Bugscope: Members Page

Live Session Transcript

Connected on 2008-05-23 13:30:00 from San Antonio, TX, US

12:28pm
Bugscope Team back from Chicago, where it was not raining; making breakfast
12:34pm
Bugscope Team session enabled, RXL started,waiting on vacuum
Bugscope Team welcome to bugscope!
Bugscope Team Hello!
Teacher Hello BugScopers!
Bugscope Team We are setting up for your session. Now all you see on the screen is the inside of the microscope -- the specimen chamber.
Bugscope Team Cate is at the lab and I am in the Outer World, on vacation this week. Cate is waiting for the vacuum to become good enough to start the electron beam.
Bugscope Team She has made a map of the sample and will be moving to different places to make presets for your session.
12:40pm
Teacher Sounds great!
Bugscope Team So you are getting a preview of the places you may wish to drive to.

Teacher what bug is this currently?
Bugscope Team this is the beetle you sent
Teacher Awesome!
Bugscope Team as usual we mount them dorsal side down so you can see the mouth and all of the limbs
Bugscope Team or ventral side up...
12:45pm
Teacher h
Bugscope Team this is one of the claws
Teacher did you get the mantis?

Bugscope Team yes
Bugscope Team Cate looks for cool things to make into presets; she wants to make the kids wonder where the thing is, what it is attached to...
Teacher Super...they did research and had to label pics of each bug...
Bugscope Team Cate has to do all of the work today -- there is no one at the lab to help her. But she is tough and can handle it.
Bugscope Team you can see this is the mantis
Teacher we did the scientific nomenclature of each...but will prob ask about the specific species...

12:51pm
Teacher this pic is AWESOME!
Bugscope Team i think the iridescent beetle is a tiger beetle and i think this is a minor ground mantis, but I am not an expert on bugs
Bugscope Team if Annie, our entomologist, is able to log on she will be very helpful that way
Bugscope Team gnarly
Bugscope Team there's some pollen
Bugscope Team pollen grains

Bugscope Team Annie is in California, collecting for the summer
Bugscope Team she works with Cerambycids -- long-horned beetles
Bugscope Team the 'horns' are the antennae, which are often so long that they fold back past the body on either side
Bugscope Team this one liked to roll around in pollen
Bugscope Team this guy was lounging in pollen
Teacher very cool! What is your specialty?

Teacher we found the beetle in leaves out at the boyscout park at a high pollen count week
Bugscope Team what we do is train researchers to use microscopes to do their own work -- graduate students and postdocs, mostly. But we have been doing bugscope for more than 9 years and know a little about 'bugs'
Bugscope Team it was a very pretty beetle
12:56pm
Bugscope Team moths, skippers, butterflies, silverfish, and mosquitos have scales, but some other insects have them as well, we have found
Bugscope Team wow
Bugscope Team look at the serrations on the spider fangs, and the poison pores

Bugscope Team you will be able to call them up later as a preset

Bugscope Team this is some kind of 'true' bug, perhaps an assassin bug
Bugscope Team it has piercing/sucking mouthparts
1:02pm

Bugscope Team back to the beginning
Bugscope Team we are done with presets and the session is unlocked--if you want to practice "driving" you can
Teacher okay...how do i manipulate the scope? will the kids have the ability to manipulate the scope...
1:07pm
Bugscope Team Cate does not become Cate until she gets into her office and can use her own computer

Bugscope Team edge of the world

Bugscope Team it is difficult, sometimes, to drive using 'click to drive'
Teacher i clicked and started talking...oops...
Bugscope Team sometimes it is easier to navigate using 'click to center'

Bugscope Team if you get lost when driving, you can use a preset to get you back to somewhere
Bugscope Team when you click to drive you also have to click to stop

Bugscope Team and sometimes it is not clear how many times you have clicked -- sent a command

Bugscope Team there's the praying mantis

1:12pm

Bugscope Team the minor ground mantis is widespread in the west from canada to mexico. males can fly but the females are wingless.

Bugscope Team try focussing
Bugscope Team if it gets worse go the other way
Bugscope Team there we go
Bugscope Team (that was me, focussing)
Teacher ya...i'm not so good at that...

Bugscope Team this is cool
Bugscope Team these are the sharp spines on the forelimbs that help the mantis grasp its prey
1:17pm
Bugscope Team like male mantids :p
Teacher we found a picture of a mantis eating a hummingbird...of course it was much bigger than this one
Bugscope Team yes that is one of the bigger mantids, they can eat small birds and reptiles i believe
Bugscope Team that would take some quick movement

Bugscope Team compound eyes are said to confer a better ability to see motion that occurs quickly
Teacher the kids will for sure ask about the color of the beetle...

Teacher what am I looking at here?
1:23pm
Bugscope Team im not sure, could you try taking the mag down a little please?
Bugscope Team this is the edge of an arm, looks like

Bugscope Team ah it's a palp

Bugscope Team this is a palp, if its from a preset, it might have moved a little
Bugscope Team it is one of the modified limb-like structures that the insect uses to manipulate and also taste food
Teacher yes...from the beetle...any thoughts about the green color?
Bugscope Team you mean why it is green, or how it is green?
Bugscope Team some colors, like red, are warning colors
Bugscope Team might be to attract mates as well
Bugscope Team birds and other predators know that, for example, ladybugs do not taste good
Bugscope Team what's also cool is it had purple legs
1:30pm
Teacher they will prob ask both...why & how?

Bugscope Team Okay it is a little tricky sometimes.
Bugscope Team Some colors come from pigments, like pteridine and carotenes.
Bugscope Team And some colors are structural, like the colors you see in the grooves of a record. Maybe not the best analogy.
Bugscope Team sometimes insects that are not poisonous will color themselves to resemble poisonous insects
1:36pm
Bugscope Team or they are bee mimics, for example, 'cause no one wants to bother a bee
Bugscope Team just a warning, the internet at our university might go in and out, it seems they are experiencing some problems, though I do hope it stays stable
Student hi
1:41pm
Bugscope Team hello McSeth
Student i have a few questions
Teacher okay...kids are coming...logging in now...they are in pairs
Bugscope Team welcome to bugscope!
Student about the mantisis
Student Hello Cate
Student Hello Scott
Student hi guys
Bugscope Team Hi You All!
Student ok
Student wow
Bugscope Team Welcome to Bugscope!
Student i have a question
Student Hello!
Student Scott i have some questions for u to answer
Student i have a qeustion too!
Student Don't we all?
Bugscope Team It looks like we are having intermittent network problems on our end, which is unusual... but fire away!
Student are there any poisonus mantis that could kill a person or human
Student hi
Student We have a question! What is the picture?
Bugscope Team I don't believe there are mantises that can kill humans
Student Hi
Student what is the pic about
Student Hi! We have some questions.
Bugscope Team right now we seem to be looking at a leg
Student What types of bugs do mantises eat
Student we all do
Student mantis leg?
Bugscope Team this is a claw -- if you take the mag down a little you can tell
Student How many eggs/larva do praying mantis lay?
Bugscope Team depending on the species- 10-400 eggs
Student my question is have u found any new species
Bugscope Team mantises eat lots of other bugs, and the females can also eat the males, sometimes
Student Hi Scott! Our question is for the Japanese Beetle.
Student do other insects eat prying mantises
Student um yah i have another question
Student how does it eat
Student what species do they belong to
Student that is alot
Bugscope Team we have looked at new species before and helped entomologists take images of them so they can describe them in publications
Student do mantis eat their young
Bugscope Team they might if they can't find enough food
Student Do the beetle's shells act like armor? (Japanese Beetle ???)
Student ok... what type of head is this bug to?
Student on pic 13
Bugscope Team they can eat their young if their young are not careful
Student can a mantis kill you?
Student What type of animals do the Mantis have to watch out for
Student how can you tell if their male or female?
Student how many eggs do the Japanese beetles lay?
Student ok do the young mantisis eat each other of any species
Student Hey I have a qeustion about the japanese beetle. Does the Japanese Beetle have a mating call?
Student like cannibals
Student Cate, do mantises leave young after birth or keep them in close range
Bugscope Team they keep them in close range because other things will attack the egg sack like parasitic wasps
Bugscope Team the beetle shell is like armor
Student or do they just leave eachother alone
Bugscope Team it protects the wings
Bugscope Team a praying mantis is not poisonous and can not kill you (unless there is a 6foot praying mantis somewhere)
1:46pm
Student Thank you. About both, do either of them discard their own offspring like some other insects?
Student Do families of the beetle stick together after it is made?
Student what is your favorite bug?
Student what kind of terrain do they live in?
Student the ant mouth looks weird
Bugscope Team yes it does, it looks like another insect is trying to climb out
Bugscope Team some insects are social and some are not
Bugscope Team I like mites
Student like humans

