Bugs Need Heroes Podcast

This episode was originally recorded in Spring 2025, but an issue during recording caused it to be delayed until now.

Kelly and Amanda discuss the rove beetle Ocypus olens (and a similar species in New Zealand). Tangents include cats, Bobby's World, and DC Comic's Gentleman Ghost and other Victorian spookyisms.

Bug discussion begins around 10:40

Coming up, an episode about house centipedes (thanks to listener Laura for the request).

Send your house centipede questions here or via e-mail at bugsneedheroes@gmail.com! Let us know if you'd like us to read them on the podcast or keep it anonymous.

Art by FreeDesignFlie

Amanda leads an episode about the history of silkworms and how they changed the world!

Topic discussion begins around 7:10

Silk moth creative commons Wikipedia.

#silkmoth #entomology #sciencepodcast #scicomm #

You were an awesome guest! Thank you for educating us on these incredibly badass bugs! Absolutely fascinating. ❤️🧟‍♀️

The name is deceptive because only the males have wings and they only have hours to use them to turn wasps into zombies! These rare insects have a strange life history as parasitoids. Keep an eye out around goldenrod flowers and you might see an infected wasp! If you do tag #TeamWasp on your socials

This episode Amanda and Kelly discuss twisted-wing insects (Strepsiptera) with Dr Floria Mora-Kepfer Uy an assistant professor at the University of Rochester and a Levinson/Shapiro faculty scholar. @avispatica.bsky.social

Thank you, Floria!! We absolutely loved having you on as a guest and can't wait to publish the episode in the next two weeks. 🪰❤️

This episode Amanda and Kelly discuss mud daubers. These wasps use mud to build their nests and fill those nests with paralyzed spiders, which is a very sexy behavior. Tangents include dinosaurs, the morals of relative television, Earthworm Jim, Amanda's crochet tips.
Bug discussion begins at 5:20

This episode we are joined by Dr Scott Kight once again to talk about Belostomatidae. We initially planned to do this topic around Father's Day for reasons that will become apparent. Tangents include bears, science teachers, and that Coldplay concert.

Photo attributed to Frank Vassen from Wikipedia

Very cool! These guys are nocturnal and difficult to find (they are wandering ground spiders). Most often folks find their eggsacs (the fairy lamps) and not the adult spiders. There are around 50 eggs in that whimsical eggsac. The spdier will eventually cover the lamp with mud to protect the eggs.

We are always looking for entomologists, researchers, curators, etc. to come on the podcast! Even bug-adjacent (we've covered bats and cats before) if you are passionate about you study critter send us an e-mail at bugsneedheroes@gmail.com to come chat on the pod!

New episode! X-Mantis (Manitdae)! This episode contains discussion of sexual cannibalism as we discuss the classic mantis and how they are centaurs. Tangents include eagles, ninjas, and Amanda's art tips. #entomology #scicomm #sciencepodcast

Kelly & Amanda continue wet bug summer with another true bug. These hemipterans have conquered the water surface of ponds, streams, rivers, lakes, and even the open ocean. Tangents include pokemon, New Jersey, doctor parties, mantis shrimps and some of our past chars. Amanda almost eats a spider.

While most are beneficial, there is a deadly exception! Tangents include Naruto ninjas, Elizabeth Wheatley, and Detective Comics Comics' character Ambush Bug.

Photos by our buddy Kevin Wiener

This episode we discuss the #Reduviidae family, colloquially known as assassin bugs. There are many different kinds and all of them are cunning hunters that turn their prey into Capri Suns and some turn them into fashion. ⬇️

YouTube video by Science News A water beetle swallowed alive by a frog escapes through the butt | Science News

Just kidding! This beetle makes an incredible escape after being consumed by a frog. Video here: youtu.be/_W0UJD_i3Mo

This week's episode is about a fairly unremarkable aquatic beetle. Tangents include AI generated images, Chris Angel, Hugh Jackman, and horror novels. Includes spoilers for The Prestige. #scicomm #sciencepodcast #entomology

Check out our very own co-host Kelly on Bradon's entomology education podcast Lil Dudes Insect Academy!

If I do I will definitely PM you!

Amanda and Kelly loved this cross-pollination so much! Thanks for having them on, it was a total blast (and we all look adorable)!

Kelly has now become Dr Kelly @fillsyourniche.bsky.social . Much of the episode is about the process of earning a doctorate. The rest of the episode is devoted to discussion of fruit flies, art history, swords, and friend of the pod, Dr Ped.

Kelly here - omg thank you! I could not believe Derek and Amanda sent me a sword! I absolutely love it and the wonderful thought behind it. Finland sounds awesome, I'd love to visit some day.

This episode we are joined by another bug hero: Dr Emily Durkin! We talk about her research looking at tiny mites that ride around on fruit flies. Tangents: mosquitoes, hornworms, pets, and jumping spiders! Check out how cute her dog Pfeffer is!

Follow Emily here on Blue Sky @miteymle.bsky.social

Burying beetle image public domain from USGS.
Tangents include tattoos, cats (always!), scale insects, coyotes, and what it's like not being an entomologist.

Zillah's art: www.instagram.com/zillahsmith/

There Will Be Bugs: www.instagram.com/there_will_b...

Zillah's website: www.zillahsmith.com

This time we are joined by Ben Knowlton and Zillah Smith of There Will Be Bugs Podcast to talk about one of their favorite bugs, the American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus americanus). These beetles have it all: battles, mites, an endangered species listing. But most importantly they have each other.

Kelly and Producer Derek are back from the ESA conference in Pheonix and Kelly shares some stories. Not a bug, but the evolutionary arms race between scorpions and their predators has created a truly terrific terror. Tangents: butterflies,Disney, and vikings.
(Image credit: Minden Pictures/Alamy)

This female Pseudomethoca sp. is a real beauty! Thanks to Kevin Wiener of All Bugs Go to kevin (FB page) for the photo.

This is an episode we banked during the summer. Kelly and Amanda discuss velvet ants, which are not actually ants at all. And the Bee-Team lore expands ever onward! Tangents include Zendaya at the Met Gala, Ultraman, and anime villains. #scicomm #sciencepodcast #entomology #entomologypodcast

Check out our podcast episode on the Bugs Need Heroes podcast all about the peppered moth and industrial melanism! HOT SCIENTIST GOSSIP included. The pod Blue Sky is @bugsneedheroes.bsky.social and you can listen everywhere you get podcasts, including YouTube. #scicomm #podcast #swifties