Final Thoughts

My thoughts on insects have not changed too terribly much. I still find them a little terrifying; if one were to land on my shirt or crawl on my skin I would flip out, though there are some exceptions to that statement, such as the butterfly or firefly. I still find cockroaches REPULSING and will probably still kill them with insecticides and/or squishing them due to the fact that there is very little short of a nuclear bomb that can take them out. 

Moth collection we pinned in class

I will say, however, that I now see their usefulness more now than I did before. I feel that they are useful in our food web; what we eat eats them, so how can I hate something that ultimately feeds me. They pollinate the plants for us, which we desperately need to survive. Some also eat other insects that are considered pests to us humans, which is a use that I thank them for.

Overlook at Ruffner Mountain

I also know WAY more about insects now. I have a lot of useful information that I can keep with me as I grow older and encounter more bugs. I know that not all 'flies' are actual flies and have a cool trick on differentiating between the two. I also now know that butterflies and moths are in fact insects, which I was not sure of before. So basically I have a new favorite insect, though fireflies still come in a close second place. 

I greatly enjoyed the trips we took outside of the classroom. They were enjoyable and a change from being in a classroom constantly was very nice. It is also something that was initially out of my comfort zone, but I have found that if the hike is not too steep, the view is absolutely worth it.

Overall I would say my tolerance for insects has increased. I had little to none before and now, though I do not have a whole bunch, I have more than I did. If someone asked me if they should take this class, I will tell them yes, and I have honestly enjoyed the Jan term class more than any other class I have taken.

Butterflies, Oh, Butterflies

Photo found here

I was not impressed with Evan's chapter about butterflies in his book we were supposed to read for class. Like not impressed in the least bit. There is so much useful and interesting facts that he could have elaborated on to give the "ever day people" reading his book more information on the majestic creatures that most people enjoy seeing, or are not completely freaked out by. To be quite honest, butterflies are probably one of the more liked species of insect around the world. To me they seem majestic and beautiful, and I would not freak out if one landed on me. 

Photo found here

I decided to look at a website on some butterfly facts (find website here). I read some stuff that I mainly already knew, such as how butterflies use camouflage and their coloring as defense mechanisms. They also use chemicals to protect themselves from predators. I found out that a caterpillar's first meal is it's own egg case, which is actually very interesting and not what I figured it would be. It also states that there are about 17,500 species are butterflies, so it is hard to know an exact number of how many there really are. Monarchs and some other species can migrate thousands of miles, while most others migrate short distances, and they live on all continents except for Antarctica. 

Photo found here

I also enjoyed the reading we did out of Laufer's book (chapter 7, found here). I found it rather interesting to find out that butterflies main reason for extinction is habitat loss. This is a sad thing to think about: 50 years ago in most places butterflies were way more abundant. To think that our expansion of technology and building more is destroying their habitats and homes is a very sad thought. This has also set up butterfly gathering/hunting to be illegal in many different parts of the world. People can go to jail for capturing butterflies. The thought never even crossed my mind. "What did you do to land in the big house?" "Just captured a few butterflies.." doesn't seem like a very reasonable answer or even an answer that would be real; when in actuality it is very real. 

All in all, butterflies are the most majestic of insects of me. I would have added them into my first post, but I was not sure if they would even be considered an insect. Good thing I have taken this class and now know that I do, in fact, have a favorite insect. 

Starbucks Strawberry Frappucinnos Contain Beetle Juice?

Photo found here

So I read in the Berenbaum book about how the "yogurt beetle" was a myth, finding out that this red coloring she talks about is not technically a "beetle," but actually a different insect all together. When writing my 'Entomophagy' post I was looking up pictures to post on the blog. I ran across a picture that led me to this blog post. The blog discussed how red cochinea beetles are used to produce red and pink food coloring in different foods. It discusses the process of how the coloring is attained (through cooking fertilized eggs at degrees of 212 F). It also talks about how the coloring is used in make-ups, and lists many of the different foods it is used in. People are believed to buy brighter colored foods, thinking they are going to be more healthy and overall better for people. In the ingredients, however, there is a different name that is used than what the actual ingredient is; it is known to the world as "carmine" or Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red 4, C.I. 75470, or E120. But why are industries allowed to use these names instead of what these things actually are? People assume that other people would not want to buy a food that has bug eggs in them. Can you really blame them?

The vegan/vegetarian question is also called into question when issues such as this one occurs. Though I feel that people who want to lead this lifestyle should be very careful and read all of the ingredients on their foods, it is very hard to know that "carmine" is bug eggs unless it is looked up, which people should obviously do if they do not want to consume anything with a mother or that moves. 

However, this does not bother me as much as consuming a full grown insect, or even an insect that has hatched or is in the next stage of life. All in all, though, I would still rather not consume any insects, though I know that wish will never ever come true.