Student DO OTHER INSECTS EAT THE PRAYING MANTIS
Student cate, do mantids disgaurd their young?
Student If a praying mantis are great fighters and camoflagers why do they only live a year
Student Scott, does the praying mantis have to watch out for an other animals
Bugscope Team few other insects will eat praying mantises
Student yea it does look like that
Student I take it by social you don't mean chatting with each other in their own language?
Student can a mantis or betle break skin?
Student which ones ?
Bugscope Team they have to watch out for large birds, but they will eat small birds themselves, sometimes
Student Why does the female eat the male after they mate?
Bugscope Team some beetles can break your skin
Student IS THERE A CERTIAN SEASON WHERE YOU CAN FIND A PRATYING MANTIS
Student hey do japanese beetles take care of their young like a family
Bugscope Team birds and bats are big on the list of eating praying mantids
Student do u know how Mantises see?(black and white?, night vision, color, or in many directions..etc)
Student how do the beatel mate
Student what is the mantid's predator?
Student What is their average life span?
Bugscope Team in captivity some species can live for 14 months, and in the wild- 10-12 months
Student of a mantis
Student about how much food do they consume daily ??
Bugscope Team I think the female eats because she is hungry. Once she mates she needs food to be able to lay her eggs.
Student Scott, why do the mantis grow only 2 to 5 inches?
Student oh thanx
Student So were really seen real insects as they appear right now?
Student scott, how many diffrent types of species of mantises are there?
Bugscope Team there are 2300 known species
Student scott or cate!! how do the praying mantis communicate with one another?
Bugscope Team an insect is constrained in how much it can grow because of how it delivers oxygen to its tissues
Student What is the biggest thing reported that a praying mantis ate?
Bugscope Team i'm not sure, but they can eat lizards, small birds, and even rodents
Student Sweet!
Bugscope Team so insects cannot be super large

Student Are the japanese beetles harmful to the environment?

Student how can you tell the difference between a male and a female?
Student cate how do u tell male beatels from females?
Student Hey Scott, is it possible for a praying mantis to eat its own kind?
Bugscope Team millions of years ago there was more oxygen available in the atmosphere and insects could be larger
Student wow!! that pic looks awesome
Student about how much of a praying matis young survive to adulthood
Student wow!! that pic looks awesome
Bugscope Team yes they can eat their own kind, and the males have to be careful not to be eaten by the females
1:51pm
Student love that pic!
Student How do the praying mantis react to predadors?
Student how large can the praying manis grow
Bugscope Team that depends on the species, the one you sent us was barely an inch long, others can get to 6inches long
Student how STRONG are praing mantids
Bugscope Team we are looking at the spines that the mantis uses to grip its pray
Student love thart
Bugscope Team prey
Student What's pic 11?
Bugscope Team salt from a weny's restaurant
Bugscope Team sorry'
Student do mother japanesse beatels leave their young after they hatch or keep them with them until adulthood?
Student do the japanese beatles have a mating call
Student pic 11 is salt
Student the pollen looks awesome!
Student y r
Bugscope Team you know those are presets, and your teacher can drive the microscope to the preset and then change mag, etc.
Student love that pic!... What is it?
Student Why does the japanese beete have its metalic green color?
Student why does the female mantis eat the male after mating?
Student Cate, is it possible for a japanese beetle to eat its own kind?
Student just another reason not to go to wendys
Bugscope Team the green color probably helps the beetles recognize each other
Student wat is pic 9?
Student What is the picture above?
Student does a mantid have a mating call?
Student Where did the mantis originate from?
Bugscope Team mantises are green and sometimes brown and sometimes white
Student can praying matis fly ?
Student I don't understand what picture 13 is! What is it?
Student Dose the praying mantis ambush pray or chase it down?
Bugscope Team the colors in those cases are camouflage
Student pic 7 is a compound eye but whats eye
Bugscope Team a small moth
Bugscope Team they usually ambush their prey
Student wat is the picture above
Bugscope Team this is a praying mantis arm (the part that holds the prey)
Student how can you tell if the bug is a malle or female?
Bugscope Team here I will move the image so you can see...

Student Does the praying mantis hunt at night or day?

Student do the japanese beatles have a spaecial mating call?

Student This next question from us is going to be about the Japanese beetle
Student oh thats awesome wat is it?!!!!!
Bugscope Team they hunt during the day for sure, I am not sure about the night
Student do Japanese beatles eat beside leaves and flowers
Student do you know how mantises see?(black and white, color, )

Student does the japanese beetle have a mating call
Student how exactly do the japanese beetles mate? When is Mating season?
Student where the jumping spider get its poison

Student Why do they only eat from early June to Labor day
Student Do Japanees beetles lay their eggs n a certain plant?

Student what is a true bug ?

Student we didnt research a true bug? what is it?
Student what is the difference between an insect and a bug?
Student How can you tell a male from a female? For both
Student why are pollen garins yellow
Student do the beatels eat there children or predators?
1:56pm
Student what is the picture above
Student what is the piture abocve
Bugscope Team the little ball is a pollen grain and the bumps are the individual facets of a compound eye. all of this is on a true bug head

Bugscope Team a true bug is an insect -- a hemipteran -- that is characterized by certain features such as piercing mouthparts
Student how long does it take for the eggs to hatch ?
Student that looks awesome

Student scott, can a praying mantis kill a japanease beetle or the other way around?
Bugscope Team above is an eye, and yes that is pollen!
Student what are mantises main predator?
Student Does the praying mantis eat the whole bug or just certain parts. ex.suck the blood out?
Student Cate Why do the japanese beetle eat from early June to Labor day
Bugscope Team that's when there are the most bugs, at least here. i don't see too many insects outside in the winter
Student Did the japanease beetle upset the food chain when it was dicovered in the U.S?
Bugscope Team they may seem annoying, but they help farmers and gardeners. they eat aphids that destroy plants
Bugscope Team a praying mantis is more likely to kill a Japanese beetle than the other way around
Student Do japanese beetles lay eggs?

