Bugs With Mike Mike Porter

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
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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."

When you think of an entomologist, you probably think of someone who goes out and collects insects. But what about someone who raises insects? There is a thriving community of people raising pets that may be considered non-traditional by many - insects, spiders, reptiles, amphibians, and more.

Captive breeding of insects and arachnids is important to avoid over-collecting of wild specimens and, in the case of Spencer, to provide a source of food for captive animals. It is also a great way to learn about the life cycle of an insect and how to care for it.

Spencer Doepel is the owner and founder of Ecoflys (affiliate link) which provides black soldier fly larvae for reptile and amphibian keepers. I had a great time talking with him and I learned a ton about how to care for black soldier flies and how they are used in the pet industry and beyond.