Learn the complicated history of termite control and fake anti-termite remedies that swarmed the nation in the 1930's.

I've heard of mothers that eat their own children, as well as ones that let their children eat them, but I've never come across an aunt that is also willing to be consumed by her sibling's kids. The African velvet spider is one of the few social spider species, living in large communal nests that consist of hundreds of spiders. Their main task is taking care of the baby spiders, so that their lineage can continue to live on. Mother spiders will look after their babies with the assistance of other, closely related virgin female spiders, kind of like the aunts of their kids. The difference between these aunts and the kind of aunt us humans are familiar with is that, like the mother, they are willing to let the children eat them if food is scarce, along with doing all the other child-rearing tasks. The world of insects is rife with insects that eat other insects that are supposed to have a close relationship with them, such as mates and parents. This is something that us humans find pretty alarming, but this is taking sacrifice to a whole new level. Velvet spiders are almost ant-like in their social behavior, working together for the good of the nest doing tasks like hunting together, defending the nest, as well as sharing parenting responsibilities. But these spiders go way further than any other insect or arachnid species I've heard of when it comes to what they are willing to do for their children. All the females share in the parenting duties. This includes the unmated females helping to tend the children of the other mother spiders. It's kind of like how an aunt might help take care of her nieces and nephews, except in a much more intense manner. These spiders only live for one year, and in that one year only forty percent of the females reproduce, so it makes sense that the others are expected to pitch in. This includes tending egg sacs, feeding the kids through regurgitation, and even matriphagy

Thousands Of Cars Were Recalled Because Spiders Had Infiltrated The Gas Tanks I have always dreamed of having my very own Porsche 550 Spyder. And that is "spyder" with a "Y", not an "I". You have probably heard of spiders and other insects infesting the interiors of cars. Spiders are often found within the engines of cars and trucks. In fact, we wrote a blog on this very issue a while back. But it is hard to imagine forty two thousand cars having to be recalled over some yellow sac spiders

A Tree Planted By The Queen Of England Has Been Destroyed By Termites We Americans probably think that we experience some of the worst termite-related problems in the world. Termites certainly cause the US the greatest amount of economic damage, right? It is true that termite activity in the US causes billions of dollars in economic damage each year, so of course they are a problem in America. If you have not experienced a termite infestation during your lifetime, then you surely know someone who has. Not only does the US have several different native termite populations, but the US also suffers from damage caused by invasive termites, such as Formosan termites. However, there are other countries that experience termite-related damage on a much larger scale than the US. It is debatable as to which countries experience more termite-related damages than the U.S.. Unless that country is, of course, India. In India termites ravage areas ranging from small villages to large cities. In fact, termites are so problematic in India that one town was emptied

A Divorced Man May Have Deliberately Planted Termites Around His Ex-Wife's House Some divorces are amicable, but most probably become pretty nasty. Divorce proceedings are never fun. Property and money are always divided during grueling court battles. These court battles always end with at least one party feeling as though he or she was cheated by the time all is said and done. It is certainly common for divorcees to hold grudges against their exes for a long while after divorces have been finalized. Everybody deals with their anger and personal problems in different ways, but one recently divorced man may have taken his feelings of resentment towards his former wife to creative, and cruel, extremes. According the the father of a woman who is now divorced, his daughter's home is at risk of becoming infested by termites. People notice termite infestations every day, right? So what is the big deal? Well, strangely enough, the father believes that his ex son-in-law is responsible for attempting to infest his ex-wife's home with termites. The father, who has not been named, believes his ex son-in-law planted the termites

The Americas May Be Confronted With A New Insect-Borne Disease Brazil has had enough problems with insect-borne diseases. Last year Zika ravaged their population. A record number of newborns were born with microcephaly as a result of the widespread sexually transmitable virus. It must be remembered that when Brazil is at risk for disease outbreaks, then America is also at risk for disease outbreaks. It probably goes without saying that more collaboration between the two countries is a necessity in order to prevent another Zika, or something worse. Hopefully public health experts from both countries have developed better channels of communication. It would be to everyone's benefit if scientific research concerning insect-related diseases could be more accessible to our neighbors in the south, and vice verse. Unfortunately, there is already plenty of evidence to suggest that another insect-borne disease is on its way to Brazil, and quite likely, beyond Brazil as well. The disease is called Oropouche fever

In What Region Of The World Are Termites Most Abundant? Termites are some of the oldest insects on record, and there are over one thousand different species distributed around the world. Although the United States may seem like a hotspot for termite activity, it is the tropical regions of the world that host the greatest diversity of termite life. More specifically, the tropical regions of Africa. Termites are certainly hated insect pests here in the states, but in Africa termites are tremendously important

After Much Research, Mutant Moths Are Released In New York State The idea of releasing genetically modified insects into the wild is met with some controversy. Despite this, one group of researchers feel perfectly comfortable about releasing genetically altered moths into the state of New York's environment. The researchers are hoping that the mutant moths will eventually breed a well known moth-pest out of existence

There Was A Time When Experts Could Not Prevent Termite Damage To Telegraph Poles Termite colonies are so widespread that it is surprising to find that utility poles are still made with wood. One would think that utility poles made from wood would be primary targets for wood-devouring termites. Well, they used to be, but at some point along the way, utility poles underwent chemical treatments that made them resistant to termite infestations. Early telegraph poles across the United States, and the rest of the world, were under heavy attack from termites. In fact, the termite infestations that devastated early telegraph poles were so widespread that the poles needed to be replaced regularly. Not only that, but entomologists and other experts were at a loss as how to prevent termite damage to the telegraph poles that were necessary for long-range communication. A New York Times article written in September of 1927 describes the problems concerning termite damage