Insect repellent

Over the past century, the human population has been exponentially growing and developing past 7 billion people. During this time period, many scientific advancements have been achieved. One of the less popular successes of the twenty first century include the concept of robotic bees. While at first bees may not appear to be of major concern, statistics and research studies tend to dictate otherwise. According to Crystal Ponti, whom is a science, technology and health reporter, “last year, the U…

Bees. They make honey, they sting, and they inspired some pretty crazy hairdos in the 1960s. Were you aware though, that bees do much more than just provide us with alternatives to artificial sweeteners? In fact, bees, small as they are, play an immense role in the world’s ecosystem and production of food. So much so that they have a nearly direct effect on every other living thing, especially humans. As with most things in this world, though, people have a tendency to not be good stewards of…

The most used common name is veiled chameleon. As this chameleon species is located in Yemen it is also called the Yemen chameleon, it’s also called the cone-head chameleon because of the shape of its head crest. (Red List) There is controversy over another subspecies of C. Calyptratus called C. c. calcarifer that looks similar in all but coloration however it has been found to be a hybrid with another chameleon Chamaeleo arabicus. (Necas) Physical Description Photo credit: Necas,…

Drosophila melanogaster has been studied in genetic research laboratories for almost a century. Because the fruit fly has a short lifespan, a simple genome, and is easily made to reproduce in captivity it is a prime candidate for genetic research. (Patterson, et al., 1943) The major behavioral response noted in the fruit flies is that they tended to group together in clusters, as opposed to venturing off on their own into different sectors. D. melanogaster are attracted to food and will mate…

Talking about the most popular and lovely animals in the world, most people will chose puppies, cats, or birds. However, there is a few people who raise a kind of small insect as their pets, a tiny animal that can be seen everywhere in gardens and farms. At the same time, as one of the biggest groups of insects, bees are facing the unprecedented challenge; their population has been dramatically decreasing since 1971, especially between 2006 and 2007. The main reasons can be attributed to the…

When one thinks about the average fruit or vegetable it may not come to mind where it came from or how it got to the produce aisle in the grocery store or local market. The basic fruit or vegetable undergoes a very long process prior to consumption. It begins as a seed and that seed forms into a plant which is pollinated by bees. Recent reports have labeled bees on the endangered species list for the first time ever. On the outside this may not seem like such a major problem, but looking into…

Today’s Snakes Travel Like FedEx & UPS!! (Fly, Walk, & Deliver) Snakes are found throughout the world except Antarctica, Iceland, Ireland, Greenland and New Zealand. Most snakes are found in tropical regions. Often observed flicking its tongue, snakes use their forked tongue to smell the air. Snakes are ectotherms, meaning they must regulate their body temperature externally by sunning themselves or retreating to cool, shaded areas. Venomous snakes…

Carpenter bees can do quite a bit of damage to wood structures due to the holes the females drill for laying their eggs in. These large finger sized holes can go many inches deep into the wood and the bees will drill them deeper with each use until the wood is weakened to the point of collapse. They also open the wood up to moisture and decay. By understanding some of the carpenter bee habits it possible to make traps that will attract them before they can damage wood structure and kill them so…

In James Serpell’s book, In the Company of Animals, chapter 2 “A cuckoo in the nest” argues that pets are not parasites, but rather live in a symbiotic relationship with their owners. Serpell starts his argument by talking about the parasitic relationship between the Atemeles beetles and ants. Through various bodily functions, the Atemeles beetles can find their way into the highly defensive ant colony. When they have successfully infiltrated the colony, they begin their attack without being…

In the years, 1994 to 2016, there has been a steady decrease of the monarch butterfly population. The monarch butterfly species is extremely important species. This is because they are an essential part of the food chain. The lacking amount of milkweed is what is held accountable for the death of monarch butterflies. It is very important to conserve the milkweed population to protect the wonderful monarch butterflies. An increase of the Monarch butterfly population will lead to a healthy…