spotted one of these behemoths in the dessert, which you would not forget about being as its sizable frame makes it a rather terrifying creature to encounter. This creature does not look like a tarantula or a hawk, but it does sport a quarter inch long stinger that can transmit a feeling of pain so intense that the Schmidt sting pain index ranks the TH's sting as a four, and a four indicates maximum pain that cannot be surpassed. So if you do see one of these guys in the desert doing their thing, it would probably be best not to approach it, despite its reported lack of aggressiveness. This insect's stinger is meant for more than just pain and intimidation, it is also the mother's primary tool for laying her eggs.