Latest news with #insects
CBS News
6 hours ago
- Science
- CBS News
Perot Museum in Dallas opens "Bug Lab," a larger-than-life insect exhibit with hands-on activities
The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is opening The Bug Lab, an exhibition organizers say will transform you into the size of a bug with larger-than-life models and interactive learning stations. Opening on June 28, the museum said the exhibit invites visitors to discover how bugs adaptation inspires cutting-edge human innovation and see how humans are applying "bug genius" to solve problems. "Precision flight, swarm intelligence, even brain surgery – insects offer us a template for technology and innovation," said Linda Silver, chief executive officer of the Perot Museum. The museum said the exhibit i meant for all ages. It includes: Immersive Bug Chambers that recreate detailed environments, allowing visitors to experience firsthand the remarkable abilities of various insects, from the lightning speed of dragonflies to the lightning-fast reflexes of mantises. Interactive Adaptation Stations where visitors can test their skills against those bugs through engaging, hands-on activities that demonstrate the complexity of insect behavior and capabilities. Hands-On Labs where visitors can examine actual bug specimens and learn cutting-edge bug science and bio-inspiration through hands-on interaction. "With a blend of science, wonder, and interactive learning that aligns with the Perot Museum's mission to inspire minds through nature and science, 'Bug Lab' will change how people perceive these tiny creatures by showcasing their remarkable adaptations and what humans can learn from them," Silver said. Admission tickets can be purchased in addition to general admission. Adult tickets are $10 Youth tickets (ages 2-12) are $8 Can't make it this summer? Do not worry, the exhibit will be open through the year and closing on Jan. 6, 2026.
The Sun
13 hours ago
- General
- The Sun
B&M's £1 pantry staple will banish flying ants from home – as ‘tens of millions' of insects to swarm UK in just DAYS
THE B&M pantry staple that will keep pests out of your home, as experts warn this year's Flying Ant Day could be one of the biggest in recent years. This handy hack offers a low-cost, toxin free way of keeping the pesky insects away ahead of pest control experts' warnings. 2 Ground pepper can be used to deter ants from your home and is available for £1 at B&M. A study from Vanderbilt University says that ants have 400 smell receptors which allow them not only to smell their immediate surroundings, but also play a role in their communication and navigation. That is why putting down strong scents like pepper can help to deter them, as it will overload their receptors. Cheap trick to keep your home pest free There are a couple of different ways that you can use the pepper deterrent. The easiest is to simply sprinkle it in areas where you typically see ants in your home. However, you can also use it to mix up a makeshift bug spray, offering a cheaper alternative to forking out on insect repellent. By mixing one measure of pepper to ten measures of water you will create a spray which can then be used throughout your home. A Texas A&M University showed that water with pepper is more likely to kill ants than water alone. Where to spray the ingredient in your home However, be careful not to spray it near where your pets might be, as it could cause irritation to their respiratory system or cause an upset stomach. Pest control experts are anti a significant surge in flying ant activity this year, as a result of the ideal combination of altering wet and warm weather. Biggest flying ant day in recent memory This summer's particularly high humidity is perfect for swarming. Experts have suggested that year's Flying Ant Day - the annual mating flight where millions fill the skies in synchronised displays - could be one of the biggest in recent years. Paul Blackhurst, Head of the Technical Academy at Rentokil Pest Control, told Manchester Evening News: 'While flying ants may disrupt your picnic, barbeque, or pub garden pint, they play a vital role in the ecosystem.' He added: "This natural event, when vast numbers of winged ants, known as alates, take to the skies at once in search of mates from other colonies, could be one of the most prolific for years." Keep pests out all summer IF you want to ensure that your home is pest free this summer, here's what you need to know. Hornets and wasps - hate the smell of peppermint oil so spraying this liberally around your patio or balcony can help to keep them at bay. Moths - acidic household white vinegar is effective for deterring moths. Soak some kitchen roll in vinegar and leave it in your wardrobe as a deterrent. Flying ants - herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, mint, chilli pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, or garlic act as deterrents. Mosquitoes - plants, herbs and essential oil fragrances can help deter mozzies inside and out. Try eucalyptus, lavender and lemongrass.
BBC News
a day ago
- Science
- BBC News
Flying Ant Day: When is it? Have you seen any?
