100
No, this is not possible. There are a few reasons for that, but most important are that the only thing a mosquito injects is its own saliva, while the blood is sucked into the stomach where it is digested.
To be able to infect other people HIV would need to be able to leave the gut intact and then also be able to replicate in the mosquitos which it cannot ...
60
A quick search on Web of Science yields "Polyphasic Wake/Sleep Episodes in the Fire Ant, Solenopsis Invicta" (Cassill et al., 2009, @Mike Taylor found an accessable copy here) as one of the first hits.
The main points from the abstract:
Yes, ants sleep.
indicators of deep sleep:
ants are non-responsive to contact by other ants and antennae are folded
...
58
Unfortunately, you're the first I've seen on here actually to have a bed bug.
See this picture from University of Kentucky for comparison:
Here is one moving (more footage & info here):
Below is a picture from Bed-Bugs-Handbook.com demonstrating the relative size and appearance of 6 different life (molt) stages:
From Left to Right: Nymphs to adults ...
57
This question falls into different subquestions:
1. How much blood does a mosquito take when feeding?
This is not so easy to answer, but there are publications which measure the volume of different mosquito species. Reference 1 lists volumes between 2.85 and 11.99µL per meal and mosquito. Reference 2 lists 3.07 and 5.71µL. To make the approximation a bit ...
44
This actually looks like a Gaudy Sphinx caterpillar (Eumorpha labruscae). It only mimics the appearance of a snake!
You can find more information about this species here.
Range: Argentina north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to Florida, Mississippi, South Texas, and Arizona. Strays to Missouri, southern Michigan, Pennsylvania, Maine, ...
answered Feb 25 '17 at 19:36
44
Adult butterflies don't eat! I mean.... not in the sense of chewing on food. They rather drink. They get their nutrients via ingestion of liquid substances. Their mouth consists of a long tube called a proboscis that acts as a straw.
What do butterflies feed on?
The vast majority of butterflies eat nectar from flowers. Many species are quite specialized ...
41
Given the large eyes, the almost non-existent antennae, the humped back, elongated abdomen and the wings, I'd say it is a robber fly.
It is one of many insects known to prey on wasps.
Note the description on the linked page:
This spindly piece of nastiness is a Robber Fly in the genus Diogmites. It seems that it's members of this particular genus that ...
37
The short answer is apparently yes. Studies on sleep in insects date back to papers published by Phil and Nellie Rau in 1916 and 1938. Hussaini et al. (2003) showed that sleep does affect memory formation in honey bees. They showed that retention of extinction learning is significantly reduced in bees that were sleep-deprived. More about sleep in honeybees ...
36
A mosquito is a biological parasite, it is not a medical parasite.
There are two definitions of parasite. A biological/ecological definition and a medical/physiological interaction definition.
A parasite in biological terms is an organism that benefits from a parasitic relationship; a parasitic relationship being a non-mutual relationship between species, ...
36
That is the caterpillar of a lobster moth (Stauropus fagi), family Notodotidae. It is mimicking a scorpion to help protect it from predation. An amazing insect.
34
It is a result from the insecticide you are using. From this excerpt from the 10th Edition of the Mallis Handbook on Pest Control:
Neurotoxic insecticides cause tremors and muscle spasms, flipping the cockroach on its back. A healthy cockroach can easily right itself, but without muscle coordination, the cockroach dies on its back. Cockroaches exposed to ...
33
I believe that MattDMo's hypothesis is incorrect. Only one group of ants, the Attini tribe, cultivates fungus as a food source. This group is exclusively a New World group, thought to have originated in the Amazon rainforest and spread out from there. I see from your profile that you are located in India, which is outside the range of the fungus-...
32
It is the larva of Harmonia axyridis (Asian lady beetle).
The image posted by timbernasley is more accurate because the larva you have shown is in its late instar ,a stage not an early as this one.
Here's the link: Wikipedia
29
That's some kind of mole cricket (Gryllotalpidae).
According to this website there's only three species found so far in Romania:
Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa
Gryllotalpa stepposa
Gryllotalpa unispina
It's most likely you've encountered a specimen of the first species as it's the most common and widespread one in Europe, Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa:
25
It's a larva of a green lacewing (Family Chrysopidae). Yes, they can bite hard but you're not its intended victim and they're not only harmless but beneficial as they're aggressive predators of aphids and other soft bodied plant pests. I can't be specific to what species of lacewing as they look fairly similar.
Another larva that looks very similar to yours....
24
Several species of the order Lepidoptera don't feed at all in adult form, surviving entirely on the reserves made while they were larva. Two examples I'm aware of are the Atlas moth (as well as most of the family it belongs to) and the clothing moth.
Also, many butterflies and moths which normally do feed stop doing so after the mating (for males) or after ...
23
It's its ovipositor & it's trying to dig a hole to lay its eggs.
"How Do Grasshoppers Dig Holes to Lay Their Eggs? After breeding, female grasshoppers dig a hole in the ground in which to lay their eggs by using a special tube in their abdomen known as an ovipositor. The ovipositor is first used to dig the hole, and then to deposit the eggs one by one ...
22
There are a number of papers studying the ability of fungi to metabolize keratin, the primary structural component of nails (as well as skin and hair). Ants are also known to cultivate fungi for nutrients, so this may simply be a case where the ants are bringing food for their "farm animals."
22
There are a number of environmentally destructive methods that would be effective, including draining the lake, covering the surface with a continuous layer of oil, or adding toxins to the water, but I'm assuming you're looking for a method that will have the minimum possible off-target effect.
Different mosquito species breed in different habitats and are ...
21
Its definitely a True bug (Hemiptera), and based on its distinct pronotum and small head I'm guessing its a Wheel bug (Arilus cristatus). It is a common species that is also found in Indiana.
They are aggresive predators and are part of the family Reduviidae also known as Assassin bugs. Assassin bugs have a painful bite, and they inject a toxin when they ...
20
Short answer
Excretion of blood and urine may prevent overheating by reducing body temperature through evaporative coolong (akin to perspiration). Excretion of blood and urine also concentrates the ingested blood.
Background
Female Anopheles mosquitoes seek blood for nutrients necessary to egg production. The cold-blooded insects may excrete some freshly ...
20
Yes, mantises hunt cicadas...
Mantis eating cicada. Source: Dreamstime.
...and yes, orioles hunt cicadas too...
Oriole eating cicada. Source: Bird Ecology Study Group.
.., and what may be more relevant to your idiom: orioles prey on mantises.
Oriole eating mantis. Source: Sustainable Adventure.
20
The chemical we are talking about here is called pheromone, trail pheromone to be specific.
A pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individuals.1
...
answered Feb 25 '17 at 9:34
another 'Homo sapien'
13.8k5 gold badges54 silver badges89 bronze badges
19
Both the Forewing as well as the Hindwing of Butterflies are made of thin chitin structures which are pretty thin and sensitive. If you touch the wing with to much force, it may break.
Then the upper side of the butterfly wing is covered with small scales - what you called the "dust". This can be seen in this figure (from here):
and also in this electron ...
19
This is probably a fly killed by the fungi Entomophthora muscae (or closely related) or maybe a Cordyceps fungus. These kinds of fungi mainly attacks insects, and you sometimes see attacks as white, swollen abdomens in flies.
(Picture of common infection, from bugguide.net)
These fungi are also known to change the behaviour of infected individuals, so ...
19
First of all, great question! What you describe here is known as aposematism. Aposematism is the adapation of warning signals against the predator. This word is used for any sound, coloring, and odor used as a warning signal. Of course, for this question the focus is color.
Honest indications
Animal coloration is usually an honest indication of their ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible
