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Aug. 05, 2013

The People's Court: Arthropod Edition

by The Bug Chicks

This kid-produced video makes a case for the arthropods among us.

video, documentary, camp, kids, education, research, The Bug Chicks

Jul. 24, 2013

Happy National Moth Week!

by The Bug Chicks

From the Silk Road to your front porch, moths are everywhere, coming in a variety of shapes and sizes.

National Moth Week, lepidoptera, The Bug Chicks,

Jul. 10, 2013

Beyond the Stinger: Bee Body Crash Course

by The Bug Chicks

With so many recent news stories about massive honeybee die-offs, we thought we'd revisit one of our videos all about the specialized body parts of bees.

honeybee, morphology, pollination, agriculture, props, the bug chicks

Jul. 03, 2013

George Lucas Could Thank This Insect Group for Inspiration

by The Bug Chicks

A doodlebug-like creature appears in Star Wars. Who knew? Here's more about this and other insects known as neuropteroids.

Star Wars, entomology, Neuroptera, science, insects, The Bug Chicks

Jun. 26, 2013

Talking Science on Twitter

by The Bug Chicks

#Scistuchat: The hashtag that brings students and scientists together.

twitter, scistuchat, education

Jun. 17, 2013

Putting the 'Art' in Arthropod

by The Bug Chicks

High school students blend science, art, and arthropods.

art, sciart, insects, high school, project, creative, bug chicks, riverdale high, portland, oregon

Jun. 03, 2013

Worth a Thousand Words

by The Bug Chicks

Clay, scrap materials, and a camera help kids learn about insect habitats and morphology.

insects, photography, art, imagination, science

May. 28, 2013

Mantis: the Myth, the Legend

by The Bug Chicks

Get the facts about mantids.

mantis, insects, mantid, kung fu, praying mantis, bug chicks

May. 06, 2013

The Buzz on Flies

by The Bug Chicks

There's more to flies than meets the eye.

flies, Diptera, insects, mosquito, fly

May. 01, 2013

Book Review: Britain's Hoverflies

by The Bug Chicks

Recently we were sent a book on hoverflies to review. And it was epic.

Britain’s Hoverflies: An Introduction to the Hoverflies of Britain

Apr. 22, 2013

Law & Order (Insect Edition)

by The Bug Chicks

You need a permit to keep walking sticks, but most teachers didn't get the memo.

walking sticks, insects, phasmids, permits, classroom pets

Apr. 08, 2013

Cicadas Are Not Locusts!

by The Bug Chicks

Drop some knowledge about the insect order Hemiptera, just in time for a cicada revival.

hemiptera, locusts, cicadas, 17-year periodical cicadas, brood II, bug chicks

Mar. 27, 2013

Roger That, Grandma

by The Bug Chicks

During a recent trip to the east coast, we visited with Kristie's grandma, the first female air traffic controller at LaGuardia airport.

STEM, careers, women, science, history

Mar. 13, 2013

The Dish on Locusts

by The Bug Chicks

Last week, parts of the Middle East experienced something we've probably all heard of: a locust plague.

locust, plague, grasshopper, Israel, Egypt

Mar. 07, 2013

The Future of Women's History

by The Bug Chicks

We may never make history, but each week we teach young women who could, particularly in the sciences.

careers, science, women, bravery, insects, workshops, Women's History Month, St. Mary's Academy

Mar. 01, 2013

Bug Closet!

by The Bug Chicks

A stylish home for our arthropod zoo in an old Ikea cabinet!

DIY, insects, habitat, tropical, arthropod

Feb. 21, 2013

Arthropod-Inspired Haikus

by The Bug Chicks

Beat the February blues and jumpstart the creative process by writing photo-inspired haikus!

haiku, insects, science, entomology, The Bug Chicks, photography

Feb. 13, 2013

Entomology in One Word

by The Bug Chicks

We asked scientists from every discipline in entomology to describe the field in one word.

entomology, video, conference, career

Jan. 23, 2013

The Scorpion & the Bully

by The Bug Chicks

Being different isn't easy.

scorpion, bullies, kids, video

Jan. 15, 2013

Got Kids? Make a Video! (Part II)

by The Bug Chicks

Kids + misunderstood animal + video camera & homemade props = AWESOME!

bugs, insects, education, science education, vinegaroon, video, peer education, kid-created content