Student what is the picture avbove
Student what is pic 2?
Bugscope Team that is a palp from the beetle you sent us the palp helps the beetle taste food and eat

Student do the japanese beatle have a special mating call?
Student what is the tube like thing coming out of the true bug's head on picture 10?
Student what is the difference between a beetle and a japanese beetle
Student Scott, do japanese beetles leave the young
Student Hey Cate, how do the mantids get their camoflouge? Some are green, and some look like a flower
Bugscope Team they need that camouflage to hide from things that will eat it. they can't actively change it, but it is a part of them depending on the region they live in
Teacher we have a question - the teacher image is not the same as the students' image. is there some way I can fix that?
Student Does the praying mantis provide anything useful to humanity?
Student Do japanese beetles eat other bugs like the praying mantis
Bugscope Team hit refresh -- see if that works
Student do any bugs give live birth
Bugscope Team Japanese beetles do not eat other insects
Teacher ahhh - thanks
Student what is a praying mantis's and japanese beetle's weakness?
Bugscope Team the praying mantis's weakness can be its size. anything bigger will eat it most likely. the japanese beetle's weakness is probably size again, but it doesn't taste good and to some things it is poisonous
Bugscope Team some bugs give live birth, in a way
Student what is in the ant's mouth it looks like a leg in pic 12?

Student is it possible for a beatle to "groom" itself

Student o thanks
Student cate, does the praying mantis have antennas that they use to see? or do they use their eyes?

Bugscope Team the multiple mouthparts of the ant make it look like it has something in its mouth
Student are either one of these bugs/insects harmful to the environment or humans
Student what is the pic above?
Student What do japanese beetles eat?
Bugscope Team the big thing they eat is aphids, and when aphid populations run uncontrolled, they ruin all types of vegetation

Bugscope Team beetles and many insects can groom themselves
Student Scott, why do japanese beetles emerge from pupating when blackberries ripen
Student what's the pic above
Student I thought ants ate plants. Whats coming out of the mouth?

Student what's the closest relitive to the prying mantis

Student Scott, how do u tell male japenesse beetle from female jappenesse beetle?
Student On the pictures, what does the weird symbol mean on the scale?
Bugscope Team Japanese beetles eat roses, grapes, lots of things...
Student how do they communicate?
Student where are japanese found?
2:01pm
Student what do japaneese live in
Student cool!
Student what's the diet of a prying mantis
Bugscope Team that depends on its size. It can range from small flies to small birds
Student in picture number 12, is the part of the mouth seen?
Student Scott, Where all can the japanese beetle survive?
Bugscope Team praying mantises eat other insects
Student what is pic 1?
Student where are japanese beetles found

Student Why are japanese beatles called japanese beatles. Did they migrate from japan?
Student Where are praying mantis' commonly found?

Student where do mantids originate from?
Student What is the mantises greatest velosity
Student what is the japanese mating call?....if they have one
Student scott, do mantises use their antennas to see or do they use their eyes?
Bugscope Team they use their eyes mostly. their eyes will get them a very wide range of view (around 360 degrees) but their antenna help them smell things like where a mate might be
Student Why do praying mantises have larger front legs than back legs?
Student Scott, What r the type of mantids in the us?
Student what kind of enviroment does a japenese beetle and praying mantis live in?
Student can prying mantises swim? if so how long can they swim for?
Student What is the diet of a Japanese beatle?
Student And also can the japanese beatle survive in water like some other beatles?
Student how long do the beetles claws grow? whats the longest ever recorded??
Bugscope Team the biggest beetle claw probably belongs to the biggest beetle which is the goliath beetle
Student cate, Why do Japanese beetle emerge from pupating when blackberries ripen
Student How many years does a japanese beetle live, do they have a long life span or a short one?
Student What are some cousins of a Japanese beatle?
Bugscope Team there are about 20 species of mantid in the US
Student ☺☻♥
Student how many years does a praying mantis live
Bugscope Team in captivity it can live to around 14 months
Bugscope Team mantises sometimes live in proximity to each other -- I remember seeing them together in Okinawa

Student Is the japanese beatle an omnivore or just a herbivore?
Student can a mantis harm people?

Student Can a Japanese beatle change color?
Student Scott, how do the jappenesse beetle dispose of waste
Bugscope Team goliath beetles can get as big as 110mm
Bugscope Team the Japanese beetle is mostly a herbivore, but like Cate says it may eat aphids

Student What type of organs do a praying mantis have?
Student How many "things" can a praying mantis eat in one hour?
Bugscope Team they just drop their waste where they are
Student Oh ok thanks
Student Japanese beetles and praying mantis seemingly share no relationship to each other?
Student What species of the praying mantis are we looking at
Bugscope Team i believe it is a minor ground mantis

Student UUUMMMMMMMM
Bugscope Team some people like to keep praying mantids as pets
Student How do you find praying mantises scott?
Student What are the pictures above?
2:06pm
Student are prying mantises harmful to eat?

Student Can the beetle get on the roof of places
Student SORRY THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT!
Student Is their any new species of a praying mantis to be found?
Bugscope Team new species of insects are always being discovered, mostly in the rainforests
Student What is the average size of a Japanese beetle?
Student Can you give a picture of the Goliath beetle or desribe it?
Student cate, what is the main living terrain for a japenease beetele/ how about a mantis?
Bugscope Team both like to live in places with vegetation. the japanese beetle likes to be there because it will eat it and the aphids that eat it, and the mantis because it will help hide them and the foods it preys on llive there
Student What is the typical odor of the praying mantis?
Bugscope Team one species of mantis in the US is the Carolina mantis: Stagmomantis carolina
Student how long is the beetles life spand?
Student does it hurt if a beatle bites you??
Bugscope Team it is hard to tell from this what species it is
Student How many species of praying mantis' are there anyway?
Bugscope Team 2300 known species
Student What is the latest update on the population for japanese beetles?
Bugscope Team beetles can surprise you when they are able to bite
Student how many things can a japanese beetle eat in a hour

Bugscope Team there are maybe 20 species of mantis in the US
Student Thats alot!!
Student do mantises have a domunit male/female?

Student Genetically speaking, what is the closest relative of the praying mantis?
Student Could a Praying mantis grow to be the size of a nickle?
Bugscope Team yes, the one you sent us was barely an inch big

Student Does a praying mantis have different stages in its life like the beatle?

Student How many species of Mantis live in the USA?
Student Hello!
Bugscope Team yes a mantis could easily be the size of a nickel
Student what is the highest alditude that the beetle can go up to?
Student is that the goliath?
Student What is the most commonly known spicies of praying mantis
Bugscope Team i think it is either the chinese mantis or the european mantis

Bugscope Team about 20 species in the US
Student Why will no-one answer our questions?
Student Thanks!
Bugscope Team this is the head of the young mantis you sent

Student what is the longest praying mantis ever recorded
Bugscope Team a little over 6 inches big
Bugscope Team Austin there are two of us and we are getting a lot of questions
Student do mantises fight for taritory?
Student do yout know how mantisis communicate?
Student thanks
Student In a battle between a mantis and a wasp, who would win more often?
Student where do the babies come out of?? on the japanese beetle and the mantis?!

Student Why does the japanese beatle have a metallic green color?
Student thanks

Student How long can a praying mantis hair be?

Student how long is a praying mantis claw
2:11pm
Student What does a praying mantis larve look like?
Bugscope Team it looks like a mini praying mantis, around the size of a small ant
Student What is the longest size of a japanese beatle ever recorded?
Bugscope Team Staina it depends on the size of the praying mantis
Student Could a mantis resort to eating plants if it had to?
Student What is the picture above about
Student SCOTT, where can you find praying mantises,I WANT ONE!
Student do japanese beetles fight for mates?

Bugscope Team A mantis is not likely to start eating plants. It eats things that feed on plants.
Student OK THANKS! ♥
Student do u have a close-up flea? if so can u show us?
Student Cate, how do famale mantids cakture the males after mating???
Bugscope Team they capture them during mating
Bugscope Team ants can be omnivorous
Student Thank you.
Student Are praying mantis aggresive to other bugs?
Bugscope Team very, but if the other bugs are bigger, they will try to blend into the environment

Student oh wow what type of bugs are small enough for their mouth scott?
Student How does the praying mantis capture and eat its prey/food?
Student Do the mantis' show any emotion to anything harmful?

