It’s no secret that certain insects have long been associated with death and decay. Flies and their offspring, carrion beetles; they are the masters of decomposition, responsible for the rather […]

Humans and honey have a long historical association. Beekeeping emerged in ancient Egypt nearly 10,000 years ago, but evidence of wild honey collection dates even further. For nearly 15,000 years, humans […]

Mountain pine beetles have a nasty reputation in the Intermountain West. Many Montanans are familiar with the term “beetle kill,” and have witnessed the damage a beetle infestation can cause. […]

Welcome back to the Lab! Millipedes are some of the oldest creatures on earth and are well known for being the leggiest. They hauled themselves forth from the primordial ooze […]

Welcome back to the Lab! If you’ve ever been plagued by grasshoppers in your garden, you know the damage their tiny, chewing mandibles are capable of. Just a few Orthopterans […]

Play is usually identified as a uniquely mammalian trait. We recognize it in our pets, in non-human primates, and even wild animals. But we don’t often recognize it in non-mammalian […]

As the designated “bug person” in my circle of family and friends, it probably comes as no surprise that I often receive texts asking for bug-related advice. More often than not […]

To say this week has been a flurry of activity would be an egregious understatement. With animals arriving every day, exhibits going in, and signage being installed, we’ve all been […]

Since 2015, our colony of walking sticks, Medauroidea extradentata, has been reproducing via parthenogenesis (cloning), resulting in an all-female colony of clones. This reproduction method is so successful that males […]

The buzzin’ has quieted with the onset of snow, so it’s time for us to make our own seasonal change. Notes from the Lab returns for another run until the […]