Jan. 09, 2013

Got Kids? Make a Video!

by The Bug Chicks

What better way to teach research, writing, and presentation skills than with a video production class?

video, millipedes, class, biology, insects, nature

Jan. 02, 2013

Pink Katydids

by The Bug Chicks

Some genetic mutations are beautiful!

pink, katydid, erythrism, mutations, insects

Dec. 19, 2012

Happy Holidays!

by The Bug Chicks

We wanted to thank all the readers of the Bug Chick's blog for a great year with a free digital coloring sheet of an armoured ground cricket!

holidays, coloring book, armoured ground cricket, gift

Dec. 05, 2012

What's a BioBlitz?

by The Bug Chicks

A 24-hour species identification challenge in an Oregon city park shows citizen scientists the diversity of urban wildlife.

BioBlitz, Forest Park, Portland, Citizen Science, video

Nov. 28, 2012

Earwigs: Beating a Bad Rap

by The Bug Chicks

Many insects are pegged with an undeserved bad reputation. Earwigs are a great example.

video, Bug Chicks, earwigs, Texas A&M, entomology, science

Nov. 14, 2012

A Meeting of (Ento)Minds

by The Bug Chicks

What happens at a scientific conference?

conference, entomolgoy, insects, The Bug Chicks, research, vendors, Knoxville

Nov. 07, 2012

A Whipspider Surprise

by The Bug Chicks

During our visit to Costa Rica in March, we came across an arachnid with unexpected companions.

Costa Rica, amblypygid, parasitiod, flies, arachnid

Oct. 31, 2012

Magical Language of 'Bug'

by The Bug Chicks

It’s always amazing to me that no matter the circumstance, no matter the place, kids want to talk bugs with us. All children, all over the world speak 'bug'.

Kenya, research, science, entomology, travel, bugs, insects, education

Oct. 17, 2012

Late Bloomers

by The Bug Chicks

The other day we caught a glimpse of an insect that's usually seen in the spring -- the mayfly! Check out this video to learn more about these short-lived insects.

autumn, mayfly, cultural entomology, aquatic, bugs, insects

Oct. 10, 2012

Silverfish: Your Quiet Roommates

by The Bug Chicks

What's that silver insect in your bathroom sink? A silverfish! Check out our video to learn about these ancient animals.

silverfish, The Bug Chicks, hexapod, video, nature, bugs, insects

Oct. 03, 2012

Tarantula ICU

by The Bug Chicks

When a tarantula is sick and weak, what do you do? Stick it in the ICU!

tarantula, care, icu, pets, spider, bug chicks,

Sep. 26, 2012

Head Lice: Itching for the Facts

'Tis the season! The kids are back in school and head lice are going to be on the forefront of parents' minds. It can be hard to find facts on these animals when internet searches provide myths, fear, and outdated remedies. But The Bug Chicks are here to teach about the insects themselves. Arm yourself with knowledge! (And a good nit comb.)

head lice, lice, phthiraptera, kids, school, itch, nits, bugs, insects

Sep. 19, 2012

Cool Characters

by The Bug Chicks

Cooler weather is on it's way, but we're not worried! We've planned some winter expeditions to find insects in the sea caves and glacial fields of Oregon.

boreidae, scorpionflies, insects, bugs, crickets

Sep. 12, 2012

Insectivus for the Rest of Us

by The Bug Chicks

For bug lovers, there are lots of cool events happening all over the country.

bugs, insects, festivals, insect festival, bug celebration, EntoBlitz, Bug Bowl

Sep. 05, 2012

Insectos en Español? Que fantástico!

by The Bug Chicks

Learn about the yucca moth and the yucca plant and why pollinators are so important. In English and Spanish!

insects, bugs, pollinators, pollination, mutualism, yucca moth, yucca moth

Aug. 29, 2012

Insects and Human Society: Webspinners

by The Bug Chicks

You’ve probably all seen silk webbing in the ridges of tree bark. It could be a spider’s web, or it could’ve been made by the elusive and shy insects called webspinners in the Order Embiidina.

bugs, insects, entomology

Aug. 22, 2012

Insect Collecting: Pan and Baited Traps

by The Bug Chicks

A few weeks ago we showed you how to make a piece of insect collecting equipment called a beat sheet. In this post, we’re going to add pan traps and baited traps to your DIY collecting tools.

