Catherine Scott assisting a documentary crew with filming black widows at Island View Beach in BC.
An upcoming “Nature of Things” documentary on CBC will feature several prominent Canadian entomologists/arachnologists talking about mating and courtship of various arthropods. Maydianne Andrade, Andrew Mason, and Luciana Baruffaldi from UTSC, Catherine Scott from McGill, Darryl Gwynne from UTM are among the scientists featured in the documentary. Below is the press release. Check it out March 10!
Some mating carrion beetles (not featured in the documentary)
CHECK OUT THE INTIMATE LIVES OF INSECTS IN BUG SEX PREMIERING FRIDAY, MARCH 10 ON THE NATURE OF THINGS
There are 10 quintillion of them on this planet and their numbers keep growing so they must be up to something, right? They are. But how do bugs actually mate? In this new documentary filmmakers use cutting-edge camera technology –and a healthy sense of humour–to take viewers into the little-known and rarely seen world of insect sexual activity. What the bugs do is surprising, sometimes borderline tender or even shockingly brutal. Bug Sex premieres on The Nature of Things, Friday, March 10 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC and the free CBC Gem streaming service.
Why should the sex lives of bugs interest us? “If human beings ceased to exist, the planet would continue just fine,” explains Andrew Gregg, who made Bug Sex. “But eliminate all the insects and arachnids and the world’s ecology would collapse.” He notes that seeing how insects breed and go to incredible lengths to ensure their genes carry on is a window into how evolution works.
With intriguing visuals, Bug Sex looks how a wide variety of spiders, crickets and flies breed, everything from black widow spiders to Pacific field crickets. Viewers will be astonished at the mating habits of fruit flies and at what the male black widow spider sacrifices for the sake of a sexual union. Then there is the kinky behavior of the wolf spider with its sexual cannibalism and just wait until you see the courting technique of dance flies! “Looking at the bug world is like stepping into an alternate reality that exists all around us,” Gregg notes.
To guide viewers into this world, Gregg assembled a number of insect biologists, and he feels that today with more women scientists in the field there is a greater understanding of the female half of the insect population. He points out that many bug scientists are actually partnered couples who share a mutual interest. Like Maydianne Andrade and husband Andrew Mason from the University of Toronto who we join as they observe monster haglids in Alberta. “We are both interested in the libido of bugs,” Dr Andrade explains.
Joining them in this documentary are Marlene Zuk and her husband John Rotenberry as they seek field crickets in Hawaii, and on Vancouver Island we find Catherine Scott and partner Sean McCann looking out for black widow spiders. Bug Sex even ventures to Uruguay where solo scientist Anita Aisenberg explores the unconventional mating rituals of wolf spiders.
Darryl Gwynn explores the machinations of tree cricket courting and then the intricacies of how they actually get it together. “Insects are so diverse,” he says. “And as the years go by they are coming up with more and more novel systems—new insect systems that do bizarrely different things.” But is it possible that insects derive any pleasure during their couplings? Dr. Lisha Shao at the University of Delaware provides evidence that the lively and intoxicated fruit fly is actually having a good time.
Bug Sex is a unique opportunity to glimpse into the fascinating and hidden world of the tiny creatures that are all around us. It is an invitation to be a bug voyeur!
*****************
Bug Sex is written and directed by Andrew Gregg and co-produced with Deborah Parks. It is made by Red Trillium Films in association with CBC.
For CBC: Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Scripted, and Sport; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Sandra Kleinfeld is Senior Director, Documentaries; Sue Dando & Lesley Birchard, Executives in Charge of Production.
MEDIA CONTACT: David McCaughna davidmcc2@gmail.com 416-859-1004
Cameron Chair in Ecological Pest Management
Member Survey Request – ICE 2032
Canadian entomologists to be featured in new Nature of Things episode!
Catherine Scott assisting a documentary crew with filming black widows at Island View Beach in BC.
