Arthro-Pod

Greetings Arthro-Pod listeners! This week, Michael introduces us to yellow fever. Specifically, we cover the first major outbreak of the disease in the United States in Philadelphia in 1793 and the broader history of yellow fever in the United States through the 1800s. This sets the stage for the story of Walter Reed and his discovery that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes, which quickly led it it's eradication from Cuba an...

Hello bug lovers! In this exciting edition of Arthro-Pod, Jody leads Mike and Jon through an episode entirely dedicated to the multicolored Asian lady beetle. It is known by many names, the multicolored lady bug, the Halloween beetle, and the fake ladybug amongst others. You may have seen them in your home just recently or been unlucky enough to feel their bite! In this episode, you'll learn how they appeared in the US, the other w...

Hello bug lovers! Today's episode is a special treat as the Arthro-Pod gang is joined by David Fluker of Fluker Farms and Soldier Fly Technologies to talk about tending to crickets, soldier flies, and more. David is a second generation insect farmer and self proclaimed "ento-preneur", tune in to learn about the history of Fluker Farms, the live feeder insect industry, and what the future may hold for those who use insects as tiny l...

On this episode of Arthro-Pod, join Mike and Jon as they catch up with Jeff Holland of Bugs, Maps, and Math. Jeff was previously a professor at Purdue, where Mike worked in his lab for several semesters. While they catch up on good times, we also learn all about Jeff's insect consulting company, modeling of insect dispersal, and the sorcery of spatial ecology. Tune in!

Hello bug lovers! On today's episode of Arthro-Pod, the gang meets up with top tier guest Dr. Jennifer Gordon to learn about insects and their use in jewelry. Jennifer is an entomological consultant, her business is called Bug Lessons, but she also has a wonderful hobby of seeking out insect themed jewelry, particularly that of a Victorian vintage. Tune in and learn all about this fascinating cultural entomology topic as we learn...

The individual states that make up the United States of America often choose state symbols that represent different facets of their agriculture, their traditions, their cuisine, and their people. In fact, most states have even dipped into the entomological world to choose insect symbols such as state insects, state butterflies, or state agricultural insects. In this episode, the Arthro-Pod gang parses through the mix of chosen in...

Welcome back bug lovers! We apologize for the delay in new content but some technical difficulties have been felt. Everything is back on track now and we'll be posting frequently to end 2024! Tune in to this belated Halloween celebration where we dive into the 1990 film, "Arachnophobia". Prep yourself for some bizarre spider behavior, as well as John Goodman hamming it up as a fascinating practitioner of the pest control arts. 

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Join Michael Skvarla of Penn State Entomology for a tour around the annual Great Insect Fair. 

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Spotted lanternfly is one of the most dashing and prominent invasive species in the United States. This colorful planthopper is known for feeding on tree of heaven (another invasive species...) and grapes amongst quite a few others. Though they are likely best known for being being big and colorful and for going to bathroom all over everything. Join the Arthro-Pod gang as they sit down with Dr. Julie Urban of Penn State to talk a...

On today's episode, Michael is flying solo when he interviews Dr. Sarah Lower of Bucknell University. Dr. Lower is an expert on the evolution of signaling in the fireflies, one of the more popular group of insects we have here on Earth. Usually when people think of this flashy group, they visualize their ability to light up. Tune in to hear Dr. Lower talk about how not all fireflies are illuminated and her work with a pheromone for...

Hello bug lovers and welcome to another episode of Arthro-Pod! Today, we're going to the world of mites, specifically, we will talking all about the pyemotes itch mite. This teeny tiny biting pest has been making a splash in the news recently, with lots of people in Chicago and other Illinois city's complaining about their painful nibbles. We'll talk all about the seemingly mysterious origins of the oak leaf itch mite, how entomo...

Greetings from the void, bug lovers! Today's episode is a bit different in flavor... Michael and Jonathan met up this month for a dual family vacation and they are in search of the mythical Mothman! Join them as the delve into the world of cryptozoology and ask the question, why aren't there more insect cryptids? Check out the show notes to hear from John Acorn, entomology luminary, on this exact topic. Then, listen as they recou...

Today's episode is a twisted one! After meeting one of our listeners a while back, there was a request for a deep dive into the world of strepsiptera, aka the twisted wing parasites. This order of insects may not be a big one, but they do hold a lot of surprises. Mike leads Jody and Jonathan through a tour of their biology, taxonomy, and why they are so useful for students who are in an insect collection course. Tune in!

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Hello bug lovers! On today's episode of Arthro-Pod, the gang will be taking you on a journey through the first section of an insect's body, the head. This magnificent center for information gathering and processing has many wonderful adaptations of internal and external anatomy that it's truly a marvel to dissect and consider. Tune in to hear all about how the insect head came to be, what important processes occur in the head, and...

Hello bug lovers and welcome back to Arthro-Pod! On today's show, the gang sits down with Dr. Eliza Grames of Binghamton University to talk about insects in decline. Terms like "insect apocalypse" are used in the media often and people have been asking Extension professionals about the gradual disappearance of things like fireflies and monarchs, Eliza helps to unpack what we know is happening with bug populations across the world...

Hello bug lovers and mosquito haters! On today's episode of Arthro-Pod, Michael and Jonathan delve into the long history between malaria and humanity. You won't believe the most famous folks taken down by this disease/pathogen! Plus we track the trail of malaria to the Americas and conclude the show with a discussion on the saga of malaria eradication in the United State's southern region. Tune in won't you??

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Hello vault dwellers and bug lovers! On today's episode of Arthro-Pod, the gang dips their toes into the cultural zeitgeist to talk about the video game/television show "Fallout" and more specifically about the horrible mutated arthropods that exist in that universe. Tune in to hear about the biology of giant "radroaches", feel the sting of the "stingwing", and maybe befriend your own mothman. It's a lot of fun to look at the entom...