Bugs With Mike

Explore the captivating world of Atlas moths, the majestic giants of the moth kingdom, renowned for their immense wingspan and striking appearance. Delve into their fascinating physical characteristics, behaviors, life cycle, and habitat preferences.

Mosquitoes are at best annoying, and at worst deadly.If you look up a list of the world's most hated animals, you're probably going to find mosquitoes on that list, and with good reason.Here in the United States, mosquitoes are mostly just an annoying nuisance with the occasional warning about West Nile or some other mosquito-borne disease. But each year, 1 in 12 people worldwide are infected with a mosquito-borne illness, and about every 45 seconds, someone dies from malaria, a parasite transmitted by mosquitoes.So do mosquitoes have any redeeming qualities? What stops us from completely eradicating them from off the face of the earth? What good are mosquitoes? 00:00 - Introduction 00:38 - Role of mosquitoes in the environment 01:21 - Mosquitoes inspiring medicine and engineering 01:41 - Mosquitoes as vaccinators 04:50 - Should we eradicate all mosquitoes? 06:07 - Should we eradicate only the disease carrying mosquitoes? 07:37 - Which mosquitoes can we get rid of? 07:55 - My verdict You can find the written version, along with a list of references, here: https://bugswithmike.com/blog/deep-dive/are-mosquitoes-any-good Follow Mike Snapchat -- https://snapchat.com/add/modelsbymike3d Instagram -- https://www.instagram.com/BugsWithMike/ Twitter -- https://twitter.com/BugsWithMike TikTok -- https://www.tiktok.com/@bugswithmike

Did you know the military employs entomologists? David Bradt, a former entomologist in the US Army, shares his experiences and career path. Although he was a life-long lover of all things creepy-crawly, he didn't settle on entomology until he was in college. He then got into mosquito control and was able to apply his knowledge both overseas and at home in the US. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask what would happen if we got rid of all the mosquitos in the world. I'll let you watch the video to find out what he thinks 😉 I had a great time interviewing David and hearing his stories and experiences. Being a military entomologist isn't for everyone, but it can be a fantastic career option.

Not every entomologist grew up with a love for bugs. I spoke with Dr. Rebecca Maldonado about how she discovered a love for insects during college and how that turned into a PhD and continuing into a postdoctoral position. During her PhD, Dr. Maldonado was fortunate enough to get to do some field work in Australia. I had a ton of fun hearing her stories about braving extreme weather (both dry and wet) while searching for termites. You might also be surprised by her go-to piece of collecting equipment, although once she shares what it is you'll probably think, "Of course!" She also had some great life advice she received from her dad about picking a career path. But my favorite quote from the interview has to be "If there's an insect around, you have a friend."