An upcoming “Nature of Things” documentary on CBC will feature several prominent Canadian entomologists/arachnologists talking about mating and courtship of various arthropods. Maydianne Andrade, Andrew Mason, and Luciana Baruffaldi from UTSC, Catherine Scott from McGill, Darryl Gwynne from UTM are among the scientists featured in the documentary. Below is the press release. Check it out March 10!
Some mating carrion beetles (not featured in the documentary)
CHECK OUT THE INTIMATE LIVES OF INSECTS IN BUG SEX PREMIERING FRIDAY, MARCH 10 ON THE NATURE OF THINGS
There are 10 quintillion of them on this planet and their numbers keep growing so they must be up to something, right? They are. But how do bugs actually mate? In this new documentary filmmakers use cutting-edge camera technology –and a healthy sense of humour–to take viewers into the little-known and rarely seen world of insect sexual activity. What the bugs do is surprising, sometimes borderline tender or even shockingly brutal. Bug Sex premieres on The Nature of Things, Friday, March 10 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC and the free CBC Gem streaming service.
Why should the sex lives of bugs interest us? “If human beings ceased to exist, the planet would continue just fine,” explains Andrew Gregg, who made Bug Sex. “But eliminate all the insects and arachnids and the world’s ecology would collapse.” He notes that seeing how insects breed and go to incredible lengths to ensure their genes carry on is a window into how evolution works.
With intriguing visuals, Bug Sex looks how a wide variety of spiders, crickets and flies breed, everything from black widow spiders to Pacific field crickets. Viewers will be astonished at the mating habits of fruit flies and at what the male black widow spider sacrifices for the sake of a sexual union. Then there is the kinky behavior of the wolf spider with its sexual cannibalism and just wait until you see the courting technique of dance flies! “Looking at the bug world is like stepping into an alternate reality that exists all around us,” Gregg notes.
To guide viewers into this world, Gregg assembled a number of insect biologists, and he feels that today with more women scientists in the field there is a greater understanding of the female half of the insect population. He points out that many bug scientists are actually partnered couples who share a mutual interest. Like Maydianne Andrade and husband Andrew Mason from the University of Toronto who we join as they observe monster haglids in Alberta. “We are both interested in the libido of bugs,” Dr Andrade explains.
Joining them in this documentary are Marlene Zuk and her husband John Rotenberry as they seek field crickets in Hawaii, and on Vancouver Island we find Catherine Scott and partner Sean McCann looking out for black widow spiders. Bug Sex even ventures to Uruguay where solo scientist Anita Aisenberg explores the unconventional mating rituals of wolf spiders.
Darryl Gwynn explores the machinations of tree cricket courting and then the intricacies of how they actually get it together. “Insects are so diverse,” he says. “And as the years go by they are coming up with more and more novel systems—new insect systems that do bizarrely different things.” But is it possible that insects derive any pleasure during their couplings? Dr. Lisha Shao at the University of Delaware provides evidence that the lively and intoxicated fruit fly is actually having a good time.
Bug Sex is a unique opportunity to glimpse into the fascinating and hidden world of the tiny creatures that are all around us. It is an invitation to be a bug voyeur!
*****************
Bug Sex is written and directed by Andrew Gregg and co-produced with Deborah Parks. It is made by Red Trillium Films in association with CBC.
For CBC: Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Scripted, and Sport; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Sandra Kleinfeld is Senior Director, Documentaries; Sue Dando & Lesley Birchard, Executives in Charge of Production.
MEDIA CONTACT: David McCaughna davidmcc2@gmail.com 416-859-1004
Student travel grants available for International Congress of Dipterology
The 10th International Congress of Dipterology (ICDX) is being held July 16-21 2023 in Reno, Nevada. Travel grants from the North American Dipterists Society, the Linnaean Society of London, and the Entomological Society of Canada have been made available to support student attendance. Funding from the Entomological Society of Canada will go specifically towards supporting Canadian students.