Picture the scene, it's a nice sunny afternoon and then suddenly an ANT FLIES AT YOUR FACE... Every summer there is a day when thousands of giant flying ants emerge from their nests roughly at the same time - known as Flying Ant the name, it can happen over a number of days and sees giant black ants with wings taking flight across the UK in warm weather. Why do ants fly? Flying Ant Day usually arrives during the summer months. Flying queens, which are larger, along with smaller male flying ants fly off to set-up new there is no such thing as a specific 'Ant Day', scientists have found that ants are good at short term weather prediction so chose a warm and calm day to is often in mid to late summer in the UK but varies across the country. Speaking to BBC Newsround, Cesar Wang, from Ant HQ, a flying Ant expert and ant-keeper who supplies ants for research said: "Rather than being a single day, it's more like a season, so it can actually start as early as June, all the way into September. "For example, I'm based in London and in London it's a very developed city, loads of buildings, so heat tends to accumulate a bit more, so ant nests which may be beneath paving slabs which absorb heat. "Their [the ants] development tends to increase and tends to be a little bit faster than usual, so these queen ants will hatch a bit earlier." Noting that flying ants may already be making an appearance this year, Cesar explained that "this year we've had quite a hot spring so we'll typically see flying ants emerging a little bit earlier." Are flying ants anything to worry about? While it might not be particularly pleasant to have several large ants flying at your face, Cesar says they're completely "harmless". Queen ants can be a bit scary if you've never seen them before, they're definitely much larger than the typical worker ants that you see in the park or garden."But here in the UK, there are 60-odd species and none of them have a lethal sting or bite and they won't be able to do anything to a human." Phew!
CNN
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
This photographer is celebrating tiny creatures through close-up images
Dara Ojo was once afraid of spiders, particularly the biting, venomous kind. How times have changed. Not only is the photographer willing to get up very close and personal with arachnids of all stripes, he's passionately conserving insects through this work. Ojo, 34, is a master of macrophotography — extreme close-up shots, in this case of wildlife — showing tiny critters in all their odd, beautiful glory. 'Every time I'm shooting an insect I'm delighted, curious and intrigued by the art and detail of their structure,' Ojo told CNN in a Zoom interview. For the photographer, who describes himself as a conservation storyteller, it is about 'shining the light on these tiny little details that people just walk past because they're small.' Born in Lagos, Nigeria, and now living in Canada, Ojo's first encounter with photography was using his father's Nikon camera as a child. He photographed birds, snakes, frogs and other creatures. Much later, he was teaching English in China when the Covid-19 pandemic struck and began photographing insects as a remedy to the boredom of lockdown. But there was another purpose too: amid the deluge of photographs of different animals he saw online, Ojo noticed relatively little high-profile work of nature's smallest creations. He wanted to fill this gap, 'and also create some positive publicity for insects.' Ojo first learned how to shoot macrophotography from YouTube tutorials and took a course called 'Bugs 101: Insect-Human Interactions' at the University of Alberta, Canada. In 2020 he created his first macro image, of a dragonfly. Two years later, his photos of a white-striped longhorn beetle taken in China went viral. The beetle is typically 20-40 mm long, but Ojo's image of the insect makes it feel human-size, with an intimidating yet intriguing poise. Its eyes look like speakers, and details invisible to the naked eye, like its microscopic facial hairs, are on full display. His work has circulated the internet, with some Instagram posts hitting almost a million views. It has also caught the attention of the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed who shared some of them on X, to mark the 2025 World Biodiversity Day. But the recognition brings certain pressures. 'Now that eyes are on me, globally, I have to keep the bar higher than the last, each time I shoot. Also, as a black person, I feel like a role model, giving a voice as people of color who are not usually seen in this kind of field. I therefore can't stay comfortable,' he says. Some other striking images are of the primrose moth, with distinct vivid pink and yellow coloring; a spiny-backed orb weaver spider with a pagoda-like posterior; a katydid — a type of cricket — with a face akin to a church dome; and a wolf spider eating a frog. Ojo says, 'I'm in awe of them when I am shooting. I see in them how God is a perfect designer, and the need for us to protect them.' He has photographed more than 40 types of spiders, 50 moths and 30 butterflies species, over 20 dragonflies and at least 70 damselflies. Among all the fauna he's photographed, the state of bees worries him the most. 'Bees are rare and really endangered even though they are essential to our existence because of their pollination.' Ojo says. Now, his work is being featured in 'Insect Apocalypse,' the first episode of the documentary 'Bugs that Rule the World,' which is being shown in the US and Canada. The four-part series focuses on the decline of insects and how this is detrimental to the ecosystem and to human existence, and includes photographs Ojo took in Costa Rica. Ojo is working to release the first coffee table book of his works in 2026, and plans to add three more in the next five years. Yet photography is not Ojo's full-time occupation. He works as a data analyst at the University of Alberta, and has an MBA in information technology from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, United Kingdom. His tech background, he says, gives him an edge with processing the pictures, which are best taken at night and early morning when insects are asleep or resting, he explains. He captures multiple photographs at different depths of field and combines them using stacking software so the whole insect is in pin-sharp focus. Since the images are shot without alterations, he then digitally edits them, mainly to enhance colors. Though he occasionally sells prints of his photography, his advocacy for his subjects is his main motive, Ojo says. Insect populations around the world are in peril. Among his once-feared spiders, for example, scores are categorized as critically endangered. 'The primary goal is to use my images to reveal the beauty of insects and other small creatures,' he says. First he draws people in, then shares a conservation message, then, hopefully, people will take action, Ojo explains. 'When people are blown away by the pictures, they are curious and develop empathy to conserve them.'
