Bug Squad

Quick! Answer this question: Until recently, praying mantids were thought to be deaf. We now know that 65 percent of all mantid species can hear.

If you're into macro photography of insects, you'll want to check out the amazing photos that won awards, or were accepted into the international Insect Salon competition, affiliated with the Entomological Society of America (ESA) and the Peoria Camera Club, Illinois.

It's important to have a sense of humor, especially in the academic world when seriousness almost always shades levity. But wait...

It's good to see so many publications focusing on the pollinator crisis--because that's exactly what it is, a crisis. Writing for the Nature journal, Sharon Levy recently examined pollination studies that focus on the importance of pollinators and the plants they frequent.

Thanksgiving will come early to the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis. An open house, appropriately themed "Thankful for Bugs," is set from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 1124 Academic Surge on California Drive. And it's free. Visitors can view insect specimens from all over the world.