To apply, please visit https://dipterists.org/grants_awards.html and click on the Travel Grants tab.
The deadline to apply is March. 15th
Behind the winning shots: conopid stack!
Female Physocephala tibialis with three males trying to claim her. Brampton Ontario
How did this image come about?
I was taking pictures of bees and butterflies in a part of Heart Lake Conservation Area that has a lot of wildflower plantings. I was in an area with goldenrod when I spotted a clump of something that included two Physocephala tibialis (a male and a female) and a Japanese Beetle. The flies seemed to move on from the beetle and they were joined by another male bringing the total to 3 flies. About 5 minutes later a third male joined in and then there was a lot of jockeying around for position. During this time I had to use one hand to hold the plant stem in the position I wanted and was shooting with the other. After about 90 pictures and 10 minutes the flies finally managed to get their formation lined up perfectly and I got the picture.
What do you like best about this image?
That all of the flies are in focus with a background that wasn’t too busy.
Society directors: call for nominations
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS-APPLICATIONS
Deadline approaching: 28 February!
Society Directors help govern the ESC
Please help govern your society!
Submit nominations to ESC co-secretaries: ESCSecretary@esc-sec.ca
Achievement Awards
Please recognize the excellence of our colleagues!
Submit nominations to ESC vice-president: colin.favret@umontreal.ca
See the December 2022 ESC Bulletin (pp. 197-200) for details.
Behind the winning shots: “A drilling weevil”
The story behind this image is another interesting part apart from the ecological fact. There is a large banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) on our university campus. One day I was just crossing the tree and suddenly a tiny insect fell on my shirt from the tree. I picked it up and noticed that it was a damn tiny weevil with a ridiculously long snout! I was astonished and started observing the tree closely. After a while, I found a lot of them walking on the tree; however, they were a bit sensitive and used to fly away if disturbed. So, I planned to photograph them the next day. I went to the campus early in the morning. With a lot of patience and slow movements, I searched for a few minutes and found a few individuals drilling through the immature fig fruits. I had my camera with an external flash and a homemade diffuser attached. When I looked at them through the viewfinder, it was an amazing sight! It was spinning its head sideways while drilling. I took a few shots and checked that out on the camera LCD screen, and it was done! The snout was so long that it had to lift its body first by stretching the legs and then it could properly place the tip of the snout on the ostiole. Altogether, it was a bizarre thing to me, I must say! Later on, I observed that they laid eggs inside the fig right after the drilling was done.
What do you like best about this image?
The best part I feel in this image is that we may think of a fig as insignificant or just a regular fruit, but for this tiny cute weevil this fig serves as a whole world wherein their babies will grow and come out successfully one day. The fig trees are often called the queen of the trees. It supports a great diversity of life alone! Conservation of fig trees should be one of the important criteria in land-use management plans.What is one piece of advice you would give to newcomers to insect photography?
From my little experience, I would suggest newcomers to wait and observe patiently during insect photography, so that they could predict the next move that the insects would make.
Behind the winning shots: Brown Mantidfly
A brown mantidfly, perched on a Purple Prairie Clover. The insect resembles a reddish Polistes wasp crossed with a mantid, and has striking green eyes. The flower is brilliant pink, with yellow pollen on the stamens, and there are more out of focus in the background.
In this first of a series of three posts, we will find out what went into making a winning photo in the 2022 ESC photo contest. The first shot we will consider is the third place winner, Thilina Hettiarachchi with this stunning shot of a brown mantidfly Climaciella brunnea (Neuroptera: Mantispidae). Thilina is an MSc student at the University of Manitoba studying taxonomy of Lasioglossum bees. .
I asked all the winners about their images:
How did this image come about?
