InsectView artwork

InsectView

35 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 months ago -

The sibling pair of aspiring entomologists Dante and Mia Centuori take a closer look at the sometimes annoying, often entertaining, and always interesting creatures known as insects. Insect View will cover a host of insect related topics, from specific species to fascinating stories. Sit back, relax, and enjoy learning about insects from the comforts of your own home, where there are significantly less mosquitoes.

Earth Sciences Science Comedy
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Episodes

Honey Bees Part 1

April 13, 2024 17:00 - 35 minutes - 24.3 MB

Ah the venerable Honeybee. Humanities history with this insect stretches back beyond the written word, even beyond podcasts. This incomprehensible timeframe has left people with a lot of time to figure out many different ways to keep, collect, and utilize honeybees. This is the focus of our first episode on honeybees, where we cover topics like early honey collection methods, the development of beekeeping, and the competing theories around the honeybees evolutionary origins. 

Insect News 7: Toxic Galls, French Bedbugs, and What the Wright Brothers Have To Do With Apiculture

November 29, 2023 02:00 - 19 minutes - 13.2 MB

Hear about the bedbug infestation terrifying the city of Paris, an interesting new way of detecting heavy metal contamination (hint, if you were planning on eating plant galls in industrial areas, don't), and why there's a journal of apiculture in the Wright Brothers exhibit at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museums. 

Pierre Andre Latreille

July 03, 2023 18:00 - 21 minutes - 14.9 MB

Pierre Andre Latreille, a French entomologist who lived from 1762-1833, is probably best known for having his life saved by a beetle. However there's a lot more to his story, and he went on to make a number of sigificant contributions to the field of entomology ( all thanks to the beetle ). Learn all about this lesser known but important entomologist on this new episode of Insectview.  https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.en.19.010174.000245 https://www.amusingplanet.com/20...

Insect News 6: Why insects get caught at lights, the AMNH's new wing, and the LAPD

June 01, 2023 14:00 - 19 minutes - 13.2 MB

Get the scoop  on why insects fly to light, the bugs at the American Musuem of Natural History's new wing, and what happened to the LAPD officer who was attacked by bees in this new news episode!  Sources https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.04.11.536486v1 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/25/arts/design/jessica-ware-insects-american-museum-natural-history.html?searchResultPosition=5 https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/25/arts/design/gilder-center-natural-history-museum.html https://www.c...

The Antarctic Midge

May 02, 2023 15:00 - 12 minutes - 8.52 MB

Meet Antarctica's largest native terrestrial animal, the Antarctic Midge, Belgica antarctica. Learn all about it's discovery during the voyage it was named after, it's interesting biology, and tiny genome in this new episode of Insectview!

2022 in review

January 04, 2023 16:00 - 8 minutes - 5.63 MB

New year same Insectview! Tune in to hear our recap of 2022, as well as some plans for the future. 

Wooly Bears

December 21, 2022 00:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MB

If you life in north America, you're almost certainly familiar with the little orange and brown caterpillar called the wooly bear. If you're in the Eastern US you may have even gone to a wooly bear festival! However, the rest of its life cycle is less familiar to most people, a fact we hope to remedy! Tune in to hear about the wooly bear, its mythos, and the celebrations that have sprung up in it's honor! Citations: https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article/68/4/557/2645369 https://journa...

Insect News 5: Army ants in amber, ant milk, and a blast from the past

December 05, 2022 18:00 - 9 minutes - 6.9 MB

In this episode of insect news hear about a rediscovered rare army ant fossil, a newly discovered milk like substance ants consume, and a selection of insect news stories from the early 20th century. Amber army ant:  https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221122221254.htm Ant milk: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221130114454.htm

Insect News 4: Playfull bumble bees, mosquito magnets, and unusual CT scans

November 21, 2022 18:00 - 14 minutes - 10.2 MB

In this episode of Insect News we look back on the story of bumble bees playing that was all over the news a few weeks ago. We also take a look at why you might be attracting more mosquito bites then other people, and how some researchers used a CT scanner... on a swarm of bees? 

Insect News 3: Battle Bees, The Lanternfly Hoax, and Daylight Savings Time

November 07, 2022 19:00 - 6 minutes - 4.77 MB

It may have been a slow couple weeks on the Insect News front, but there's always something going on in the world of insects! Hear about the entomological origins of  daylight savings time, a fake spotted lanternfly, and a woman charged for assault by using... bees? 

