Author Archives: p-porter
Largest Texas Dragonfly
I had a question from a woman this week who wanted to know what the largest dragonfly in Texas was. She said she had recently spied one that was 8 cm (3.2 inches) long and had a 13 cm (5.1 in) wingspan. She “figured if anyone would know the answer to the question it would be someone at Texas A&M.” While I was flattered that my correspondent would think that as a representative of Texas A&M I would have all the answers, I had to admit that I… Read More →
Ash borer destroys, Texas deploys
A story in Time magazine last month covered the toll being exacted on American urban forests by the emerald ash borer, the latest in a string of illegal immigrant destructive insects. According to the story, the toll of dead trees will likely surpass those felled by Dutch elm disease by the end of this year, making it the most destructive forest insect ever to invade North America. So what is the threat to Texas forests? Probably not as great as that being experienced in the east-central states where… Read More →
Forget honey bees, worry about Monarchs
Don’t misunderstand me. I like honey bees. And like most people I talk with, I’m aware of the threat to honey bees posed by the latest calamity facing beekeepers, the “colony collapse disorder”. Managed bee colonies in our country and around the world are dying off at alarming rates. And this is not good. But honey bees are not native to the New World. If all the honey bees in the U.S. were to die tomorrow, agriculture would take a devastating hit, and we would see an immediate… Read More →
Honey Bee ID Lab Closed
Since 1990, Texas A&M University’s Honey Bee Identification Lab has provided identification and characterization of honey bees. As of the end of May, the Honey Bee ID lab is closed. According to Paul Jackson, with the Apiary Inspection Service, budget cuts left their department no choice but to end the program. Long-time employee Lisa Bradley was cut as a result. The laboratory provided analysis of honey bee genetics, and for many years had been the authority that documented the incidence and spread of Africanized honey bees spreading… Read More →
Vacationing with bed bugs
If you’re among the millions of American vacationers this summer, you may want to pack a plan for how to avoid bed bugs. Yes, those tiny blood-sucking insects you’ve heard about on the news might just be waiting for you in a hotel or hostel. I admit that I’ve not yet personally stayed in a hotel room with bed bugs (although I know others who have, and I’ve seen evidence of bed bugs in very nice hotels). Most hotels and hotel rooms around the country are bed bug… Read More →
Damselflies of Texas
Any damselfly lovers out there? If you’re not sure what a damselfly is, it’s the dainty cousin of the dragonfly. Anyone who’s sat next to a Texas river or lake has likely been visited by one of these colorful beauties. Now there’s a field guide for Texas damselflies from the University of Texas Press. Called Damselflies of Texas, it is the latest offering from John Abbott, entomology curator at the Texas Natural Science Center, Brackenridge Field Laboratory Insect Collection. John’s one of our premier insect photographers in the… Read More →
Preview of new Disneynature film
If any of you are of the approximate same age as me, you may have grown up watching the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights. My siblings and parents and I always looked forward to the chance to watch Disney animation or movies like Mary Poppins, or highly entertaining nature films. My how things have changed. I would be surprised if a 1960s era Disney production could hold the attention of a media-savvy child of the 2000s. Fortunately, Disney has evolved with the times, and the quality… Read More →
The Mother bug
Sehirus cinctus (see HERE us SINK tuss) is usually an obscure little bug, bothering nobody and noticed by few humans. The past week, however, I’ve received several inquiries about thousands of little black “beetles” (actually bugs) crawling over lawns, driveways and even dogs. Also known as the white-margined burrowing bug, Sehirus cinctus is an example of one of those insects that can go along for years unnoticed, then all of a sudden, BOOM. They’re everywhere. Sehirus is particularly interesting for its behavior. The adults and nymphs feed on… Read More →
Sawfly alert
Pine sawflies resemble caterpillars, but have six or more fleshy prolegs, or “clasping legs” on their abdomen. True caterpillars have five or less clasping legs. I just had a report from urban forester Pam Corder in Kaufman, TX. She reports an outbreak of sawfly caterpillars on pine trees in Kaufman County. Two years ago there was another outbreak of sawflies in Kaufman and several other counties just east of the Dallas area. That outbreak was identified as Neodiprion taedae linearis, also known as the loblolly pine sawfly. Those… Read More →
Bugguide.net innovator profiled
One of the links we include in the Insect Identification Help page is BugGuide.net. This is a great site for insect identification and networking with knowledgeable entomologists willing to help anyone get an insect identified. I use it a lot and direct insect enthusiasts there frequently. Until now, however, I didn’t know a lot about how the site came to be. A recent story from Iowa State University profiles one of the developers of the site, ISU systems analyst John VanDyk. Turns out that not only is John… Read More →
