LibGuides: Biology: Insects, etc.-DVD, Web, etc.

DVD & VHS

Life in the Undergrowth by David Attenborough David Attenborough guides the viewer through a miniature universe teeming with life, never normally seen, yet all around us. New technology reveals surreal vistas and their extraordinary inhabitants.
Call Number: DVD QL362.L54 2006
Publication Date: 2006
Vanishing of the Bees by George Langworthy Honeybees have been mysteriously disappearing across the planet, literally vanishing from their hives. Known as Colony Collapse Disorder, this phenomenon threatens the loss of much more than honey as we depend on honeybees to pollinate one third of the food on our tables. Vanishing of the bees chronicles the innermost thoughts and feelings of beekeepers and scientists as they fight to preserve the honeybee and make it through another day. Featuring experts like author Michael Pollan, the film also presents a platform of solutions, encouraging audiences to be the change they want to see in the world.
Call Number: DVD SF538.5.C65V36 2010
Publication Date: 2010

Podcasts & Blogs

Bug Squad For readers with an interest in insects, the long-running entomology blog Bug Squad offers a wealth of information on the topic. This frequently updated resource is published by the University of California Cooperative Extension's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR). Here, readers will find articles exploring interesting facts about insects and other bugs, news of newly published entomology studies, stories about recent and upcoming educational events, and more, all written for a broad audience and accompanied by numerous photos. While pollinators like various species of bees and butterflies make regular appearances, Bug Squad also discusses less popular insects such as tsetse flies and midges, as well as non-insects such as spiders, ticks, and even hummingbirds. Launched in 2008, Bug Squad is authored by Kathy Keatley Garvey, who is also the communications specialist for the Department of Entomology and Nematology at UC Davis.

