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
Wider aspects of a career in Entomology: 5-7
Larva of the tobacco budworm, a common host of the tachinid parasitoids that were studied. Length about 3 cm. (Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University / © Bugwood.org.)
Continuing with the posting of Hugh Danks’ series “Wider aspects of a career in Entomology”, we bring you the next three installments.
“This series of articles outlines some ancillary aspects of my entomological
career, for the potential amusement of readers.”
H. Ryan (USFWS)
Adult tachinid of the genus Winthemia, similar to the species studied. Length about 0.8 cm. Insektarium.net
Bandwagonman (CC BY-SA-3.0,2.5,2.0,1.0)
Hugh Danks’ Wider aspects of a career in entomology: 1-4
Author Hugh Danks on Bathurst Island in July 1969.
We will be reissuing this series by Hugh Danks, first published in the Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Canada, so that readers can get caught up with the series, before newer articles are published. The older articles will be published in blocks, so that they can be downloaded and read,
1. Winter in Canada
2. A winter project
3. The high Arctic
4. The high Arctic, continued
Cameron Chair in Ecological Pest Management: deadline extended!
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: 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