Bugscope Team like a stick insect
Student scott, can a mantis get sick? if so does it have an immune sickness to help it fight it away?
Student how can you tell a female japanese beetle from a male?! ♥
Student Specifically how???
Student are mantisis agressave to other mantisis?
Bugscope Team they probably are, if they are hungry

Student Um...we're back
Student How does the male praying mantis attract the female
Bugscope Team probably pheromones the female is releasing. then when the male finds her he leaps on her back
Student how long do prying mantises usuoly live?
Bugscope Team between 10-12 months in the wild
Student What type of bug is in pic. number 10?
Bugscope Team its some type of true bug, not all insects are bugs, but all bugs are insects. a true bug is a specific class of insects
Student Please someone answer our questions, is anyone out there?
Student we got kicked off
Bugscope Team Austin what is your question?
Bugscope Team Austin?
Student Is a japanese beatle have to colored metallic green?

Student How would a Japanese beetle defend itself? Simple biting?
Bugscope Team they are often several colors, including a metallic green portion
Student how does a japanese beetle get away from danger?
Student How do you find a praying mantis, iwant one
Student Thanks
Student MAYBE IF WE CAPITALIZE SOMEONE WILL ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS!
Bugscope Team they lift their back legs in an effort to ward off predators
Bugscope Team they have spiny back legs
Student Can praying mantises eat a bee?
Bugscope Team probably not a good idea since the bee could sting them
2:17pm
Student GOOD IDEA
Student what hapens whin prying mantises cross breed/
Bugscope Team they can eat bees

Student what are the objects coming out of the fruit fly eye?
Bugscope Team some will be able to successfully crossbreed and some will not

Bugscope Team some will have nonfertile offspring
Student How come when we've seen the beetle's, they never seem to be harmful or have claw's?
Bugscope Team they do, their claws are just too small to see
Bugscope Team this is the eye of a fruit fly
Student Why do we want to kill Japanese beerles

Student how much wheght can aprying mantises hold up?
Student yea
Bugscope Team many beetles are relatively tame
Student Do praying mantis' have enemies that would be harmful to us too?
Bugscope Team wow good question. Praying mantids were brought over to the US as a pest control in the first place
Student Thank you, do they like wet or dry places, scott?
Student Whats the oldest japanese beatle in captivity?
Student what are the spike hairs on the eye of the fruitfly
Student to TeaganTai
Bugscope Team Austin I think they generally like dry places. That is where I have seen them.
Student Why do we want to kill japanese beetles
Student in picture 1 how is that an eye?
Bugscope Team the compound eye is made up of tons of little facets that each bring back a part of the image to the brain. the spikes are setae (insect hairs) and they tell the fruit fly the movement of wind
Student Would you ever find a japanese beatle in your house?

Bugscope Team Japanese beetles have the ability to devastate crops of grapes, flowers, ... Here is a list:
Student Praying mantises prey on smaller insects-would the Japanese beetle be included in the list of mantis prey?
Student do the japanese beatels fight or eat eachother?
Bugscope Team Strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, grapes, roses, plums, pears, peaches, raspberries, blackberries, corn, peas
Student are japanese bettles endangered?
Bugscope Team that list is from Wikipedia
Student Scott,Where is the poison stored in the mantis?

Student What pest were they trying to control?
Student How many times have you seen a praying mantis?
Student what pest were the trying to control when they brought the praying mantis into the us
Bugscope Team moths flies and the big one-- mosquitos
Student The last time i heard japanese beatles infest over 250 plants. Earlier Cate said they help famers. Whats helping them?
Student can prying mantises cross breed?
Student What do you think is the most interesting about the Praying mantis, Scott?
2:22pm
Student are praying mantises endangerd?
Student um arer japanese beatels really pests or do they help flowers
Student Cate, will our fruit supply sink to a dangerous level b y 2010 if these beetles continue to reproduce
Bugscope Team that is something that is unknown right now. :(
Student what do you find interesting about the japanese beetle
Student were praying mantids brought into the us?
Bugscope Team yes as a form of pest control

Student In picture 12, do they have fangs because if so, you can't tell.
Bugscope Team they have a hinged jaw (like a gate)
Student do the beatels fight or eat each other
Bugscope Team yes when you look at a compound eye it has many small features called ommatidia, and they are similar in various insects
Student Is there any type of praying mantis that is endangered?
Bugscope Team there is one Spanish species, Apteromantis aptera, is listed as Lower Risk/Near Threatened

Student when did they bring the mantises into the us
Student Would you find a praying mantis ina cold place such as Wyoming?
Student do the beatels fight or eat each other?
Student In your opinion scott, which insect do you think has a larger population
Student what are mantises favorite prey?

Student do the beatels fight or eat each other
Student how cold can a prying mantis get befor frezing to deth
Bugscope Team some insects go into a hibernate mode when you freeze them. they will seem dead but will come back to life
Bugscope Team North American mantises are not included among threatened or endangered species, though species in other parts of the world are under threat from habitat destruction.
Student If japanese beetles don't lay that many eggs, why are there somany of them
Student Wait, hold on. I thought praying matises were here when we came to the us
Student do japanese beetles see in black and white?
Student in picture 8, what part of it is the fangs?
Student Do all Insects have hair?
Bugscope Team yes, they need it to know whats going on through their exoskeleton
Student Thank you, we have to go now.
Student Thanks people of bugscope
Student Cate, do bettles need to be removed from america before we suffer from another depression???
Student cate scott and scope thank u for answering my questions i juast have 1 more
Student Thank you! This was so fun!

Student we have to go, thank you, bye
Student thank's for the information.
Student do the beateles eat each other
Bugscope Team we have found that most insects do have something like hair, called 'setae.'
Student thanks alot and u guys helped me understand more about bugs!!!!!
Student Thanks Cate and Scott
Student thank you for all the help

Student scott, do they have multiple vision like a bee or do they see single like people?
Student Thanks a lot
Bugscope Team thank you for all your great questions. we tried to answer them all
Student What is an exosceleton?
Bugscope Team insects dont have skin, it is their" bones" but on the outside and is made of chitin, which is the same stuff our fingernails are made of
Bugscope Team most beetles do not eat each other
Student bye
Student i never really had a feel for bugs until today so thank you alot for everything and teaching us more about them?
Bugscope Team praying mantises are said to have excellent vision
Student bye bye!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank u all!!!!!!!
Teacher Our time is nearly up for this group. Thanks for everything!! Our next group will be here in 5 minutes.
Bugscope Team the compound eyes are able to process motion more quickly for example, than our eyes can
Student THANK YOU SO MUCH THIS WAS COOL AND I WISH I COULD STAY LONGER BUT GOTTA GO NOW
Bugscope Team Thank You. Bye Austin!
2:27pm
Bugscope Team bye austin!
Student Thank you for touching me about bugs. I am less afraid now!
Bugscope Team well it's nice when they are already dead
Teacher wow! I don't know how you stay focused enough to answer these questions. Do you need us to have the kids in the next group do anything different?
Bugscope Team no you are doing great
Bugscope Team be sure the kids know that these are not just images -- they, or you, are controlling an electron microscope from the classroom
Teacher I seemed to be a bad driver - any hints on moving through the images
Bugscope Team i dont know how you can be a teacher as a job--so many questions you must get all the time :)
Bugscope Team i clicked on a preset

Bugscope Team sometimes they move a little

Teacher we usually allow one question at a time, with this chatting they get outta control!!

Bugscope Team I would go more deliberately, perhaps. Select a preset and then change the mag so you can see where it is situated compared to the whole critter.

