insects – Page 2 – The Loh Down On Science

Dreaming Spiders

December 14, 2022 Carlene Chinn

Spiders – they bite! They jump! They…DREAM? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. It’s bedtime and you stare up at your ceiling. A SPIDER! Do you flee? Do you leave it be? Maybe it’s asleep? Say… do spiders… dream? Daniela Robler and team from Washington

Insect Wound Schmear

June 8, 2022 Jose Moran

Need pain relief cream? Hold the bug spray! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Chopping veggies for dinner and … YIKES! Where’s the Neosporin?? It’s not just us — even wild animals can have accidents! And they’ve been known to self-medicate, mostly with plants. But

Very Hungry Caterpillars

January 27, 2022 Lily Li

Munch munch munch… Someday I will be a beautiful butterfly! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Caterpillars spend their days busily feasting, turning carbon-rich leaves into nitrogen-rich poo. This means less falling leaves and more caterpillar poop washing into nearby lakes. This can change the

Bumblebeer

December 11, 2020 Bela Abolfathi

Bees can sting, but can they make you…tipsy? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Brewing beer is an age-old tradition, and it’s all thanks to YEAST. There are nearly two thousand kinds of yeast on Earth. But only two types are used to brew beer:

Stripey Cows

September 28, 2020 Claudia-Francisca Lopez Camara

A black cow painted with vertical black and white stripes in a zebra pattern

Is zebra print magical? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. It’s been said that a zebra is just a horse in striped pajamas! But WHY do zebras have stripes? Past studies have shown they DON’T regulate body temperature or confuse predators. So, what’s the use?

Painless Proboscis

September 25, 2020 Van Wifvat

Mosquitos! What a pain! Or…are they? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Mosquitos are a familiar foe. They bite and leave behind itchy reminders of their presence. But how is it we never notice them sucking our blood until it’s too late? At the Ohio

Bumblebee Gardening 101

August 31, 2020 Racine Rangel

What’s black and yellow and has a green thumb? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science, saying… Bumblebee gardeners!? We know bees buzz around gardens, collecting pollen from flowers. But climate change is altering WHEN flowers bloom. Until the flowers show up, there’s no pollen for

Wasp Wallpaper

May 19, 2020 Chloe Groome

The timeless beauty of classical art! The Greeks, the Romans….the WASPS??!! This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Wasps…the scourge of picnics everywhere. It’s never a good day when you spot a wasp nest. Or is it? For Helen Green at the University of Melbourne it’s a

Scorpi-tecture

April 30, 2020 Loh Down Staff

Who knew scorpions were fussy about architecture? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Ecologists at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev can shed some light on the matter. They’re studying holes in the ground – more officially known as burrows. Desert critters burrow to survive

A Parasite’s Parasite

April 28, 2020 Evelyn Hoover

Tales from the Crypt… home to PARASITIC WASPS? This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science. Parasites typically target only ONE species at a time. Researchers have assumed the CRYPT-KEEPER, a known parasitic wasp, was no different. Its typical host-du-jour is another wasp called Bassettia pallida… BP