Entomophagy

Photo found here

As most of y'all know I am not one who particularly likes insects. I wouldn't say that I hate them all, but for the most part they gross me out and make me feel uncomfortable. While I know they are vital to our living and to keep the food chain and the world running smoothly, I could personally honestly live without a good majority of them. There are some exceptions to this statement, but not many make the list.

However, I find it surely safe to say that I would eat insects only in the most dire of circumstances. If all of the food that I eat currently was to run out and I could only survive by eating insects I suppose I reluctantly would, but that would be out of simple desperation. I find it absolutely repulsing that there are laws that allow it to be okay for insects to be in our food. I understand how it is virtually impossible for insects to stay out of our food, but the thought of it being okay that insects are in our food is an idea that makes me feel rather uneasy and sketched out about eating food prepared by others or even buying foods from grocery stores. I know I would never survive without the grocery store or eating out, but I would rather have not found out this fact.

I do not believe that I could ever have insects as a crucial role in my diet. I feel that no matter how they tasted I would never be able to consume them with any enjoyable feeling. I do not believe that I would ever try them on any circumstance unless someone was going to offer to pay off all of my loans or to buy me a house or something of that sort. Those would probably be the only two situations in which I would even try one. Ultimately, I do not believe that I will be eating any insects INTENTIONALLY in my life, though I'm apparently going to consume millions in my lifetime, unintentionally.  

Evans Ch. 10-13

I was having difficulties getting these videos cut right and my e-mail was making it very difficult to make sure they were all in order. If they do not make sense I apologize; these are the best way I can get them. Each video of each chapter is a continuation of me talking, I just had to slice the video up because it would not send as one long video for each chapter. Thanks.

Chapter 10

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Chapter 11

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Chapter 12

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Chapter 13

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Hike at Ruffner Mountain

Gall found in parking lot

Today we visited the Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve located a few minutes away from school. At the beginning of our trip we searched for insects in the parking lot located near the "Back Porch" at Ruffner Mountain. We found many different insect life: galls of different sorts, crickets, and ants. We found three or four different types of galls and it was very interesting to see how different types of galls are implemented by different insects. I also learned that depending on the insect there can be one specimen per gall, or sometimes multiple specimen inside each gall. We also encountered a bird's nest that we though was a wasp nest.

Overlooking the Overlook

The next part of our trip we spent hiking up the mountain. The hike went rather fast due to the time constraints we had; we were not able to stop and thoroughly look for insect life, but we did stumble upon tree limbs where beetles had laid their eggs inside, chewed the twig to where it was almost unattached from the tree until it had fallen to the ground. As Dr. Van Zandt was explaining the process to us I found it to be rather interesting and actually pretty cool that a beetle could do all of that. 

Cave we explored 

We continued to climb up the mountain enjoying each others' company until we came to the quarry that the trail leads to. The quarry was very interesting and pretty. However, the Overlook was the most beautiful sight on the hike. Vulcan and the skyline (though small) of Birmingham were visible. The view definitely made the hike worth it at the end. After we found the Overlook we ventured into a small cave hoping to encounter insect activity inside. Unfortunately, no insects were to be found today. I did however learn that limestone is soluble with rainwater and ultimately breaks apart due to the rains we experience. I also learned that the cave remains a constant temperature all year around, summer or winter.

Though we did not find all of the insect life we were hoping for I greatly enjoyed the trip to Ruffner Mountain. I really needed the sunshine and air that I received  while hiking. I greatly approve of this location and feel that it is a better choice for this class than a trip to Turkey Creek.

Misconceptions

Picture was found here

The misconception that I have heard the most about was the fact that cockroaches could survive ultimately anything. All in all this freaked me out. I mean I suppose if there was a nuclear was or something of that sort and my land was affected it really would not matter if cockroaches could survive due to the fact that I would not be around any longer to encounter them. The thought of this did give up all hope on ever getting rid of them and keeping them out of my life. They are stuck with me forever and I have to accept that, though I doubt I ever will.

I had no idea that so many other insects and bacteria could actually survive more radiation and overall more than cockroaches actually could. I also did not realize how relatively new the information on cockroaches ability to endure radioactivity actually was. There is much more information that dates further back on insects such as different beetles, weevils, moths, and the bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans who are more likely to survive that cockroaches. 

I looked up this link to find some more information on the myth of cockroaches being able to survive anything. This link discusses how the myth began when cockroaches were the only survivors after the atomic bomb drops on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It also discusses how the Mythbusters did an experiment to see how much this myth would actually hold up. They found that cockroaches could withstand an atomic bomb and radioactivity, but only to a certain extent. I believe that this would be a good thing to possibly discuss in the chapter of this book to have something that more people could relate to (most people know of or have seen Mythbusters and may have even seen the given episode).

All in all cockroaches are not something I want to be able to survive anything. Knowing that there is enough radioactivity to get rid of them is comforting even though I would more than likely not be around to experience the glorious day.