bugs, insects, entomology, bug collecting, nature

Aug. 15, 2012

Tricky Mister! Indirect Sperm Transfer in Primitive Hexapods

by The Bug Chicks

In this video, we teach about indirect sperm transfer behaviors of these arthropods, in a slightly different way than other entomologists. Our way involves costumes. And mustaches. Enjoy!

bugs, insects, silverfish, mating, animal behavior, sexual reproduction

Aug. 08, 2012

the tANTalizing touch

by The Bug Chicks

This podcast explores the tactile communication of ants and how they use touch to interact with their environment.

bugs, insects, nature, podcast, apps, senses, arthropod

Jul. 25, 2012

Message in a Cornicle

by The Bug Chicks

Aphids produde an alarm pheromone to defend themselves against predation.

bugs, insects, pheromones, biochemistry, alarm pheromone, predation

Jul. 11, 2012

Amazing Insect Feats

by The Bug Chicks

Fleas can jump over 150 times their own body length. A house fly can beat its wings 200 times per second. How do these feats compare with those of other animals?

bugs, insects, locomotion, entomology, cockroaches, fleas

Jul. 05, 2012

Top 5: Red-headed Mouse Spiders

by The Bug Chicks

For Kristie, this spider is #1 on her "Top 5 Spiders To See Down Under" list. Sadly, she missed it last year while traveling in NSW but we thought we'd share this photo and take the opportunity to teach about some of the cool morphological features these spiders and their relatives have.

spiders, bugs, insects, photography, natural history

Jun. 27, 2012

Cultural Entomology: Cockroaches

by The Bug Chicks

Cockroaches get a bad rap. Just the word makes people “ew” and “ugh”. Even though only 10% of species are pests of humans, we tend to associate all of them with filth. This video explores the biology, morphology and mythology surrounding these misunderstood animals.

insects, cockroaches, roaches, entomology, bugs

Jun. 20, 2012

Bug Bytes: Chill Out

by The Bug Chicks

For this podcast, world renowned architect Mick Pearce joins us from Zimbabwe to talk about the design of the Eastgate Center in Harare. There are no electrical AC units in the building – instead, Pearce used termite mound structure as inspiration for the ventilation system!

bugs, insects, termites, convection, architecture

Jun. 14, 2012

DIY Insect Collecting: Beat Sheet

by The Bug Chicks

People always ask us how they can collect insects safely. Professional insect collecting equipment can be expensive, so we’ve decided to make a little DIY series about how to make your own insect collecting equipment on the cheap.

bugs, insects, insect collection, hands-on activities, for kids

Jun. 07, 2012

Cultural Entomology: Walking Sticks

by The Bug Chicks

Call them what you want – stick insects, walking sticks or stick bugs – we call them masters of camouflage! Insects in the Order Phasmatodea look and behave like plants and hide from even the most intrepid entomologists. In this new video we created for Texas A&M University’s Department of Entomology, we take you through the morphology, biology and mythology of these fascinating creatures.

bugs, insects, walking sticks, entomology, sociology, anthropology, culture

May. 16, 2012

Cultural Entomology: Dragonflies

by The Bug Chicks

This video, created for a course called Insects and Human Society at Texas A&M University, explores the biology and morphology of dragonflies and examines them through the lens of cultural entomology. Also, we explain mating and courtship behaviors dressed up as giant dragonflies.

bugs, insects, dragonflies, entomology, sociology, anthropology, culture

May. 03, 2012

Entomology and Pop Culture: The Wrath of Khan!

by The Bug Chicks

We paid tribute to one of the most famous scenes from Star Trek's The Wrath of Khan. Disclaimer: No earwigs (or Bug Chicks) were injured during the filming of this segment.

bugs, insects, pop culture, star trek, earwig, science fiction, science and the arts

Jan. 04, 2012

How Insects Move

by The Bug Chicks

In this video, we explore the different ways that animals get around their environment. It's perfect as a lesson for kids in grades K-2 (and it corresponds with national curriculum standards!), but it's fun for "kids" of all ages!

Dec. 14, 2011

Bee Bodies: Structure and (Fun)ction

by The Bug Chicks

Morphology is the study of the structure and function of an animal’s body. And sometimes, learning all the bits and pieces can get really intense! This video goes in-depth on bee morphology. We had a ton of fun creating larger-than-life body parts out of common household goods like hair combs, pipe cleaners, and toilet brushes!

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