Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [entomology]

Use this tag for questions on insects and spiders. Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology. Historically this also included other arthropods such as arachnids (spiders).

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Does swatting/killing a bee cause the hive to attack?

I used to hear this all the time when I was growing up. Just ignore bees, don't swat at or try to kill them, because if they die, they'll send a "signal" to the hive that will attract dozens more. After forgetting about it for many years, I…
Aaronaught
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Do you eat a certain number of spiders whilst you sleep?

Over the course of your life time, the average person eats X spider/insects/whatever whilst they are sleeping. X tends to vary according to who you ask. Is this just an urban legend?
MSpeed
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Is a writer named Lisa Holst responsible for the belief that everyone eats eight spiders a year?

If you're reading this there's a good chance you're fan of Snopes.com, and I certainly count myself as the same. However, an issue recently came up a with particular Snopes article that was invoked on this very site to explain where the belief that…
Scott Hamilton
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Will there be millions of cicadas per acre when Brood X emerges this year?

A Time article about the upcoming emergence of Brood X cicadas in the U.S. has the following quote from a biologist: “It’s not something you can ignore,” says John Cooley, a biologist at the University of Connecticut. “When they come out it’ll be…
pacoverflow
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Do mosquitoes urinate on you when they bite you?

This is a claim that I have seen on several "Did You Know?" lists so far. They all state that when a mosquito bites you, they also urinate on you at the same time and that is what causes the area around the bite to swell, rather than the actual bite…
geoff
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Does a "mosquito line" exist, above which mosquitos do not travel?

Is there any scientific definition or evidence of such a thing as the mosquito line? My first apartment in Manhattan was on the 25th floor of the Park Row building in the Financial District. The broker assured me I could keep the windows open…
Napoleon
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Can cockroaches survive a nuclear war?

I am sure most people will have heard this claim in some form or another: Cockroaches are so resilient that they will survive the nuclear holocaust. source Is this true?
Sklivvz
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Can you cause mosquitos to explode from drinking too much blood by flexing your muscles?

I have heard several times as I've grown up that you can flex your muscles to make mosquitos get stuck and explode. Looking around the web, I find several sources claiming the same. Q: If you flex your muscle while a mosquito is biting you, will…
Wertilq
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Can ants lift 50 times their weight?

I've encountered this one many times over the years, mostly in those "useless facts" books and sites such as the one here. In fact, it's been one of those bits of trivia I seem to have unconsciously taken for granted as true, probably due to the…
Monkey Tuesday
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Is the Daddy Long Legs spider the world's most venomous?

The claim is the Daddy Long Legs (Pholcus phalangioides) spider is the most venomous spider in the world, but that its fangs are too small to be able to penetrate human skin. The wikipedia article calls it an urban myth and links through to some…
going
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Will a mere touch kill a butterfly?

I've heard many times that touching a butterfly will remove some "special" powder from its wings preventing it to ever fly again, effectively killing it or condemning it to die of starvation. Example on a blog: When you touch a butterfly, you get…
Sklivvz
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Do spiders intentionally wear water droplets on their heads?

I discovered today that there are a lot of pictures of spiders "wearing" water drops as hats. (More research: Warning -- Spiders!) However, I can't find anything related to why they might do this. Is this some beneficial behavior common to some…
Raven Dreamer
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Would humans starve if spiders disappeared?

In this Washington Post article, Norman Platnick of the American Museum of Natural History is quoted as saying the following: If spiders disappeared, we would face famine. Spiders are primary controllers of insects. Without spiders, all of our…
pacoverflow
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Is it unhealthy to live with cockroaches?

There are a number of cockroaches in my wardrobe where I keep my clothes. I have noticed that the cockroaches haven't done any damage to my clothes. I haven't seen the need to get rid of the cockroaches. There is a common perception that living with…
gnerkus
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Does flour or rice make an ant's stomach explode?

As I attempt to kill ants in my yard, I've been reading various claims about how to kill ants without common consumer chemical pesticides like DEET. One claim that I've heard repeatedly is that rice, corn meal or flour can make an ant's stomach…
Mark Rogers
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