Every year is different when it comes to mosquito-borne diseases.  During the summer and fall of 2019, the eastern US has seen a bump in cases of a potentially lethal disease—Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE)—which has led to health concerns. Here are five key things to know about Eastern Equine Encephalitis: 1. Eastern Equine Encephalitis is a mosquito-borne disease. But one species in particular, Culiseta melanura, plays a critical role.  Culiseta melanura is widely distributed across the eastern US, but is specifically associated with freshwater swamps with standing trees.  The larvae of t ..read more

It’s been a big year for the lily leaf beetle (Lilioceris lilii) in Wisconsin.  The lily leaf beetle (or scarlet lily beetle) is an invasive Eurasian species that made its first appearance in the state back in 2014.  This species originally showed up in North America around the time of World War II, arriving in eastern Canada with shipments of plant materials.  It eventually spread into New England in the 1990’s and has been moving westward ever since.  True to its name, this species has a fondness for lilies and can cause significant damage to true lilies (Lilium spp.), including both native ..read more

It’s a dark, overcast night as the horde emerges from the nearby woods. There’s no real coordination, but thousands of them—perhaps tens or even hundreds of thousands—seem to wander aimlessly through the yard.  Some approach the darkened farmhouse and a few even manage to make it inside… If this were and episode of The Walking Dead, the protagonists would be in a tough spot, but we’re not talking about zombies in this case.  Instead, the topic is millipedes, which have been surprisingly abundant this summer in parts of the Upper Midwest. Greenhouse Millipede (Oxidus gracilis). Photo Credit: Jo ..read more

Right around this time of the year in Madison and other college towns across the country, a smorgasbord of furniture and other goods appear along the sidewalk as tenants are frantically moving in and out of apartments. For historical reasons related to the need to register for classes in-person at UW-Madison, many of the leases end and begin in Madison around August 14th-15th each year, leading to an abundance of items on the curb free for the taking.   This is such a well-known and easily observable occurrence around Madison, that some have even affectionately referred to it as “Hippie Christ ..read more

It happens every year in August and September: someone takes their lawnmower over a nest in the ground and really “stirs up the hornet’s nest”.  Shortly thereafter, I get a call regarding these black and yellow stinging “ground bees”.  Technically, these nests are neither the work of hornets nor bees, but rather yellowjackets. [There are actually ground-nesting bees, although they tend to be docile, solitary creatures; see this post from April]. Ground-nesting yellowjacket workers at the entrance of their nest. Photo Credit: Jeff Hahn, University of MinnesotaYellowjackets are a type of wasp, r ..read more

“I think I’ve found a kissing bug and wanted to report it” is a surprisingly common line I get at the UW Insect Diagnostic Lab. I’ve previously written about kissing bugs, but to quickly recap: these are blood-feeding assassin bugs found primarily in South and Central America.  Kissing bugs tend to be associated with vertebrate nests outdoors but can bite humans and can also carry Trypanosoma cruzi—a parasite that causes Chagas disease.  Due to this concern, I see a spike in website traffic and “reports” of suspected kissing bugs just about any time there’s national news coverage of these inse ..read more

It’s a funny world we live in.  We hear regular reports of insect declines in the news and still get bombarded with constant ads for services pitching a mosquito free yard all summer and a grub free lawn.  But what about simply appreciating insects and the critical roles they play in our everyday lives?   That’s a goal of the first ever Wisconsin Insect Fest being held at the Kemp Natural Resources Station  in Woodruff, Wisconsin later this month.  The two-day event—being held on Friday, July 26th and Saturday, July 27th—is a celebration of insects. Wisconsin Insect Fest is free, open to the ..read more

Mosquito season has officially kicked off in Wisconsin, meaning the omnipresence of repellents for the foreseeable future.  If mosquitoes have redeeming properties, it’s that they at least serve as food for a wide variety of animals and can even act as pollinators in some cases.  When mosquitoes bite, they do so with surgical precision that would make a phlebotomist green with envy.  Simply reading about mosquitos might make you want to scratch, although on the spectrum of biting flies, things could be much more sinister… Also very active at the moment in Wisconsin are black flies (Family Simu ..read more

This month’s post features contributions from Dr. Bieneke Bron As stories about measles and vaccinations circulate in the news, it’s easy to lose track of other emerging health threats.  May is Lyme Disease Awareness month, and if you want to look at an emerging health threat particularly relevant to the Midwest, look no further than deer ticks and Lyme disease. Adult female deer tick (Ixodes scapularis). Photo credit: Robert Webster / xpda.com / CC-BY-SA-4.0 via Wikipedia. A Brief History of Deer Ticks and Lyme Disease: The Lyme disease story is surprisingly new to Wisconsin and deer ticks ..read more

When it comes to ants at the UW Insect Diagnostic Lab, the top species seen at the lab include carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.), pavement ants (Tetramorium immigrans), and odorous house ants (Tapinoma sessile).  Odorous house ants were the most commonly reported ants at the lab in 2018, possibly due to the rainy conditions which can force these ants indoors in their search for food. Odorous House Ant. The single flattened node is hidden under the gaster. Photo credit: April Nobile, specimen: CASENT0005329, from www.antweb.org. Identifying ants by sight and smell The tiny brownish odorous hous ..read more