Bugscope Team yeah we usually have one or two more people helping on our end

Teacher Ok I was trying those, but I think it takes a while for the image to settle
Bugscope Team but we want the kids to have a positive experience, of course

Bugscope Team we had been having internet problems on our end, for a change

2:32pm

Bugscope Team some of our presets move a little after we set them
Teacher they LOVED it in the last group - we had to kick them out :-)
Bugscope Team ok 2 of them have been redone
Bugscope Team and when you land there it is hard to see what we were trying to show you
Bugscope Team Cate is a wizard at this.

Teacher I can tell!!! Actually you are both wizards.

Bugscope Team ok everything else seems ok to go

Teacher i'm going to play with the driving while the kids are getting settled.
Bugscope Team we are often better at explaining the images than coming up with answers about particular species
Bugscope Team cool!

Teacher we'll address that issue scott.

2:37pm

Bugscope Team if annie were on she would be able to answer the bug questions better I'm sure
Bugscope Team she is our entomologist
Bugscope Team we really enjoy this. sometimes it is hard to keep up with the kids, of course
Teacher the kids were very excited last period and have been researching these bugs, hence the million questions
Bugscope Team we could tell
Bugscope Team we should have done more research as well
Teacher no - you guys were GREAT!
Bugscope Team it is difficult because you cannot always believe what you find on Wikipedia, for example

Bugscope Team and my giant insect evolution book is helpful but hard to search quickly
Teacher you're talking to the librarian - I understand about the wikipedia!!
Bugscope Team if I use Wikipedia I want to mention that it was my source
2:42pm
Teacher :-) you're a good man scott!
Bugscope Team not so sure today but thank you
Teacher ok - get ready here they come!!
Bugscope Team yay!
Bugscope Team Welcome to Bugscope!
Student How does a mantis hunt?
Bugscope Team BTW all your images and chat can be found on your session page
Student What was the actual color of our beetle?
Bugscope Team we just call it iridescent, but the body seemed to be green and the legs were purple

2:47pm
Bugscope Team the mantis is usually cryptic, meaning it holds still and then strikes at its prey when it gets too close
Student hi
Bugscope Team hi!
Bugscope Team welcome to bugscope!
Bugscope Team mantids can blend very well into its environment

Student do they see in 1d, 2d, or 3d-praying mantis
Student what are we looking at?
Student My teacher said that you said that this isnt a japanese beetle. What is it???
Bugscope Team according to my field guide book, it seems to be a tiger beetle. But am not an expert on beetles
Bugscope Team some mantids are leaf mimics, and some are just colored to hide themselves
Student What type of praying mantis did we mail to you?
Student How does the male praying mantis still mate with it's head and brain eaten off?
Student what is that????
Student why would the females eat the males??
Bugscope Team they get hungry

Student what is this?
Bugscope Team it was one of 20 species found in the US
Student can our beetle live without its head?
Student thanks, what are those leaf like objects on the current picture?
Bugscope Team those are scales and the beam is moving them a little
Bugscope Team we cannot tell just which species

Bugscope Team insects can sometimes seem to live without their heads for awhile
Student are those fries?
Bugscope Team like roaches
Student How do they seem to be alike??
Student How strong is a praying mantis's immune system from 1 to 10?
Student what time of year do they mate??
Bugscope Team their bodies may keep doing what they were sort of programmed to do before they lost their heads

Student scales from what?
Student what is this picyure?
Student how were japanese beetles acidentily introduced?
Bugscope Team I am not sure if anyone would be able to tell us about the relative strength of the immune system
Student how do the beetles see things??
Student is it normal to find tiger beetles in San Antonio?
Bugscope Team it would be normal to find some there
Bugscope Team sometimes insects hitch a ride in cargo like in ships
Student What are those thing and where are they located?
Student Why do they have bulging eyes?
Student Why do the beetles have bulging eyes?
Student what is there lifespan for the tiger beelte

Bugscope Team Japanese beetles are thought to have arrived in a shipment of Iris -- the flowers -- before 1912
Student Are there different types of praying matids, and there are what is the rarest?
Bugscope Team there are 2300 known species and only one Spanish species is listed as Lower Risk/Near Threatened
Student Do tiger beetles see in color?
Bugscope Team they would have arrived as larvae, not grown beetles
Student what are tiger beetles preadotors?
2:52pm
Student are the males different in size compared to the females?
Student What do they typically eat, bugs or plants?
Student is this a tiger beetle?
Student How did they get here???
Student cool i never knew that!!
Bugscope Team there are something like 2300 species of mantids

Student how many muscles do the beetles have in their body???
Student what is that
Student What is the biggest prey Tiger beetles can consume?
Student what is this?

Student Is that a mantis claw?
Bugscope Team this is a beetle claw
Student how many eggs does the tiger beetle lay at once?
Student are those claws?
Bugscope Team yes they are, they are very big too
Student What is the oldest species of both found???
Student what color is a tiger beetle?

Student what's the average size of a baby tiger beetle?

Student how can you identify the males from females??
Bugscope Team you can tell from the claw that this beetle does not have the ability to walk on walls or glass

Student are those hairs??
Bugscope Team you will find out that insects have a lot of hairs! they need these hairs to help them know whats going on around them
Student answer my question
Bugscope Team sometimes you cannot distinguish females and males
Student what is the picture above/
Student How does the tiger bettle eat?
Bugscope Team they grab prey with their claws and use their big powerful jaws to crunch down
Bugscope Team without cutting them open
Student What gives them their color/pigment?
Bugscope Team family*
Bugscope Team the image above is from the electron microscope you are controlling from your classroom
Bugscope Team the color comes from the food they eat

Student is that crack an injury?
Student Why is the beetle a metalic color?
Student can tiger beetles lay more than one litter
Student how long does it take a beetle to grow into adulthood??????
Student what is the size of a baby tiger betle?
Student what color/dimension do they see in?
Bugscope Team and sometimes the color comes from the very fine features, which reflect light a certain way to produce what are called structural colors
Student how do Mantis lay eggs, and where?
Student where do the tiger beetles live?
Student what is the purpose for the small hairs on the tiger beetle's body?
Student beetle*
Student What are the stringy looking things?
Bugscope Team insects can sometimes see colors we cannot see, as well as the normal range we see

Student How do the beetles see??? Color, Black and white??? @d or 3d???
Bugscope Team some insects can see ultraviolet light, for example, and we cannot
Student is that the head?

Student thanks!

Student what are their cells made up of?????
Bugscope Team it is likely the ones we are looking at see color well and also see in 3d
Student What color/dimension do they see in?
Student how many injuries can a tiger beetle withstand?
2:57pm
Student Are we looking at the bottom of the insect?
Student can you zoom in on the face

Student What adaptions do they have?
Student How big are there wings?
Student About how big is the beetle compared in size to other beetles???
Bugscope Team well the biggest beetle is the goliath beetle and that can get as big as 110mm! but there are also some very small beetles that are hard to pick up with tools. this one is bigger than most we use for bugscope though
Student how many babies hatch at a time?
Student Do the beetles have any bones?
Bugscope Team this is the beetle palp, it tastes food and helps move it around
Student what is a palp?
Bugscope Team it depends on what cells but they would be carbon hydrogen oxygen, nitrogen...
Student what is the current picture focused on?
Student What are the dots?
Student where does the tiger beetle get its color from???
Student Cool!!!

Student What are the bumps?
Bugscope Team the 'bones' are on the outside
Student what do tiger beetles use their antennae for?
Student whats in the hole?
Student what is the smalest size bettle ever recorded?
Bugscope Team .676 - .804 mm called Bacanius punctiformis
Bugscope Team the wings are attached to the thorax

Student How do tiger beetles dig to lay their eggs?
Student what exactly is an exoskelaton?

Student do they have egg cases?

Student how does the palp help it move around?