Insect News Episode 2: Tailless scorpions and plastic eating waxworms (you know, the usual)

October 10, 2022 17:00 - 12 minutes - 8.5 MB

The Ignobel awards were handed out recently, and the biology prize was given to research on scorpions ( not an insect, but close enough for us)! We also take a look at the recent resurgence of plastic eating waxworms in the news, get the whole story on this episode of Insect News!

The Rocky Mountian Locust

October 10, 2022 17:00 - 22 minutes - 15.5 MB

The Rocky Mountain Locust is responsible for what is the largest locust swarm in recorded US history. In 1874 the swarm emerged from the rocky mountains and swept across the Midwest, blocking out the sun and covering entire states, leaving farms completely stripped of vegetation. Learn all about the 1874 swarm, and the insect that it was composed of, on this episode of Insectview! Sources:  https://books.google.com/books?id=kSU4AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA25#v=onepage&q=caloptenus&f=false  The fate ...

Insect News Episode 2: Tailless scorpions and plastic eating waxworms (you know, the usual)

October 10, 2022 17:00 - 12 minutes - 8.5 MB

The Ignobel awards were handed out recently, and the biology prize was given to research on scorpions ( not an insect, but close enough for us)! We also take a look at the recent resurgence of plastic eating waxworms in the news, get the whole story on this episode of Insect News!

Insect News Episode 1: Monarchs and Lanternflies and mosquitos oh my!

September 26, 2022 15:00 - 11 minutes - 7.68 MB

The first episode of a new experiment we're doing where the topic is insect news! This hopefully bi-weekly series will be a quick look at whatever has been happening in the world of insects. For this episode we cover monarch butterflies status on the red list, the ongoing advance of the spotted lanternfly, turning ants from pets to garden helpers, and mosquitos unstoppable smelling abilities. 

The Cochineal Insect

August 16, 2022 16:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MB

You may not have heard of it, but you've definitely encountered this insect before.  The Cochineal insect is used to make a striking red dye that can still be encountered in foods and makeup at your local grocery store.  Learn all about it's biology and history on this episode of Insectview!

Luna Moths

June 30, 2022 14:00 - 11 minutes - 8.13 MB

As far as moths go, this one is up there with the prettiest! Learn all about the luna moth's taste in plants as well as it's interesting defense mechanisms!

House Flies

April 28, 2022 18:00 - 7 minutes - 5.3 MB

An insect everyone knows! The House Fly has been mildly irritating humanity since the dawn of time. Learn all about their life cycle, relation to public health, and why they're still afraid of Canadian children to this day.

Insect Crimes

March 19, 2022 16:00 - 12 minutes - 8.6 MB

Hear ye Hear ye! The tale of the trial of the century is about to be told, the wine growers of St. Julian vs... weevils? Wait what?  We're trying out a different format this episode by going over a piece of insect history! Tune in to learn about how medieval courts brought insects to trial! Source  The Criminal Prosecution of Insects : Harry B. Weiss

Bee flies

January 18, 2022 17:00 - 11 minutes - 7.9 MB

Bombs away! Learn all about this adorable flies curious egg laying habitats as we finally discuss an actual fly! Sources -  The evolutionary pattern of host use in the Bombyliidae (Diptera): a diverse family of parasitoid flies (Yeates et al.) - https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/pollinator-of-the-month/bee_flies.shtml - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombyliidae

2021 in review

December 30, 2021 18:00 - 9 minutes - 6.32 MB

Lets take a look back at the past year of Insectview, our plans for the future, and the candidates for the Bug of the Year!

Dobsonflies

December 21, 2021 15:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MB

Welcome to your one stop shop for learning all about the enigmatic aquatic predators known as Dobsonflies! Citations   - Oviposition of the Dobsonfly (Corydalus cornutus, Megaloptera) on a Large River (Brian P. Mangan)   - Bionomics and Ecological Services of Megaloptera Larvae (Dobsonflies, Fishflies, Alderflies) (Sara Lariza Rivera-Gasperin et al.)   - Behavioral Observations on the Dobsonfly, Corydalus cornutus (Megaloptera: Corydalidae) with Photographic Evidence of the Use of the Elong...

