Thursday, August 11, 2022

Learn Something About Silverfish!


Jeff Verges/Owner/Operator
742 Santa Anita Court
Eugene, OR 97401

541-688-0580 Eugene 
503-371-8373 Salem

Monday, August 8, 2022

Reproduction and Life Cycle of Silverfish

Before silverfish reproduce, they carry out a ritual involving three phases, which may last over half an hour. In the first phase, the male and female stand face to face, their vibrating antennae touching, then repeatedly back off and return to this position. In the second phase, the male runs away and the female chases him. In the third phase, the male and female stand side by side and head to tail, with the male vibrating his tail against the female. Finally, the male lays a spermatophore, a sperm capsule covered in gossamer, which the female takes into her body via her ovipositor to fertilize her eggs. The female lays groups of fewer than 60 eggs at once, deposited in small crevices. The eggs are oval-shaped, whitish, about 0.8 mm (0.031 in) long, and take between two weeks and two months to hatch. A silverfish usually lays fewer than 100 eggs in her lifetime.

When the nymphs hatch, they are whitish in colour, and look like smaller adults. As they moult, young silverfish develop a greyish appearance and a metallic shine, eventually becoming adults after three months to three years. They may go through 17 to 66 moults in their lifetimes, sometimes 30 in a single year—many more than most insects. Silverfish are among the few types of insect that continue to moult after reaching adulthood.

Read more, here.

Jeff Verges/Owner/Operator
742 Santa Anita Court
Eugene, OR 97401

541-688-0580 Eugene 
503-371-8373 Salem

Friday, August 5, 2022

Silver Fish


The silverfish (Lepisma saccharinum) is a species of small, primitive, wingless insect in the order Zygentoma (formerly Thysanura). Its common name derives from the insect's silvery light grey colour, combined with the fish-like appearance of its movements. The scientific name (L. saccharinum) indicates that the silverfish's diet consists of carbohydrates such as sugar or starches. While the common name silverfish is used throughout the global literature to refer to various species of Zygentoma, the Entomological Society of America restricts use of the term solely for Lepisma saccharinum.

Read more, here.

Jeff Verges/Owner/Operator
742 Santa Anita Court
Eugene, OR 97401

541-688-0580 Eugene 
503-371-8373 Salem

Tuesday, August 2, 2022

Why Cockroaches Are So Hard To Kill


Cockroaches are one of the most widespread and resilient creatures on this planet. They are practically everywhere around us, hiding in the walls, sewers, and perhaps your cupboard. They are also one of the most hated creatures by humans. If you are like most people, you will become determined to kill all of the roaches when you see them in your house. Despite such hatred towards them, how do cockroaches manage to thrive all around the globe?

Science Insider tells you all you need to know about science: space, medicine, biotech, physiology, and more.

Jeff Verges/Owner/Operator
742 Santa Anita Court
Eugene, OR 97401

541-688-0580 Eugene 
503-371-8373 Salem

Saturday, July 30, 2022

Behavior of Cockroaches

Cockroaches are social insects; a large number of species are either gregarious or inclined to aggregate, and a slightly smaller number exhibit parental care. It used to be thought that cockroaches aggregated because they were reacting to environmental cues, but it is now believed that pheromones are involved in these behaviors. Some species secrete these in their feces with gut microbial symbionts being involved, while others use glands located on their mandibles. Pheromones produced by the cuticle may enable cockroaches to distinguish between different populations of cockroach by odor. The behaviors involved have been studied in only a few species, but German cockroaches leave fecal trails with an odor gradient. Other cockroaches follow such trails to discover sources of food and water, and where other cockroaches are hiding. Thus, cockroaches have emergent behavior, in which group or swarm behavior emerges from a simple set of individual interactions.

Daily rhythms may also be regulated by a complex set of hormonal controls of which only a small subset have been understood. In 2005, the role of one of these proteins, pigment dispersing factor (PDF), was isolated and found to be a key mediator in the circadian rhythms of the cockroach.

Pest species adapt readily to a variety of environments, but prefer warm conditions found within buildings. Many tropical species prefer even warmer environments. Cockroaches are mainly nocturnal and run away when exposed to light. An exception to this is the Asian cockroach, which flies mostly at night but is attracted to brightly lit surfaces and pale colors.

Read more, here.

Jeff Verges/Owner/Operator
742 Santa Anita Court
Eugene, OR 97401

541-688-0580 Eugene 
503-371-8373 Salem

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Cockroach

Cockroaches (or roaches) are insects of the order Blattodea, which also includes termites. About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known as pests.

The cockroaches are an ancient group, with ancestors originating during the Carboniferous period, some 300–350 million years ago. Those early ancestors, however, lacked the internal ovipositors of modern roaches. Cockroaches are somewhat generalized insects lacking special adaptations (such as the sucking mouthparts of aphids and other true bugs); they have chewing mouthparts and are probably among the most primitive of living Neopteran insects. They are common and hardy insects capable of tolerating a wide range of climates, from Arctic cold to tropical heat. Tropical cockroaches are often much larger than temperate species. Contrary to popular belief, extinct cockroach relatives (Blattoptera) and 'roachoids' such as the Carboniferous Archimylacris and Apthoroblattina were not as large as the biggest modern species.

Some species, such as the gregarious German cockroach, have an elaborate social structure involving common shelter, social dependence, information transfer and kin recognition. Cockroaches have appeared in human culture since classical antiquity. They are popularly depicted as dirty pests, although the majority of species are inoffensive and live in a wide range of habitats around the world.

Read more, here.

Jeff Verges/Owner/Operator
742 Santa Anita Court
Eugene, OR 97401

541-688-0580 Eugene 
503-371-8373 Salem

Sunday, July 24, 2022

See What Happens When You Tickle a Rat | National Geographic


By studying how rats react to tickling, scientists are gaining insight into how a brain processes and responds to the sensation. Video courtesy Humboldt University of Berlin

Jeff Verges/Owner/Operator
742 Santa Anita Court
Eugene, OR 97401

541-688-0580 Eugene 
503-371-8373 Salem