Bugscope Team in the hole are probably sensory pits that help the beetle smell chemicals in the air
Student is that the same part of the body?
Student What is the biggest recorded beetle?
Student Are they supposed to lay their eggs in their birth place?\

Student Why do the prey mantis have such long antenas and how do they use them?
Student what time of year do they mate????
Student What is the usual lifespan of the a Tiger beetle?
Student What time of the year do they mate?
Student Do you know what the beetles defences are???
Student what are we looking at now?
Student what is the usual prey of a tiger beetle?

Student how many are born at once?
Student what color/demensions do the praying mantis see in?
Student Why do insects have so many hairs?
Bugscope Team insects have a hard shell around them and they cant feel things through it without those hairs. pretend you have a suit of armor on, you can feel anything through the armor. they have hairs sticking through their armor and they are connected to nerves beneath
Student Are the tiger beetles poisonous?
Student Who is their predator?
Student What does the beetle eat??

Student what is the death-rate for the eggs laid by the tiger beetle???
Student in what demension does the beetle see in?
Bugscope Team I think the praying mantis can see the colors we see, not sure about UV because it does not need, generally, to see UV to eat other insects
Student do they live by water or underground?
Student Are those the teeth?
Student do they walk,swim, or fly
Teacher sorry guys Mrs. podmore was driving the microscope and i apparently crashed!
Student are those teeth?
Student what is the average ammount of eggs a tiger beetle lays?
Bugscope Team they will see in 3d if that is what you mean
Student what is the praying mantids form of attack?
Student is that picture focusing on the claw?
Student Why do those look like teeth?
Student That pic. is cool what is it??
Bugscope Team this is the arm of the praying mantis
Student ok
Bugscope Team the hairs do different things like taste, smell, feel vibrations, sense wind movement
Student where can the tiger beetle be found????
3:03pm
Student and what are the hairs?
Bugscope Team the hairs probably help feel
Bugscope Team it grips its food with these
Bugscope Team the praying mantis waits quietly until it can strike at an insect and catch it in the spines we see now
Student what is that ball?
Bugscope Team im not sure. a lot of the time we will also see juju on them, which is basically some sort of debris like dust or dirt
Student why dont praying matis fly alot if they have wings
Student Are those teeth in the picture?
Student Why is it called a tiger beetle?
Student Cool stuff guys
Student how can a praying mantis eat things as big as a bird?
Student how do they hunt?

Student are they herbivores?
Bugscope Team praying mantids are carnivores
Bugscope Team those are not teeth but spines that allow the mantis to grip its food
Bugscope Team they cannot really hurt humans
Bugscope Team they can't unless there were a 6 foot praying mantis around! but the biggest one is around 6 inches so thats good
Student How do they use this to catch their pray??
Student ?
Student What species of mantis are we looking at?
Student What do Prey mantis eat?

Student How large of a meal can the praying mantis digest?
Student are the points sharp?

Student What meat do they eat?

Student do they have a special poison or something that helps them eat such big things?
Bugscope Team they arent poisonous, but they are fast and they can easily hide
Student is there more females or males?
Student are those joints?
Student what is the praying mantids form of attack?
Bugscope Team that was probably a Stagnomantis species

Student how do they see things???
Student Why do the praying mantis have such short life spans if they are so powerful?
Bugscope Team they have a decently big one for an insect. in captivity they can live to around 14 months! most others live around5 months to a year

Bugscope Team they are cryptic and strike at things with those nasty arms
Student Why are mantids so aggressive???
Student Why do mantids have hairs on their eyes?

Student what type of tisues are the anteni mede from? is it cartelage?
Student what are the holes?
Student What is that stick-like thing poking through its abdomen?
Student what defenses do they have?
Student sre those legs?
Student what is the average size of a nymph praying mantis?
Bugscope Team a nymph looks like a small praying mantis and they are about the size of a small ant
Bugscope Team the hairs (setae) are sensory
Student Is that a arm or a leg ?
Student what are the stringy things?
Student can the preying matis regrow any part of there body
Student how long does it take for a praying mantis to digest something as big as a bird?

Student Why do they attack with their legs?
Bugscope Team 2 of their legs are used to hold on to things while it bites

Student How big is the average mantid brain?

Student are we looking at tha face?
Student Why do they need two sets of wings
Student does it eat large animals (birds, etc.) whole???
Bugscope Team this is the edge of the head
Student why do they look like they are praying?
Student what is the big thing on the screen?

Bugscope Team they have to chew things up to eat them

Student what is this current image?
Student what size is the biggest known praying mantis?
Bugscope Team that is the head of the mantis

Student are they omnivores?
Student ok thanx
Student Why does it look like they have scales?
Student What are we viewing right now?
Student What is the stick-like thing sticking out of the end of its abdomen?

Student What are the praying mantis's wings made of?
Bugscope Team chitin, the same stuff as our fingernails
Student how can their legs be so powerful if they are so small?
Student what are the bumps

3:08pm
Bugscope Team and the adult males have wings --- they are impressive when they fly
Student what type of prey mantis did we send to bug scope?
Bugscope Team according to a field guide, it seems to be a minor ground mantis

Student what the eyes made of?
Student are they very smart or not?
Student What type of tissue is a mantid's leg made out of?
Bugscope Team it is a exoskeleton, it is also made out of chitin
Student What is that??
Bugscope Team they have powerful muscles and are lightweight but also have armor, in a way
Student what are the anteni made of? is it cartelage?

Student Why are praying mantis' have two big eyes and three small eyes?

Student i thought our fingernails were made of dead calcium
Bugscope Team the exoskeleton is made of chitin
Student what is the biggest animal that a praying mantis eat?
Bugscope Team praying mantids of the larger variety can eat small birds, frogs, lizards, and some rodents

Student how long is the mating season
Student what type of praying mantis' are most common?
Bugscope Team i think that would either be the chinese mantis or the european mantis

Student what are the cells made of????
Student "?

Student What is that?
Student what are it's usual predators?
Student what is that?
Bugscope Team this is part of the body of the mantis. you can see 2 of its legs that it uses to grasp its preu
Student how big is thier brain/
Student how do the praying mantis protect themself from predators
Student About what time do the baby praying mantis leave the family(nimhs)?
Student What is this picture oF?
Student how do they catch such big animals?
Bugscope Team they are very fast, they have good eyesight, and they can do surprise attacks because they blend into their environment well
Student What type of chemicals fight off diseases in the prey mantis?
Bugscope Team prey*
Student how long is the praying mantis mating season?
Student what are their life stages

Student oh ok thank tou

Student when were they first discovered?

Student Why does it use those legs?
Student does the praying mantis fly since it has wings?
Bugscope Team that depends on the species. in some, both the male and female can fly, in others only the male can fly so it can get away easier from the female i imagine
Student is that the abdomen?
Student how many life stages do they go through?

Student what is that
Student what do they use to catch it?
Student How fast is the average mantid?
Student what is the pointy thing??
Student what got you to start entomology?
Bugscope Team praying mantises are found all over the world in temperate and warm climates

Student what is that????
Student waht are we currently viewing?
Student is that the head?
Student why do the preying mantis stay on the ground instead of flying?
Bugscope Team some do fly, and for instance, they can sense when a bat is coming when they are flying, so they land and hide
Student what is that
Bugscope Team they are also in the fossil record, so they have been around for more than a few million years
Student Are those balls the 2 compound eyes?
Student does the prey mantis see in color
Student what kind of bug is that?
Student Why do some animals have wings with feayhers(bird) and praying mantis has clear wings?
Bugscope Team French Fries sometimes PMs do fly.
Student is that its neck?

Student in picture number 3 how many spikes do they have?
Student are those two big circles the compound eyes?
Student what do they use to catch such big animals/
Student what is the long thing?