Websites

"Should We Engineer the Mosquito?" Forum Science educators in both classroom and informal settings may be interested in this resource from the National Informal STEM Education (NISE) Network (featured in the 6-24-2016 Scout Report). This particular resource is designed as a public forum that "encourages in-depth discussion about ways mosquitoes could be engineered to reduce malaria transmission." All the information needed for this forum discussion is included, such as how to plan and host a public forum and instructions for discussion groups, as well as promotional fliers and supplemental handouts. The forum's estimated duration is approximately 90 minutes, and its suggested audiences are people ages 15 and up, as well as scientists and informal science educators. Those interested can choose to download the materials for this forum as individual files, or all at once as a zip file, and a link to an 11-minute training video is also provided. This forum is part of a larger NISE Network project entitled Building with Biology, which was "developed to create conversations among publics and scientists about synthetic biology" with support by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
Atlas of Common Freshwater Macroinvertebrates on Eastern North America People may ordinarily think of insects as creatures that live on the ground or in the air. However, a number of insect species spend at least part of their life cycles living underwater, for example, in streams or lakes. The presence or absence of these insects (along with some other aquatic invertebrates) are often used as indicators to estimate water quality. For those interested in learning how to identify these aquatic macroinvertebrates, this free digital atlas offers an interactive taxonomic key containing "an online collection of 150 specimens representing 9 orders of benthic macroinvertebrates" that live at the bottom of water bodies in eastern North America. Rather than the line drawings commonly used in this type of key, this atlas uses photographs of specimens. Readers can explore the key by clicking first on any of the nine orders of macroinvertebrates, which lead to the families within each order, and from there users can select an individual species. At all three levels, an explanatory overview and diagnostic characteristics are provided in the right sidebar, with highly detailed, zoomable images available at the species level. It should be noted that this resource is not mobile-optimized and is best suited for use on a computer. This atlas is part of Learning to See, Seeing to Learn, a multi-institution interdisciplinary project led by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.
Buglife Headquartered in Peterborough, England, the nonprofit Buglife describes itself as "the only organisation in Europe devoted to the conservation of all invertebrates [...], everything from bees to beetles, worms to woodlice and jumping spiders to jellyfish." Readers curious to learn more about invertebrates should begin by exploring the About Bugs section, where they will find an approachable introduction to how scientists classify invertebrates and downloadable charts to aid in identifying invertebrates. This section also contains their engaging Bug of the Month series, as well as information specific to spiders and pollinators. Those interested in Buglife's numerous conservation activities should check out the What We Do section and for readers keen to foster a healthy invertebrate community the Wildlife Gardening section (found under Get Involved) offers ample helpful ideas. While Buglife's website primarily focuses on bugs found in Britain, it also includes some information on species in other parts of the world. Founded in 2000 as the Invertebrate Conservation Trust, the organization officially launched as Buglife in 2004 and has since expanded to include multiple offices throughout the United Kingdom and more than 30 member organizations. As of this write-up, Buglife's leadership includes its founder, conservationist Alan Stubbs, and the well-known biologist Edward O. Wilson, as well as many others.
Bugs 101: Insect-Human Interactions From the University of Alberta comes Bugs 101, a free online course that introduces learners to "the diverse (and sometimes alien) world of arthropods to learn how they work, what they do, and how insects and humans interact every day." Launched in August 2019 on Coursera, the course is taught by Dr. Maya Evenden, a professor of biological sciences specializing in entomology at the University of Alberta. Some of the topics covered in the course include how insect bodies work, the vital roles arthropods play in ecosystems, the importance of insect conservation, and how insects influence human culture. The course is self-paced and is designed to take approximately 26 hours total over 14 modules, with a suggested pace of 2-3 hours per week. Those interested can enroll at the above link for free, and there is also the option to purchase a certificate to access graded assignments in addition to the course readings and videos. For anyone curious to learn about insect biology and how insects and arthropods affect human society, this course offers an excellent starting point.
Bumble Bee Watch Bumble Bee Watch is a citizen science project that aims to map the year-round habitats of over 40 different species of bumble bees in order to learn how to best protect them in years to come. The project is directed by a number of Canadian organizations: Wildlife Preservation Canada; the University of Ottawa; York University; Beespotter; the Montreal Insectarium; the Natural History Museum, London; and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. Those interested in participating in the project are invited to photograph bees to be added to the project's map. After users upload a photograph, they are asked to identify the bee's species, if possible. In the bumble bee species section, visitors will find a helpful guide to different bee species, complete with a photograph and diagram of each bee, a map of their geographic range, and a list of the flowers the species pollinates. After the bee's identifications are checked by an expert, the photograph is added to the Bumble Bee Watch gallery (which currently contains over 26,000 photographs of bees) and the accompanying data is incorporated into the project's dataset. Visitors can explore this data with ease through a series of drop-down menus that filter data by species, province/state, and year.
Butterflies and Moths of North America
The Coleopterists Society
Entomology Today
Hobo Spiders in Idaho
Insect Identification for the Casual Observer
Insects in the City Whether it’s termites or fire ants, white grubs or aphids…if it’s an insect pest, we’ll try to provide you with the best in science-based, pest management solutions. Check out the F@ctSheets section for practical information on a variety of insect topics. If you’re a pest management professional, visit the Insects in the City blog for professionals to see what’s happening with pest control in Texas.
Insects Publications & Resources
University of Arizona
Microsculpture
Pollinator Conservation Resource Center Readers interested in bees and other pollinators may appreciate the Pollinator Conservation Resource Center. This collection of resources is offered by the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a science-based international nonprofit that "protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitats." Visitors to the Pollinator Conservation Resource Center will find an abundant collection of links to pollinator information, organized regionally and covering the continental US and Canada. Clicking the desired region on the map leads to an assembly of resources curated specifically for that region. For example, under the Great Lakes region, readers will find links to recommended pollinator plants, conservation guides, numerous native pollinator plant nurseries and seed companies, resources for bee species identification and monitoring, and policy information. There is also a set of national resources. Many of the resources were created by the Xerces Society in collaboration with local universities, while others were produced by universities or by government agencies. The Pollinator Conservation Resource Center itself is a collaboration between the Xerces Society and the Neal Williams Lab at the University of California, Davis.
Pollinators (National Park Service) The National Park Service has created an online guide to some of nature's most prominent pollinators, including hummingbirds, monarch butterflies, and bees. As the site notes, "More than 75 percent of the Earth's flowering plants depend on bees, butterflies, birds, bats, and other pollinators. Yet scientists have noted that these hardworking insects and other animals are in trouble." A number of factors threaten pollinators, including climate change, pesticide use, and the introduction of non-native species into their habitats. On this website, visitors can learn more about the important role pollinators play in ecosystems around the world and learn about the traits of specific pollinators. In the know your pollinators section, readers can read short articles about specific species and national parks. This website is a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about different kinds of pollinators or about the widespread impact of global climate change.
The Scorpion Files The intention of this site is to provide information about scorpions to both scientists and others seeking information about these interesting arachnids. The information in this site is as far as possible based on scientific data, but the presentation has a popular science profile to make it available to all types of information seekers.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Department of Entomology
Spider Research
University of California, Riverside
True Bugs
Youth and Entomology From Purdue University comes Youth and Entomology, an online resource "dedicated to assisting youth and others interested in discovering insects by providing the resources needed to get started and to achieve success." While this resource was created primarily with 4-H participants in mind, anyone interested in learning how to collect insect specimens can benefit from it. The main attractions of Youth and Entomology for budding entomologists are its two resource books: How to Make an Awesome Insect Collection and Who Let the Bugs Out?, both of which can be read for free online and are available to purchase in print. The first book "teaches all that a beginning student needs to know about how to find, collect, identify, preserve and display insects," while the second title (intended to be a companion to the first book) focuses on Integrated Pest Management and the importance of insects in general. Other parts of Youth and Entomology include guidance for those pursuing entomology as a 4-H project and a collection of helpful how-to videos covering various aspects of insect collection.

