The confused flour beetle, Tribolium Confusum is an organism that is approximately 4.35mm in body length and is made up of three sections, the prognathous head, rounded abdomen and a straight sided thorax, which are flat, shiny, elongated and rigid, reddish brown (Stuart M Bennett 2003). This beetle consists of two segmented antennas at the front of its body along with two small dark colored notched eyes, separated by more than three eye diameters, which allow the beetle to identify small disturbances and escape from predator (Stuart M Bennett 2003). The antenna’s consists of segments that grow from the bottom all the way till the tip, forming a club of four segments and are used to help Tribolium Confusum in sensing its surroundings (Stuart M Bennett 2003). This confused beetle has six legs; three separated equally on each side of the body, which allow it to easily maneuver through grain products. The forelegs are there for traction and the middle and hind legs are for propulsion (A Sokoloff 1972). Tribolium Confusum has well developed wings hidden under its elytra but has never been seen flying (Anon 2009). Its forewings are rigid and hind wings are membranous and folded (S.S Lal 2009). Tribolium Confusum originated in Africa and is now found all around the world, particularly in the tropical and semi-tropical regions (Canada grain commission 2013). These beetles are most abundant in the flourmills, warehouses, bakeries, and homes in the U.Kingdom, United States and Australia (Stuart M Bennett 2003). In United States it is more commonly found in northern sates where the climate is warm (Smith and Whitman 2001). Tribolium Confusum is most commonly found in warmer climate and humidity and it survive... ... middle of paper ... ...olium castaneum interact with one another when competing differently in dependence on microclimatic conditions (Werner Ulrich 2008). This competition between these species of Tribolium is called interspecific completion. These two beetles also interact when working together to cannibalize the eggs of other species and interfering with the survival of other potential competitors (Werner Ulrich 2008). Furthermore, Tribolium Confusum is an omnivore that feeds on decaying organic matter, grains, cereals and grain products. It does not play a beneficial role in its natural habitat but instead negatively affects the humans by feeding on the grain products which soon after my cause allergies (Stuart M Bennett 2003). The beetle also affects warehouses and flourmills financially because the increase in number very quick, which means more flour being eaten.
..., Department of Zoology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, Available from Journal of Insect Physiology. (46 (2000) 655–661)Retrieved from http://www.units.muohio.edu/cryolab/publications/documents/IrwinLee00.pdf
To conduct the experiment, the beetles were massed, then attached to a petri dish with a 30 centimeter piece of dental floss. The beetle’s mass was the independent variable. Afterwards, the floss was tied to the beetle’s midsection with a slip knot. Then, the beetle was placed on a piece of fabric with the petri dish attached to it. As soon as the beetle was able to move with one paperclip inside the petri dish, more were added, one by one, until it could not move any further. After the beetle could not pull any more, the paperclips were massed and the results were recorded. The dependent variable was the mass that the beetles could pull. No control group was included in this experiment.
Outline the physical similarities between the (Blaptica dubia) cockroach and the cricket. Explain previous studies on physical stress in the cricket and in different species of cockroaches. Briefly discuss how the metabolic rate between the two species has been found to be very similar.
Humans are trying everything they can to trap the Gypsy moth and try to remove it from there eco-system, but the Gypsy moth keeps on reproducing. An annual trapping program is one method in which they place traps that attracts male Gypsy moths and gets them stuck in a sticky surface. If a substantial amount of moths are caught by the trap then more traps are set in that ecosystem. Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (BTK) is a toxic soil bacterium that is sprayed over an area to prevent defoliation. When Gypsy moths are exposed to BTK the toxic causes stomach poisoning and they would eventually die. (Government of Canada,
The boll weevil’s primary food source are cotton plants, a crop that covered the southern plantations at the time. In the spring, when they emerge from hibernation, they puncture the cotton buds and lay their eggs inside ("What is a Boll Weevil?"). After about four days, the larvae are born. This is where most of the damage occurs. The larvae eat and destroy the cotton fibers("What is a Boll Weevil?"). The plant is plagued by these insects; they eat them until the cotton plant’s eventual death. The boll weevil season allows for man...
Forensic entomology is most commonly used in suspicious criminal cases. P.C. White (2010) suggests that insects are responsive to certain stimuli and from this we are able to capture an insight into an insects contribution to crime solving. We can determine many different aspects of a case by the presence of different insects colonising a dead body, blowflies for example, are the first to approach the body when its fresh. This is due to their preference of food sources. Ultimately, I will explicitly focus on the relevance of a blowfly at a crime scene.
As useful as their tongue is for collecting nectar it is useless in capturing insects hidden inside flowers, even though insects do provide most of the protein...
Forensic entomology is the study of insects and arthropods and their relation to a criminal investigation. Forensic entomology can determine the postmortem interval (PMI) or how long since the descendants’ death, whether the body has been moved since expiring, and what injuries may have been sustained (Ryan, 2011). When decomposition begins, insects establish a colony to lay eggs on the remains; these eggs will hatch into larvae that will eat the human organs and tissues. Forensic entomologists can determine the specific insects present in the body and estimate how long a body has been left exposed by examining the stage of development of the fly larvae; however, these findings are not always plausible. The fly larvae look and act different at each stage of development. The time required for stage development is not only affected by environmental influences such as geographical location, climate, and weather conditions, but also by type of insect. The forensic entomologist must consider these conditions when estimating the postmortem interval. Knowledge of insects, their life cycles, and their habits make entomological evidence a priceless tool for an investigation. Forensic entomology has proved its significance in a number of cases; though circumstances such as weather, temperature, and time of year clearly affect the development of insect infestation, and the expert must keep these in the forefront of his/her mind (Innes, 2000).
States and southern Canada. In the west, the species was found from Mexico to California.
The Bt spores then leak from the gut and germinate in the insect, causing death within a few days.
Most of the species from habitat one are Diptera. There was a total of thirteen Diptera’s in habitat one. Cup one had the least amount of individual species with four. Habitat two had more individual species than habitat one. There was a total of seventy-nine species from habitat two. Like in habitat one most of of the arthropods from habitat two were Diptera. The was a total of eighteen Diptera’s in habitat two. Cup six had most of the Diptera’s with thirteen. Orthoptera was second in the number of individuals with sixteen. Orthoporea’s are crickets and
There are nearly one million species of insects known. Insects are defined by having six legs and a body divided into three segments: head, thorax, and abdomen. Chitin is an organic material that makes up an insects exoskeleton. There are three life cycles of insects, ametabolous or incomplete and paurometabolous or gradual, and homotabolous or complete metamorphosis. These life cycles are important in the aging of insects for aiding in legal investigations, (Houck and Siegel. Entomology).
Seventh, in some groups of insects, truly social behavior has evolved. Social behavior will allow a large population to survive through difficult periods via cooperation in food gathering, food storage, temperature control, and colony
There is one underlying question. Efficiency. By that I mean, if we were to mimic the surface areas of the beetles it would have to produce enough water to make the energy input worth it. So the main question to ask is; If we are to mimic the Namib Desert beetles methods of moisture collection on a larger scale would it produce enough water to make the initial investment of time, money and energy worth it?
... a “natural pesticide” against, in this situation wheat, the crop-killing bug. This is the advantage that family farms have.