Student why are praying mantids so agressive?
3:13pm
Student what is that tube thing?
Bugscope Team the tube is like a straw (think of an elephants trunk)

Student What else are mantids prey to?
Student How good is the pm's eye site
Bugscope Team the long thing is the proboscis, which has two stylets inside it
Student How far can the praying mantis fly in a single flight
Student how long are there wings?
Student How far can the prey mantis fly
Student how often do mantis' eat?
Student what is a compound eye

Bugscope Team a compound eye has many facets that are called ommatidia
Student what is that
Bugscope Team the ommatidia are individual lenses
Student if a mantis male can survive without it's brain, how long?
Student how many eyes does this animal have/
Bugscope Team 2 that i could see
Student What are we currently viewing
Student what are the bumps for?
Student whqat are the atannaes used for
Bugscope Team they are used to send "messages" to other insects. it is a wayto communicate (like for ants). they use pheromones and send different signals
Student what time of year do they mate????

Student how many bugs do you usually have at a time?
Student what is that tube-like thing?

Student How often do they eat?
Student what makes them green?
Bugscope Team an advantage of having compound eyes is the ability to process motion or movement very quickly

Student whart are omatidia?
Student is that a joint?
Student how many claws do they have?

Student How long does it take for a mantid egg to become a full-grown mantid?
Bugscope Team One generation develops each season. In the autumn, females lay eggs in a large mass or cluster (an inch or so long), in a frothy, gummy substance glued to tree twigs, plant stems and other objects. Overwintering occurs in the egg stage in this case. Tiny nymphs emerge from the egg mass in the spring or early summer.
Bugscope Team the green probably comes from pteridine pigments
Student They have a lot of hairs?
Student What is that
Student what is this?
Student what are the sticks on the screen?
Student how long can they survive without fluid?
Student what are the holes?
Student What are the round looking things????
Student what part of the body is that
Student are they agressive?
Student what are the sticks with hair on the screen???
Bugscope Team those are hairs
Student what are ommatidia?
Bugscope Team if you take the mag down sometimes you can see better where you are
Student are they hairs?
Student this looks like a whales mouth? what is it?
Student what are those circles?
Student what are those holes and what are they used for?
Student how do the males mate with thier head and brains gone?
Bugscope Team the sticks are tiny setae -- microsetae
Student what is that tube
Bugscope Team that was a proboscis, it drinks pollen through it
Student why do prey mantis eat huming birds/

Student why do they look so pointy???

Student Is that an ant?
Bugscope Team yes, this is its mouth
Bugscope Team the males have an automatic function that their muscles will perform without their heads being involved or necessary
Student what is that hole????

Bugscope Team this is an ant
Student what is that/
Student are those teeth
Bugscope Team it has a hinged jaw, but no teeth
Student do ants have teeth
Student is that the mouth?
Student are those pinchers on their face?
Student What are the things comins out of the ants mouth????
Student How Do these ants bite
Bugscope Team now we see its mouthparts
Student Is that its tongue?
Student what kind of ant is that???
Student why does it have the hairs
Bugscope Team to taste or feel
Student why do they have hairy tounges?
Student is ther4e a poi8son sac?
Student it looks like a walrus
Student what are th hairs used for?
Student is that their pincers
Bugscope Team they are jaws
3:18pm
Bugscope Team the hairs are sensory -- like cat whiskers
Student are those like antanes
Student why does it hurt when fire ants bite???\
Bugscope Team they inject formic acid when they sting you with a stinger
Student are those fangs
Student what are those hairy things?
Bugscope Team fire ants I think use formic acid, which burns your skind
Student how good is there eye sight?
Bugscope Team not very good, some ants dont even have eyes, because they live undergorund
Student what do ants eat
Student what are the hairs for???
Bugscope Team to taste or feel or smell
Bugscope Team some ants shoot formic acid from their abdomens
Student do those pinchers on its face help it catch food?
Bugscope Team it uses claws to grab the food and the jaws to eat
Student what kind of ant is it????
Student why are there so many hairs?
Student do they have poisen
Student what is in this bugs mouth?????
Student how far can they see????_?
Bugscope Team yes and they help the ant carry things
Student cool, how many species of ants are there in the world?
Student how many baby ants can the queen lay in her life time
Student does it have a tounge?
Bugscope Team yes it has something similar to a tongue, but it is folded up in its mouth
Student where is te stinger
Bugscope Team one of the poisons is formic acid
Student Do they die after they sting like bees???????????????
Bugscope Team no they can sting multiple times

Student how many jaws does it have?
Student what is in an ants stinger?

Student Are the eyes on the side compound?
Bugscope Team yes
Student do they have teeth
Bugscope Team no
Student Oh that stinks
Bugscope Team only honey bees die after they sting you, bees like bumble bees can sting you multiple times!

Student can ants swim
Bugscope Team water to ants is probably very thick, some might be able to walk on it, but i'm not sure about that, I think it would be too thick to swim
Student does the ants eye see in many different ways like a fly?
Student What is that spiky ball?
Student are thoses eggs?
Student what are those spiky balls?
Student What is the spikey looking ball???
Student what is the spiky ball/
Student is this bug a bee?
Student what is that spuikey thing?
Student what part iof the body is that
Bugscope Team those are eye facets--ommatidia
Student what is the biggest ant in the world?

Student what kind of pollen is that?
Student what are all those balls
Bugscope Team pollen grains
Student could we be looking at the eye?
Student what is the spikey ball

Student How are the sections of there bodys divided
Bugscope Team pollen
Student Is that a wasp?
Bugscope Team no there are no wasps or bees today
Student why are ants hairy\
Bugscope Team the biggest ant would likely be a queen of a larger species
Student what is that????
Bugscope Team the big round bumpy part is the compound eye
Student how many eyes does a bee have?
Bugscope Team it has 2 compound eyes and 3 simple eyes called ocelli
Student what is this bug???????
Student what are the bumpy things for?
Bugscope Team they have two compound eyes and three simple eyes called oceelli
Student Why are their eyes scaly?
Bugscope Team they have many facets that make up the eye, each of the facets collects a part of the image and sends it back to the brain
Student how many pounds can the ant carry on their back
Student Is that still an ant?
Student oh ok i didnt know that
Student why are there cracks
Student why does it look like it has cracked skin
Student what are the cells made up of in the eyes???

Student what are those bulgy thing on the eye
Bugscope Team those are the individual facets of the compound eye
Student thank you
Student how many ants live in one colony
Student what is that?
Bugscope Team they cannot carry pounds but may be able to carry as much as 400 times their own weight
Student what is that????
3:23pm

Student are thoes antenas
Student are those hair folicules?

Student what is that???
Bugscope Team this is spider 'hair'
Student what does that mean
Student what kind of spider is that?
Student Do they have reflexes when they die?
Student Is that the inside of a bug and what type is it?
Student Is that the abdomen???
Bugscope Team this is part of a leg, those hairs allow the spider to walk on walls
Student Why is it so thick?
Student why are the sticks hairy?
Student what are all thoses things that look like seed?_?

Bugscope Team the individual facets each collect a part of an image and they are sent to the brain
Student does it have more hair then the average human

Student what are those round coin looking things ?
Student What is the avereage lifespan of a spider???
Bugscope Team that was the tip of a spider's arm

Student how does a spider kill it's prey /

Student when do ants bites
Student What bug is this one?
Bugscope Team see the claw, to the left?
Student do they have any natural enemies?
Student what is that????
Student what are the hairs connected to
Bugscope Team oops gone now

Student do all spiders have some kind of poiso ?
Student What is this?

