The Hive: The Malthus Bug Thread

[jimmy olsen]

The horror... 


http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2015/09/arctic-mosquitoes-and-the-chaos-of-climate-change/405322/

Arctic Mosquito Swarms Large Enough to Kill a Baby Caribou

[Malthus]

The horror... 


http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2015/09/arctic-mosquitoes-and-the-chaos-of-climate-change/405322/

Arctic Mosquito Swarms Large Enough to Kill a Baby Caribou

I've experienced true killing swarms, in northern Quebec. It wasn't pretty.  When the weather and breeding conditions are "just right" (or "just wrong"), the sheer number of mosquitoes you can get is awe inspiring.

I remember one time I was sitting with my wife on the (screened) porch at the far northern cottage ("cabin" for you Yanks  ), in early June, when night started falling. We heard what sounded like a motorboat starting up on the lake nearby and comming close. I shined my flashlight out at the water to see who it was - it wasn't a motor, it was the buzz of literally millions of mosquitoes swarming the cottage like something out of a horror movie. The screen was solid black with them - you couldn't actually see out.

We had to use a chamber pot that night - I wasn't opening that door for any reason whatsoever.  I can well believe that swarm would, quite literally, kill any animal unable to take cover or swat. 

[Syt]

http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/dont-miss/26928439-story

'Scratching noise' in woman's ear caused by spider weaving web

A woman who sought medical attention for noises that only she could hear had to have a live spider removed from her left ear canal.

Li Meng had put off calling the doctor at first because she was afraid that the “scratching noise” that she heard at night was possibly evil spirits, Central European News (CEN) reported. Eventually, the pain became so great that medicine stopped helping, and she consulted doctors at the Xiamen Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the report said.

An ear, nose and throat specialist discovered that a spider had been weaving a web in her ear canal. The spider was resting on her eardrum. Each attempt doctors made to remove the spider caused it to react violently, resulting in more pain for Meng.

Eventually doctors subdued the spider with medicine and pulled it out with tweezers, CEN reported. Meng said she had been hiking with her boyfriend and it’s likely the spider crawled into her ear while she was climbing a tree

[Malthus]

Okay, that's pretty gross. 

[Malthus]

Flooding in South Carolina just got added terrors - Fire Ant Rafts!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/10/06/floating-fire-ant-islands-south-carolina-floods/73448778/?siteID=je6NUbpObpQ-wnfHHXGrK5YQqe8jY.QpiA

Davis said it's not uncommon to come across the rafts of floating ants, and said they have even been found indoors after a flooding event. He said it's important for people to stay out of the flood waters and avoid the masses of ants at all cost.

“If one of those rafts comes in contact with you, or you try to break it apart, it will likely disperse and crawl up you," he said.

Awesome! 

Nuke it from orbit ...

[lustindarkness]

That's awesome.

[jimmy olsen]

Neat!

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20151014-superpowers-of-the-near-invincible-velvet-ant

[jimmy olsen]

Creepy 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/11990229/Cockroaches-bite-with-50-times-more-force-than-their-body-weight.html

The shudder you feel when you spy a cockroach will only be intensified by the results of a new study.


A cockroach can bite with 50 times more force than its body weight, and with five times the relative force of a human being, according to the study, published in the Plos One scientific journal.

The startlingly powerful bite is generated by a "force boost" activated when the insects chew hard materials such as wood, say researchers from Cambridge and three German universities.


Even for a species that is believed to predate dinosaurs and can live up to two weeks after being decapitated, a bite of that force is an impressive attribute.


The finding was part of an effort to catalogue the bite strengths of insects, rather than just large animals.


“Ours is the first study to measure the bite forces of ordinary insects, and we found that the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, can generate a bite force around 50 times stronger than its own body weight,” said lead author Tom Weihmann from the University of Cambridge’s zoology department.

In order to determine the bite strength, the researchers strapped the cockroaches to miniature guillotine-like devices, with the insects laying on their backs and their heads secured in place. They then chomped down on a sensor, which recorded their jaw-dropping jaw strength.

The team of researchers is unsure how the cockroach can withstand such repeated force over its lifetime.

Mr Weihmann said experiments like this one would pay dividends in the future.

“With increasing miniaturisation, such designs will become increasingly important,” he said. “Recent technical implementations in this direction are for instance micro-probes inserted into blood vessels or micro-surgical instruments.”

[Malthus]

Okay, this is the grossest thing ever. 

Click at your own risk:

http://journals.lww.com/neurosurgery/pages/videogallery.aspx?videoId=178&autoPlay=false

[Malthus]

The amazing story of the Tree Lobsters, and how they came back from the brink of extinction!

http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2012/02/24/147367644/six-legged-giant-finds-secret-hideaway-hides-for-80-years

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/11/465781993/love-giant-insects-meet-the-tree-lobster-back-from-the-brink

[lustindarkness]

The amazing story of the Tree Lobsters, and how they came back from the brink of extinction!

http://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2012/02/24/147367644/six-legged-giant-finds-secret-hideaway-hides-for-80-years

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/02/11/465781993/love-giant-insects-meet-the-tree-lobster-back-from-the-brink

Ah yes, the Lord Howe Island stick insect, cute bug  . Interesting story, hope they finally decide to get rid of the rats so their unique insects and birds have a chance.

[Malthus]

Also, "Ball's Pyramid" looks freaking insane. Sounds like the sort of climbing destination Dorsey could be interested in! 

[lustindarkness]

Also, "Ball's Pyramid" looks freaking insane. Sounds like the sort of climbing destination Dorsey could be interested in! 

Oh yeah, that would be awesome. Maybe some scientific team needs an asshole to carry their equipment or something, otherwise he is shit out of luck.

[Admiral Yi]

Maybe some scientific team needs an asshole to carry their equipment or something

I don't think you're doing it right.

[lustindarkness]

Maybe some scientific team needs an asshole to carry their equipment or something

I don't think you're doing it right.