insects – Page 3 – סלומה

David Attenborough on the harsh realities of life. Life Story (2014)

Cordyceps fungi is a common ingredient in Chinese herbal
medicines. In general, mushrooms wouldn’t seem like an obscure
ingredient, however, this particular mushroom grows from the bodies of
insects. If a spore lands on an insect, it can infect it. The fungus
then grows within the body, using the internal organs as a food source.
Eventually, the fungus rips out of the insect, distributing more spores.

https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/49573799/stream?client_id=N2eHz8D7GtXSl6fTtcGHdSJiS74xqOUI?plead=please-dont-download-this-or-our-lawyers-wont-let-us-host-audio

Composer Jim Wilson has recorded the sound of
crickets and then slowed down the recording, revealing something
amazing.

The crickets sound like they are singing the most angelic
chorus in perfect harmony. Though it sounds like human voices,
everything you hear in the recording is the crickets themselves.

The recording contains two tracks played at the same time: The first
is the natural sound of crickets played at regular speed, and the second
is the slowed down version of crickets’ voices.

“I discovered that when I slowed down this recording to
various levels, this simple familiar sound began to morph into something
very mystic and complex… almost human.”

Spider webs blanket rural Victoria, Australia
Photo credit:
ImagesOfNetwork

Tobacco Hornworm with parasites
This tobacco hornworm was
attacked by a parasitic Braconid wasp that laid its eggs on the
hornworm’s back. When the eggs hatched, the larvae fed off of the
hornworm and then cocooned themselves on its back for their pupal stage.

Spiralling Whitefly Larvae and Egg Trails in Pu’er, Yunnan, China (by Sinobug).

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

This tummy blanket for trees is called a komomaki
(written as 薦巻 or こも巻き). It’s an old Edo period method to control pine
moths. The insects feed on pine leaves, but when it gets cold in winter,
they crawl down the tree to spend the winter in the dead leaves on the
ground. The mat serves as a trap: it’s loosely tied at the top but
tightly fastened at the bottom. The insects crawl into the mat, where
it’s snug and warm, and then in spring you remove the mat and burn it
with all its inhabitants.

Wasps creating colored nests when given construction paper by amateur zoologist
Mattia Menchetti.
Menchetti gradually introduced a variety of coloured paper to this European wasp colony

at let them create this vibrant nests.

Today the Department of Phenomenal Papercraft delves into the world of entomological
artwork. Paper wasps gather fibers from dead wood and plant stems and
mix them with their saliva to create a gray or brown papery material
which they use to construct their water-resistant nests. When Italian biological science student Mattia Menchetti provided a captive colony of European paper wasps with colored paper, the insects created awesomely colorful nests.

“He started by feeding his captive wasps yellow paper,
and then gradually began introducing more shades. The insects soon
created a technicolor home for their larvae. In addition to making for
some unusual eye candy, the nest is sturdy as well. A protein in the
saliva of European paper wasps is so effective in making their nests
waterproof that it’s been used by scientists for a biodegradable drone.”

Visit Mattia Menchetti’s website to check out more of his research projects. (by mental_floss)