Here are the answers to yesterday's quiz on weird bug news. These are actual news stories we gleaned off the internet - so you know they are true! Have fun reading the answers, and perhaps learning a bit more about the wonderful world of insects.
1. From Liverpool, England, we have a story about a 50-foot mechanical spider, placed on one of the biggest buildings in town by a French arts collective called La Machine. The three-story arachnid is lovingly named (d) "La Princess." We are not sure why they chose the name (we like our fake names better) or the location for this giant bug, but it makes a great photo op (see photo above).
2. From Tokyo, a Japanese monk accidentally set fire to his temple while trying to eradicate (b) hornets. The story, from msnbc.com, reports the Buddhist monk had lit rags attached to a stick and tried to apply it to the hornet nest in the temple - but dropped the torch when the hornets attacked him. So much for attempting your own pest control!
3. From Eagle Rock, California, a school teacher was recently praised by PETA for (a) appointing an insect monitor to prevent the squashing of bugs in the classroom. The teacher, Melodie Conrad, said she is not exactly an insect rights activist, but she wanted to emphasize to the children that there is already too much violence in the world.
4. From New Jersey, another man's attempt at do-it-yourself pest control ends in disaster. According to the story on reuters.com Isias Vidal Maceda was not injured but destroyed 80 percent of his apartment in Eatontown when he attempted to (a) spray for roaches. Although the article does not give details, we suspect Mr. Maceda may have used an over-the-counter bug bomb without turning off pilot lights, or perhaps used too many. Whatever the details, the bug spray reportedly ignited a blast that started a fire in the apartment and caused smoke damage in the apartment above.
5. From Pennsylvania, via an article on the Fox News website, (c) giant beetles from Taiwan were discovered in a postal package. The contents were listed as toys, gifts and jellies - but when the postal workers heard scratching noises coming from inside the box, they became suspicious. The parcel was X-rayed then opened, revealing 26 of the largest beetles imaginable - averaging 5-6 inches in diameter. For the record, it is illegal to ship live beetles into the United States without a permit from the Department of Agriculture, as they can cause a great deal of damage to fruit and vegetable crops.
6. From Brazil, ants have been observed (c) sacrificing themselves to seal the entrance to their nest. A few ants, probably the older ones in the colony, remain outside the entrance to kick sand over the hole until it becomes invisible. Being unable to reenter the nest, these ants die from exposure to the cold. It is apparently a pre-meditated task, performed each night at sunset - whether or not there is a clear danger from predators. The covering of the entrance takes about 50 minutes, as the ants heroically kick sand backwards with their hind legs.
7. According to an article in the Marin Independent Journal, a 250 million-year-old fossilized dragonfly had a wingspan of (b) 28 inches! The article goes on to note that dragonflies can be beneficial to gardeners, feeding on other more harmful garden pests. In case you were wondering, the "dragon" portion of their name comes from the fierce jaws they use to catch their prey. And as mentioned in a previous post, they are the fastest of all insects, able to reach speeds of up to 60 mph.
We hope you have enjoyed this brief detour into the wide world of bugs. More local pest items tomorrow.
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