I am originally from Sri Lanka and currently in an MSc in Entomology program at the University of Manitoba. Macrophotography is just one of my many hobbies, and it allows me to explore the beauty of insects and communicate that to others. I have a long-term goal of publishing a photobook of the insects of Manitoba. This past summer was an exciting one for me, as it was my first in Canada. While working on my research project, I had the opportunity to assist with pollinator surveys in the Manitoba Wildlife Management areas. This allowed me to explore new, exciting areas of Manitoba, and that is how I encountered this beautiful Brown Mantidfly.
What do you like best about this image?
Among the images I captured this summer, this is my favourite shot. This was my first encounter with this species and only my second encounter with the ever-charismatic Mantidfies. Beyond that, I love the colors, especially the background of Purple Prairie Clover (Dalea purpurea). These mantidflies are also not commonly recorded in Manitoba.
What is one piece of advice you would give to newcomers to insect photography?
If you are a newcomer, I would encourage you to practice as much as possible. Your patience is the most important skill you should develop to begin with this insect photography. Moreover, make sure to always get to know your photo subject. Since they are tiny, living creatures, it is very important to know their habits and behaviours. If you have at least a rough idea, then you know where you can find them and how best to handle them. I would also highly recommend considering using a flasher and a good diffuser to enhance the subject’s natural beauty. Shooting with soft and diffused light will take your photos quality to a whole new level.
Contribute! Special Issue of TCE: “Building Together: Indigenous Leadership in Entomology”
The Canadian
Entomologist
invites you to contribute to
a Special Issue:
Building together: Indigenous leadership in entomology (English)
Bâtir ensemble: Leadership autochtone en entomologie (French)
Toqitasik: L’nu’k ikana’tu’tij wjit ula entomology (Mi’kmaq)
Ka-mawmawi oushistawk: indigene neekawneewin daw entomology (Michif Cree)
Oko-ozhitooyang: Niigaananishinaabewanokiiwin gaye inwewin (Western Ojibway)
Agiklitiqniganik havaqatigiikniqmit: Nunaqaqaqtut Hivuliqhuqnigit kumaliqijutinuani (Inuinnaqtun)
“Building together” strives to build a foundation for future research and reveal areas that could benefit from an Indigenous perspective.
We seek submissions that include Indigenous knowledge sharing, co-creation and/or collaboration between Indigenous Peoples and Allochtones covering all areas of entomology.
To be included in the September 2023 roll-out of the issue please submit by June 30, 2023 at: cambridge.org/core/journals/canadian-entomologist
For more information: editor@esc-sec.ca
Volunteer positions with the Entomological Society of Canada Scholarship Fund
Chair of the Fund
The Entomological Society of Canada’s Scholarship Fund is seeking to fill the position of Chair of the Fund beginning in January, 2023. The Scholarship Fund is a registered charity in Canada which provides a number of financial awards to university students studying entomology. The duties of this position include chairing meetings of the Scholarship Fund Trustees, signing award notification letters to successful student applicants as selected by the ESC Student Awards Committee, presenting student scholarship awards at the ESC Joint Annual Meeting and communicating with the ESC Board on relevant matters. General knowledge of the affairs of the ESC would be an advantage as well as a passion for furthering educational opportunities for students in the field of entomology.
Treasurer of the Fund
The Entomological Society of Canada’s Scholarship Fund is looking to fill the position of Fund Treasurer, beginning in January 2023. The duties include, but are not limited to, custody of the ESC Scholarship funds, reporting on the Scholarship Fund’s finances when required, submitting a budget to the Trustees for approval and to the ESC June Board meeting to inform the ESC Board, submitting an audited financial statement at the end of each financial year to the membership by posting it in the Scholarship Fund web page, and serving as a Trustee of the Fund and on the ESC Finance Committee. Previous experience with financial reporting and/or accounting would be an advantage, as is a general knowledge of the affairs of the Society.
Please express your interest in the above positions to the co-Secretaries of the ESC (ESCSecretary@esc-sec.ca). The final selection will be made by the Trustees of the Fund.