Streaming Video

Alien Empire (5 parts) Alien Empire is a six-part documentary series hosted by John Shrapnel, taking us into the bizarre, fascinating world of insects with amazing graphics. Combining cutting-edge computer animation with live-action footage and powerful magnifying cameras, the series offers a startling “insect’s eye-view” of their own extremely complex existence. Each episode of the series deals with topics: the diversity in insects’ design; the mating rituals of insects and their reproductive strategies; the constant war that insects wage for food; the migration, colonization and adaptation of insects to various geographic regions; the habitats and social relationships of insects; and the hostile, yet dependent, relationship of humans and insects.
Ant Algorithms
Ant, Ladybug, Spider
Ants The 100 trillion ants in the world weigh as much as all the people on Earth and have colonized the planet like no other animal. Chris Packham explores the ingenious ways in which ants have collaborated to achieve their global success—natural air-conditioning systems keep ants cool in their nests, shelters made from their own bodies protect nomadic ants from the elements, and a sense of smell five times more powerful than other insects allows them to overpower animals hundreds of times larger than themselves. Remarkably, new research reveals how ant colonies are capable of immunizing themselves against diseases. A BBC Production.
Beetalker: The Secret World of Bees
Beetlemania
Edward O. Wilson: Reflections on a Life in Science
Facts about Insects
Insect Dissection: How Insects Work Insects outnumber us by 200 million to one. They thrive in environments where humans cannot, and without insects, entire ecosystems would collapse, crops would disappear and waste would pile high. The secret of their success? Their incredible alien anatomy. To reveal this extraordinary hidden world, entomologists Dr. James Logan and Brendan Dunphy carry out a complete insect dissection. Cutting-edge imaging technology shows us the beauty and precision of the natural engineering inside even the simplest insects. Stripping back the layers, they uncover ingenious body systems and finely-tuned senses—a bug body plan that is the hidden blueprint behind insects' ‘global domination.’ They also discover how science is now using the secrets of insect anatomy to inspire technology that could save human lives. A BBC Production.
Insect Families and Identification Showing a fascinating variety of live insects that will keep students glued to the screen, this program presents the major families of insects and explores their distinguishing characteristics. It shows primitive insects, as well as families of Orthopterans, including grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, cockroaches, walkingsticks, and praying mantises. It also looks at the major families of the orders Odonata, Ephemeroptera, Dermaptera, Isoptera, Hemiptera, Homoptera, Thysanoptera, Neuroptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Siphonaptera.
Insectageddon Recall when insects used to go splat on your windscreen during a country drive? It’s rarer these days. Now European scientists have confirmed what many suspected: insect numbers are dropping like flies. Eric Campbell reports.
Life in the Air (3 parts) Enter the skyworld and experience the lives of jumping, gliding and flying creatures like never before, thanks to this groundbreaking wildlife strand from the BBC’s renowned Natural History Unit. Flight is the ultimate superpower, an extraordinary ability most of us can only dream of. Yet an astonishing number of animals have mastered the skies. From squirrels to spiders, frogs to fish, and birds to bats – with exceptional skills and breathtaking design, these animals hunt, travel, sleep, live and die in the air. This world has always been a mystery, a place we humans could not enter or understand. But now we have the cutting-edge filming technology to follow these animals into the skies, and reveal their hidden world. This wondrous series allows us to ‘fly’ alongside the animals and see the world from their unique point of view as it captures extraordinary animal behaviour and reveals the amazing science of flight.
Mosquitoes on the Rise In Brazil, in Africa, in Southeast Asia, and in the south of Europe, this film will follow the path of four mosquitoes, each of which is capable of transmitting viruses and dangerous parasites to humans. These mosquitoes are the carriers of dengue fever, malaria, Zika, and other infectious diseases. They take advantage of environmental changes, often caused by human activity, as well as a multitude of means of transportation, which help them to spread to new territories and threaten newfound populations. In the past, countries such as Japan and France, with their temperate climates were relatively free of danger, but now the first cases of autochthonous infections have brutally sprung up. These mosquitos are highly resistant to the protection strategies continually being developed by researchers. But scientists continue their field research, inventing new arms in the battle, each more surprising than the next. Facing the serious health risks they present us, humans have engaged in a fierce battle against the mosquitoes on the rise.
Party Locusts
Planet Ant: Life Inside the Colony
Tarantula!
TED Talks: Deborah Gordon: The emergent genius of ant colonies
Vanishing of the Bees
Zapped: The Buzz about Mosquitoes