Bug Squad

You never know what they will do. When you release newly emerged monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus), some linger in the comfort of your hand. Some soar high into the sky. Some flutter to a nearby bush or tree. When we released two newly emerged monarch butterflies on Nov.

Quick, what's the answer to: "What is the smallest insect that is not a parasite or parasitoid?" Okay then, "What are the three primary conditions that define eusociality?" Or how about "Nicrophorus americanus is listed under what legislative act?

When you're rearing monarch caterpillars in an indoor habitat, watch out for the escapees. Monarch 'cats seem to like to wander--and pupate on the most unlikely of places. We have two small butterfly habitats on our kitchen counter.

If you're trying to fuse art with science and want to draw a wasp on a penny-farthing, but the legs are too short to reach the pedals, there's only one thing to do: lengthen the legs! And create a "new species" of wasp in the process.

Research published today in the journal Nature about neonicintoid pesticide exposure and bumble bees is causing quite the buzz, and keeping noted bumble bee expert Robbin Thorp busy fielding phone calls.