CNN
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
This photographer is celebrating tiny creatures through close-up images
Dara Ojo was once afraid of spiders, particularly the biting, venomous kind. How times have changed. Not only is the photographer willing to get up very close and personal with arachnids of all stripes, he's passionately conserving insects through this work. Ojo, 34, is a master of macrophotography — extreme close-up shots, in this case of wildlife — showing tiny critters in all their odd, beautiful glory. 'Every time I'm shooting an insect I'm delighted, curious and intrigued by the art and detail of their structure,' Ojo told CNN in a Zoom interview. For the photographer, who describes himself as a conservation storyteller, it is about 'shining the light on these tiny little details that people just walk past because they're small.' Born in Lagos, Nigeria, and now living in Canada, Ojo's first encounter with photography was using his father's Nikon camera as a child. He photographed birds, snakes, frogs and other creatures. Much later, he was teaching English in China when the Covid-19 pandemic struck and began photographing insects as a remedy to the boredom of lockdown. But there was another purpose too: amid the deluge of photographs of different animals he saw online, Ojo noticed relatively little high-profile work of nature's smallest creations. He wanted to fill this gap, 'and also create some positive publicity for insects.' Ojo first learned how to shoot macrophotography from YouTube tutorials and took a course called 'Bugs 101: Insect-Human Interactions' at the University of Alberta, Canada. In 2020 he created his first macro image, of a dragonfly. Two years later, his photos of a white-striped longhorn beetle taken in China went viral. The beetle is typically 20-40 mm long, but Ojo's image of the insect makes it feel human-size, with an intimidating yet intriguing poise. Its eyes look like speakers, and details invisible to the naked eye, like its microscopic facial hairs, are on full display. His work has circulated the internet, with some Instagram posts hitting almost a million views. It has also caught the attention of the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed who shared some of them on X, to mark the 2025 World Biodiversity Day. But the recognition brings certain pressures. 'Now that eyes are on me, globally, I have to keep the bar higher than the last, each time I shoot. Also, as a black person, I feel like a role model, giving a voice as people of color who are not usually seen in this kind of field. I therefore can't stay comfortable,' he says. Some other striking images are of the primrose moth, with distinct vivid pink and yellow coloring; a spiny-backed orb weaver spider with a pagoda-like posterior; a katydid — a type of cricket — with a face akin to a church dome; and a wolf spider eating a frog. Ojo says, 'I'm in awe of them when I am shooting. I see in them how God is a perfect designer, and the need for us to protect them.' He has photographed more than 40 types of spiders, 50 moths and 30 butterflies species, over 20 dragonflies and at least 70 damselflies. Among all the fauna he's photographed, the state of bees worries him the most. 'Bees are rare and really endangered even though they are essential to our existence because of their pollination.' Ojo says. Now, his work is being featured in 'Insect Apocalypse,' the first episode of the documentary 'Bugs that Rule the World,' which is being shown in the US and Canada. The four-part series focuses on the decline of insects and how this is detrimental to the ecosystem and to human existence, and includes photographs Ojo took in Costa Rica. Ojo is working to release the first coffee table book of his works in 2026, and plans to add three more in the next five years. Yet photography is not Ojo's full-time occupation. He works as a data analyst at the University of Alberta, and has an MBA in information technology from Edge Hill University in Ormskirk, United Kingdom. His tech background, he says, gives him an edge with processing the pictures, which are best taken at night and early morning when insects are asleep or resting, he explains. He captures multiple photographs at different depths of field and combines them using stacking software so the whole insect is in pin-sharp focus. Since the images are shot without alterations, he then digitally edits them, mainly to enhance colors. Though he occasionally sells prints of his photography, his advocacy for his subjects is his main motive, Ojo says. Insect populations around the world are in peril. Among his once-feared spiders, for example, scores are categorized as critically endangered. 'The primary goal is to use my images to reveal the beauty of insects and other small creatures,' he says. First he draws people in, then shares a conservation message, then, hopefully, people will take action, Ojo explains. 'When people are blown away by the pictures, they are curious and develop empathy to conserve them.'
