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Public insect knowledge

bug_girl

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Shape the future of science education!
Win great priz---oh, well, actually not that. :D

Anyway, in this thread
http://www.randi.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33309
from a while back, i had a long discussion about how to design a process to get professionals to agree on some basic science content.

They came up with some good stuff. There's a lot of it. Now i need to sort "nice to know" from "need to know." Please help me out here by giving me a view from outside the profession:
What should all Americans know about insects?

I have plenty of information about what the specialists think the general public should know. I want to know what is relevant to *you*, as a non-entomologist, about insects.

[BTW, i think that thread i referenced above was one of the BEST discussions i ever had at JREF. thanks to all participants. :)]
[[BTW BTW, yes, i'd like to hear from non-americans too.:) :) ]
 
Where are insects on the evolutionary tree?

On the evolutionary tree, where does the branch leading to insects diverge from the branch leading to humans?

What genes do both humans and insects have in common? What do these genes do? What evolutionary innovations were made before humans and insects went their separate ways on the evolutionary tree?

Why are there no insects as large as a cow?

Given the sensory organs of insects, how do they perceive the world around them?

Why do nocturnal flying insects tend to fly toward lights.

What attracts or repels mosquitoes?

Why are butterflys so colorful, and why are moths so drab?

How can one identify the various insects found in one's local environment? What do these insects eat? What eats them? What are their behavioral responses to what they perceive?

Why do insects have vastly more offspring than can possibly survive? What does this have to do with evolution?
 
RCNelson said:
Why are there no insects as large as a cow?
Click to expand...

Because that would be largely more icky?

(I know that answer relates to resperation but icky works for me.)
 
....oh...sorry....I read it as "pubic insect knowledge" and was going to embark on a long personal anecdote. Phew! That could have been embarrassing, but now the secret is still mine.
 
Now I know what we're supposed to be talking about...

Consider;


Arthropod, insect, arachnid, crustacean? Does anybody care? Should anybody care?

Exciting insect-borne diseases.

Climate-change shifting geographical ranges. "Hello, Mr Malaria-Mosquito, welcome to London"

Basic body plan is a kit of parts capable of huge variation. ?Illustrate with evolutionary computer programmes.


Metamorphosis. It may be familiar, but it's still pretty cool. What goes on inside a pupa/cocoon. (My little boy keeps asking when his pet caterpilar is going to change into a racoon. It's just so cute I don't want to correct him.)

Different lifestages, different lifestyles. Which stage constitutes the bulk of the population? Does this alter our perspective on what the species 'is'? Is an adult cicada just a method for getting to the next peaceful larval phase?
 
Badly Shaved Monkey said:
....oh...sorry....I read it as "pubic insect knowledge" and was going to embark on a long personal anecdote. Phew! That could have been embarrassing, but now the secret is still mine.
Click to expand...

One of my favorite specimens in the collection at my college is a slide of a crab louse, with the collection data:

Collected from "Fred"
Wilson Hall Dorm
April 5, 1938

:D
 
Relevant to me?
My crop of habanero peppers are coming in great, which means in about a week, some sort of giant green cutworm will show up and ingest the leaves off of a dozen plants in one sitting.
How do I kill the monsters (sorry BugGirl) and save my pepper babies without spending a bundle on harsh chemicals?
 
Best way to deal with mosquitoes.

Were the hell do the cutworms come from. You only ever see them on tomato plants.
 
so far it seems like we have:

--What is that thing biting me and how do i make it go away?
--How do i kill bugs? Are some ways better than others?
--What bugs are good and shouldn't be exterminated?
--Insects' critical role in ecosystem functioning
--Insect vs. Non-insect (general groups)
--Cool skeletal differences; consequences of being small
--metamorposis; many insects change form as they grow
--how habitat/niche is related to body form and function

I'll add mine: Insect role in food production. some estimates put 2/3rds of food production directly or indirectly dependent upon insects.
What else? And is that an accurate summary?
Thanks guys!!!!
 
fishbob said:

How to eradicate fire ants.
Click to expand...

If you can find an answer to this question, you will make a LOT of money. They are horrible! Fire ants seem to be linked to decline of some bird and lizard species--they attack anything that gets in their path, and will kill nestlings.

I guess we should maybe add:
--Impact of imported/invasive species on ecosystems.:(
 
espritch said:
The bigest insect, IIRC, is the Goliath beatle. What is the smallest?
Click to expand...

the book of insect records:
http://ufbir.ifas.ufl.edu/

Personally, BTW, i am opposed to anyone having to learn "factoids" like taxonomy or other specialized names. But this will be a hard sell to the specialists in the society.:p
 
Personally, BTW, i am opposed to anyone having to learn "factoids"
Click to expand...

While it may border on being a factoid, I would add the ratio of insects to mammals and the ratio of insects to humans. Stuff like that helps people understand more about life on this planet. Also, don't just explain which bugs are good, go into detail about why they are good.

Recently, Houston named its new football team "The Texans" (how predictable and dull). I still maintain that naming the team, "The Houston Fire Ants," would have inspired fear in opposing teams. Whether fighting lions or tigers or bears, fire ants would be the odds on favorite. Patriots, vikings, and steelers would tremble before their might.
 
What percentage of insects (or insect parts) are allowed in food processed in the US? How about other countries?
 
Why does the Jerusalem Cricket talk to me?

Even in my dreams?

Why won't it ever shut up?

Why does it want me to do such awful things?

What does it have against drifters and hitchhikers?
 
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