Bugscope Team the hairs are connected to nerves inside of the body, and to the brian via the nerves
Student poison*(
Student how many eggs can the spider lay
Student how far can a jumping spider jump?
Bugscope Team about 20 to 80 times its body length

Student Is that pointy thing it's stinger
Student do they have venom
Bugscope Team yes there are poison pores in its jaws, they look like indentations
Student what are toses
Student Why is the camera black and white?

Student are jumping spiders poisones?
Student are their nerves like ours
Student when do they feel like they have to sting????
Student When a spider bites you, why does it leave a bump?
Student i mean what are those
Student why are the hairs connected to the nerves inside the body?
Student DO ALL SPIDERS HAVE SOME KIND OF POISON??
Student how high can they jump?
Student do ants have stingers
Bugscope Team some do

Student can they thread water
Student can the poison harm us????
Bugscope Team that depends on the spider, you already know about brown recluse spiders and black widows im sure

Student is that a claw?
Student Why does some spiders have venom that can kill humans?
Bugscope Team spiders have venom -- they eat by injecting venom into their prey, dissolving the insides of the prey, and sucking the insides up like a milkshake
Bugscope Team those are poison pores
Student can some spider NOT spin webs
Bugscope Team yes, tarantulas dont really spin webs, they attack out in the open
Student what is spider puss
Student is that its mouth???
Bugscope Team some spiders do not spin web but I think all spiders can produce silk
Student what are those hairs
Student what are we looking at???
Bugscope Team the silk being the web material
Student how many spiders have venom?
Student How do insects taste with their hairs??
Student is this a picture of teeth?
Bugscope Team those are spider fangs with poison pores
Bugscope Team this is the business end of the spider
Student what are the sharp things
Student are the spiders nerves like ours or different?
Student What are those pointy like things
Bugscope Team the 2 pointy things, im not sure
Student how lonng is it?
Student what are the horn looking things?
Student why are the sharp things crossing each other?
Bugscope Team fangs
3:28pm

Student What are poison pores/
Bugscope Team they were holes one in each of the fangs
Bugscope Team the hairs that the spiders taste with have chemoreceptors in them that can distinguish certain or several chemicals
Student *?
Student where does the poison/venom come from?
Student Are those eyes?
Student What type of poison do spiders carry?
Bugscope Team i think that depends on the species, they always say if you got bit by a spider, to try to bring whatever it was iin with you if it is an emergency
Student what is that?

Bugscope Team this is the head of a small praying mantis
Student Does a Praying Mantis have a nose?

Student do tarantulas comflog in the wild
Student wat is thet?
Student why does it look e a bean?
Student oh that makes sense
Student has there ever been an ant att ack somewhere?
Bugscope Team the spider venom often has the ability to dissolve tissue
Student what are we looking at?
Student thank you for everything
Student thank you!!!! :D
Student what type of mantis is this?
Bugscope Team i think it is a minor ground mantis, they get to be around an inch big
Student THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Student this was awesome

Student YOU ARE AWESOME!!!! THANK YOU!!!
Student THANK YOU! Jon, Cate, and Scott
Student THANK YOU!
Student thank you so much for your time!!!!!!
Student THANK YOU!
Student THANK YOU!
Student THANK YOU!
Bugscope Team many insects have defenses -- chemical defenses -- against ants
Student THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH YALL' ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!
Student Thank you VERY much!! :)
Bugscope Team thank you for all your questions, im sorry if we left some unanswered
Student Thank you
Student Thank you so much for the information you've given us!! from, KelAriKat :-}
Bugscope Team Thank You!
Student THAk you!
Student thank you for you for time?
Student thank you
Student YOU GUYS ROCK!
Student :) :) :) :) :)
Student THANK YOU
Student I loved this
Student thanks for all the infromation Bye!!!!
Student Thanks!
Student thank you!!!!!!! your AWESOME! bye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Bugscope Team thank you
Student 8)
Teacher Cate and Scott thanks for being so generous with your time. The kids loved it and were very impressed. You made us look GREAT! :-)
Bugscope Team i hope you come back next semester
Bugscope Team some spider toxin causes tissue to rot, to die -- like the toxin from recluse spiders
Teacher we will definitely be back...
Bugscope Team you can access your transcript and images by going to your session page http://bugscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/members/2008-025/
Bugscope Team We had a good time -- thank you!
Student thanks 4 the info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Teacher what are someof the best bugs you've looked at in the scope?
Bugscope Team we like earwigs because they often carry mites with them
Bugscope Team and we have seen some cool beetles
3:33pm
Bugscope Team there have been a couple of spiders, but all around they are harder to image because they are juicy
Teacher excellent - we will try and find some - are they earwigs here in SA?
Bugscope Team yes around the bases of tomato plants, perhaps
Teacher juicy spiders?? yuk
Bugscope Team watch for scorpions
Bugscope Team scorpions glow under UV light
Bugscope Team scorpion stingers are kind of cool too, but dont hurt yourself getting one
Teacher how would you preserve earwigs?
Bugscope Team my brother Riley lives in SA
Bugscope Team and my sister lives in Austin
Teacher very cool Texas relatives!!
Bugscope Team I would freeze them for a week or so to ensure that they are dead, and then I would open the container they're in to let them air dry for a week
Bugscope Team actually my mom is moving to Austin by the end of this month
Bugscope Team all of this chat will be available on your page
Teacher excellent - we'll book for next semester as soon as possible. We will also be on the lookout for earwigs, scorpions and beetles.
Bugscope Team Cool!
Teacher thanks a bunch to both of you!!!
Bugscope Team Thank You!
Teacher one more quesion..
Bugscope Team sure!
Teacher can we do this same thing but with plants?
Bugscope Team small plants, and dry
Bugscope Team plantscope
Teacher yea!!
Bugscope Team heh we've done rockscope before :p
Teacher some of our other science teachers were very jealous when they saw what we were doing
Bugscope Team the stub is only 1.75 inches in diameter, and the leaves will shrivel -- we will have trouble keeping their original shape
3:38pm
Teacher we'll stick with the plants
Bugscope Team but we will be able to see stomata and trichomes
Teacher thanks again guys!!
Teacher one more..
Bugscope Team Thank YOU>
Bugscope Team moss is sometimes cool
Teacher where do we go to fill out the feedback/survey?
Bugscope Team yeah like Jon says
Bugscope Team on your session page there will be a feedback button
Bugscope Team ummm
Bugscope Team Thanks Cate.
Bugscope Team http://bugscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/members/2008-025/
Bugscope Team I type so slowly...
Bugscope Team or a link i guess
Teacher got it - one final time --- THANKS!!
Bugscope Team or you can go to http://bugscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/feedback/ and select your session from the list
Bugscope Team have a good weekend!
Bugscope Team bye!
Bugscope Team have a good weekend
3:44pm
Bugscope Team Have a great weekend!
Bugscope Team over and out

School Name	W.B. Jefferson MS
School Homepage	http://jeffersonms.nisd.net/
Location	San Antonio TX, US
Community	Suburban
Type	Public

Subjects Taught	Gifted & Talented
Grades Taught	6th Grade
Number of Students	80

Project Title	Nature Venture: BIG BUGS
Insects To Study	< LEFT BLANK >
Project Description	After returning from our district field trip, "Nature Venture", at which students will find specimens, we will do a short 2 week study of the "ologies" of bugs. Students will research bugs in our Texas ecosystem and the roles they play. Seeing a bug up close will give them the opportunity to see how bugs have adapted to our environment, and show them, despite their size, bugs are a BIG part of TEXAS!

Session 2008-025 with W.B. Jefferson MS

Application

The School

The Class

The Project

Miscellaneous

Live Session Transcript

Connected on 2008-05-23 13:30:00 from San Antonio, TX, US