Arthro-Pod
The home for Arthro-Pod,the podcast that teaches you about the weird and wonderful world of insects!
Episodes
Happy 2025, Arthro-Pod listeners. We hope this year has treated you as well as it could have and that 2026 is better. During this cold wintery season, Michael and Jonathan say down to talk about ice crawlers, otherwise known as grylloblattids, those enigmatic insects that are associated with glaciers and high mountain environments. Or are they? Listen to the episode to find out why these insects are so cool, and how they deal with ...
Hey there bug lovers! On today's episode, Jody, Michael, and Jonathan sit down and talk about the many wonder products that we can harvest from insects. This isn't just about eating insects, seasoned or not, but about the insects that make something for their own use that we have been able to figure out ways of harvesting and using as well. We talk honey, carmine, and more!
Hello bug lovers! Apologies for the delay but we hope you will enjoy this dive into insects and mythology. Jonathan takes us through the meaning of myth and religion before the while crew shares a story from a mythology that involves insects and they all dissect it. You can find a lot of different publications on this topic and it is a fruitful discussion to consider all the wats that insects and their relatives have affected relig...
Welcome back Arthro-Pod listeners! Chagas disease has been in the news this year after a recent paper stated that it should be considered endemic to the United States. But what does that mean, and what evidence is there for the claim? This week Michael leads the crew in a discussion about Chagas disease and the kissing bugs that vector the pathogen that causes it. We talk about where the disease is primarily found, potential evolut...
Two episodes in one week?! We wanted to make sure to drop this little treat off before the Halloween season officially passes. We hope you will tune in as Jody, Mike, and Jonathan discuss the 1997 cockroach horror film "Mimic". You'll never look at a Blattodean the same way again!
Show notes:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119675/
https://kickseat.com/written-reviews/2011/10/5/mimic-1997.html
In this episode of Arthropod, hosts Jody and Michael delve into the unsettling topic of the New World Screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax, a pest that has made headlines due to its potential impact on livestock and human health. They explore the biology and life cycle of the screwworm, the implications of myiasis, and the historical context of eradication efforts. The discussion highlights the innovative sterile insect technique tha...
Hello bug lovers! In today's pulse pounding episode, Jonathan unleashes his inner nerd to talk at Jody and Michael about the world of comic books and how insects have been used in this visual story telling medium. From the origins of the funny pages to the symbolism behind insects/spiders in super hero books, this episode take a lot of twists and turns. Face front true believer and jump right in!
In this episode, Siavash Taravati, an IPM advisor in Southern California, shares his expertise on managing structural pests, including termites, ants, and cockroaches. He discusses the challenges of pest management, the value of integrated pest management (IPM), and the unique behaviors of pests such as the dark rover ant. Siavash also highlights his research on detecting termites with microwave technology and explores potential re...
Hey there fellow arthropod enthusiasts! In this episode, we talked with Sam Bolton, curator of mites at the Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Specifically, we asked "what exactly is a mite?" and picked apart the fact that "mites" aren't a real group. We also chatted about mite mouthparts and weird, wormy soil mites called nematalycids.
Get the show through Apple Podcast, Spotify,...
Howdy bug lovers! On today's episode, Jody and Jonathan talk about the green world and how insects have helped to form it. There's lot of discussion on plant and insect evolution and how an "evolutionary arms race" has heled to create the world as we know it. If you would like to read along with some of the papers referenced in the episode, here are some links that should provide free access.
Ehrlich & Raven
In this episode of Arthro-pod, we explore the complex challenges of habitat restoration and species conservation through the lens of the endangered Salt Creek Tiger Beetle. Hosts are joined by special guest Dr. Gary Brewer to discuss the beetle’s unique ecological needs and the collaborative efforts to protect it—ranging from captive rearing and reintroduction projects to public outreach, community art, and the ongoing hurdles of c...
Welcome back Arthro-Poders! Today we chat with Louis Nastasi about gall wasps. Louis recently defended his PhD dissertation at Penn State, which focused on the herb gall wasps (Cynipidae: Aulacideini), especially species of Antistrophus on Silphium. A number of the chapters have already been published, including a catalogue of North American herb gall wasps, key to herb gall wasps and their inquilines, and a revision of the Antistr...
Hey there insect lovers! This episode is a real treat, Jody, Jonathan, and Michael are joined by Douglass Hughes and Skalla Resco, two members of the moderation team at r/bugidentification over at Reddit. These are two selfless people who spend their time making sure folks know what insects they are encountering indoors and out and they have so many stories to share!
Tune in to learn about the behind the scenes action of how a subr...
In this episode of Arthropod, hosts Jody Green and Michael Skvarla discuss the importance of beneficial insects in gardening, emphasizing integrated pest management (IPM) strategies. They explore how to identify and encourage beneficial insects, the role of predators, and the significance of plant selection in creating a healthy ecosystem.
Keywords: gardening, beneficial insects, pests, integrated pest management, entomology, inse...
Welcome back bug lovers! If you live in the US, specifically in about 12 different states in the east and midwest, you might be hearing the delightful songs of periodical cicadas. If you have ever wondered how these insects have been studied throughout the years or what they have meant historically, this is the podcast episode for you! Join Jody, Jonathan, and Michael as they go back through time and discuss periodical cicadas and ...
Greetings Arthro-Pod listeners! This week, Michael leads the Arthro-Pod team in a discussion about the abdomen. This is the latest in our series about the different parts of insects and other hexapods. Other episodes include
130: Chew, Digest, Poop - How Insects Eat
While many might consider the abdomen to be a boring hotdog, we find out how there's actually a lot going on b...
In this episode the hosts of Arthro-pod interview Dr. Judy Wu-Smart about the pros and cons of the European honey bees. The conversation touches on the historical context of honey bees in North America, the challenges of colony collapse disorder, the implications of neonicotinoids in agriculture, the impact of pesticides on pollinator health, and the regulatory challenges surrounding bee conservation. The discussion highlights the ...
Greetings Arthro-Pod listeners! This week, Michael continues the story of Walter Reed and the discovery that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes. Specifically, we talk about the major players on the Yellow Fever Board, the experiments they did with live human subjects, and how they determined that mosquitos, and not fomites, are how yellow fever infects each new victim.
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...
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