Here is an interesting fact about mosquitoes. Male mosquitoes do not feed on blood. Both male and female adults consume nectar and the females feed on blood to produce eggs. However, not all species of mosquitoes need a blood meal to produce eggs. Read more »

It is nature’s version of the secret agent. James Bond could learn a few things from the assassin bug. It lies in wait for its prey. When the unsuspecting victim walks, flies or crawls into the ambush the assassin springs into action and injects a lethal toxin into the insect, which will become its meal. This toxin not only kills the prey but breaks down the victim’s nerves and muscles and turns it to liquid. The predator then sucks the meal from the body of the dead insect. Read more »

When you see a cave weta for the first time, it can be a little disconcerting. The insect looks like some creature out of a science fiction film. In actuality it has more in common with your average cricket than it does with anything from out of space. Read more »

Latrodectus katipo, also known as the katipo spider, is an endangered species. The arachnid is closely related to the redback spider of Australia and the North American black widow. Even if you have never heard of the katipo, you may have guessed that it is a creature to be careful of simply because of its relationship to the black widow. Read more »

As a distinguishing feature, the color of a beetle is usually not that helpful. For example if you were to tell me you saw a little brown beetle it could be one of a long list of the bugs, including the drugstore beetle. Read more »