Periodical Cicadas

August 31, 2021 19:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MB

Just like our episodes subject, Insectview has emerged once again! Hear all about this summer's sensation, Periodical Cicadas! Sources - https://www.cicadamania.com - http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/highlights/periodicalCicada.html - The Periodical Cicada ( C. L Marlatt )

FairyFlys

May 19, 2021 23:00 - 10 minutes - 7.41 MB

You might need a microscope for this episode, as were taking a close look at the tiny insects known as FairyFlys! Sources: -   (Poinar G, Huber JT) "A new genus of fossil Mymaridae (Hymenoptera) from Cretaceous amber and key to Cretaceous mymarid genera." - https://web.archive.org/web/20100618034755/http://www.biology.lsu.edu/webfac/jcronin/biograph/publications/Anagbio.PDF - (Polilov, Alexey A) "Small is beautiful: features of the smallest insects and limits to miniaturization." -   (Sane,...

FairyFlies

May 19, 2021 23:00 - 10 minutes - 7.41 MB

You might need a microscope for this episode, as were taking a close look at the tiny insects known as FairyFlys! Sources: -   (Poinar G, Huber JT) "A new genus of fossil Mymaridae (Hymenoptera) from Cretaceous amber and key to Cretaceous mymarid genera." - https://web.archive.org/web/20100618034755/http://www.biology.lsu.edu/webfac/jcronin/biograph/publications/Anagbio.PDF - (Polilov, Alexey A) "Small is beautiful: features of the smallest insects and limits to miniaturization." -   (Sane,...

Stoneflys

February 22, 2021 20:00 - 13 minutes - 9.41 MB

Endure our horrible stone puns as we cover the ins and outs of Stoneflies

Monarch Butterflies

January 01, 2021 01:00 - 22 minutes - 15.4 MB

Usher in the new year by learning about one of the Americas most iconic butterflies!

Water Striders

August 13, 2020 19:00 - 12 minutes - 8.68 MB

Ever wondered how Water Striders walked on water? All that and more will be answered on this episode of InsectView! Sources - The Gerridae or Water Striders of Oregon and Washington, Gary M. Stonedahl and John D. Lattin - Vibratory Signals Enhance Mate-Guarding in a Water Strider (Hemiptera: Gerridae), R. Stimson Wilcox, Joia Di Stefano - The Sexual Intimidation Tactics of the Male Water Strider, David Doochin

Earwigs

August 06, 2020 18:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MB

Prepare to be amazed as we discuss the magic of Earwigs! Sources - The European earwig, http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/european_earwig.htm - Earwig in the ear, Jerry R. Fischer - Where do earwigs get their names?, https://www.creaturecontrol.net/blog/where-do-earwigs-get-their-name/ - Lend me your earwigs, May Berenbaum - The European Earwig, S. E. Crumb - Impact of processed earwigs and their faeces on the aroma and taste of 'Chasselas' and 'Pinot Noir' wines, Kehrli et al.  - Mul...

Bumble Bees

July 30, 2020 18:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MB

Bumble into a new episode of InsectView that's all about, you guessed it, Bumble Bees! Sources - Bumble Bee Economics, by Bernd Heinrich - Detection and Learning of Floral Electric Fields by Bumblebees, by D. Clarke, H. Whitney, G. Sutton, and D. Robert - A Unique Method of Defense of Bremus (Bombus) fervidus Fabricus, by O. E. Plath - Müllerian mimicry in bumble bees is a transient continuum, by B. Ezray, D. Wham, C. Hill, and H. Hines

Katydids

July 23, 2020 18:00 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MB

Mia gets fired. Mia gets rehired. Dante fires himself. Oh, and we also talk about Katydids.

Cicada Killers

July 16, 2020 18:00 - 17 minutes - 12.4 MB

Warning! If you're a cicada, this episode is not for you, because we'll be discussing the eastern cicada killer! 

Black Swallowtails

July 09, 2020 17:00 - 15 minutes - 11 MB

Join us as we talk butterfly fights, Greek mythology, and black swallowtails on episode 3 of InsectView.

Mantises

July 02, 2020 19:00 - 17 minutes - 12.4 MB

Hold on to your head and check your horoscope, because in this episode of Insectview we'll be discussing Mantises!

June Beetles

June 25, 2020 18:00 - 14 minutes - 10.1 MB

What's round, shaped like a bean, and ends up in public pools? No, it's not rabbit poop, it's June Beetles, the topic for today's episode.

Intro to InsectView

June 25, 2020 18:00 - 2 minutes - 1.61 MB

In this episode, sibling hosts Dante and Mia Centuori welcome you to InsectView.

Twitter Mentions

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