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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cem> What keeps the boneless, jawless hagfish thriving after more than 300 million years? SLIME. The goop it exudes – a mix of mucus and special protein cells – expands to 10,000 times its original volume in less than half a second, potentially clogging the gills of competitors.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>No scales… no bones… no jaw…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>No problem!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hagfish has slime… and plenty of it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s survived for more than 300 million years by sliming its enemies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hello gorgeous.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This circle here, looks like a mouth? That’s its nostril…\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yeah you heard me, just one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s excellent at sniffing out dead stuff to eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s a good thing because instead of eyes like ours, the hagfish has a pair of simple, light-sensing organs under its skin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you think these pointy things are teeth, you are very wrong.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re called barbels, which help it smell.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hagfish keeps its teeth — these dentures from hell — well-hidden.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To go with that handsome face, it’s got skin for days.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hanging off its body like a baggy onesie, which, along with the slime, makes the hagfish nearly impossible to bite into.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers get to see hagfish happenings by dropping cameras with bait in the deep sea.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a shark attacks, the hagfish remains unbothered.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its vital organs shimmy out of harm’s way inside its roomy wrapper, giving it just enough time to deploy its slime blast.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That slime flows from glands running along the sides of its body.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When combined with seawater, the mixture swells up to 10,000 times its original volume in less than half a second.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The slime is made of mucus, but itʻs no ordinary snot. It’s chock full of special protein threads that look like balls of yarn under a microscope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once they hit seawater, those proteins unspool without tangling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003cbr>\n\u003ca href=\"https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/animals-a-to-z/pacific-hagfish\">Learn more about the Pacific hagfish from the Monterey Bay Aquarium\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://sites.chapman.edu/fudge/project/biophysics-of-hagfish-slime/\">Discover the biophysics of hagflish slime with Chapman University scientist Douglas Fudge\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca>Dive into the deep sea with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute\u003cbr>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hagfish are almost exclusively scavengers, eating dead things that fall to the seafloor, when they can find ‘em.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ooo! Dead whale!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes they have to go months without food.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They wait patiently behind rocks or curled up like slimy cinnamon rolls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When a meal finally arrives, they slide right on in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And they’ll slime any competing fish who might be hoping for a bite, sometimes clogging the fish’s gills and killing it!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even a hagfish could suffocate in a hagfish’s slime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So they tie themselves in knots, sliding their own slime right off their bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ah, all clean.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ready, at any moment, to unleash a suffocating cyclone of slime — again and again.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cem> Asian citrus psyllids transmit a disease that can ruin your oranges. Even worse, Argentine ants protect them in exchange for the psyllids’ delicate ribbons of sugary poop, called honeydew. So, researchers are helping orange growers fight back with invisible lasers, ghastly wasps and more trickery.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>This orchard is swarming with Argentine ants, but they’re not here for the juicy oranges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’ve found something way better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re obsessed with these delicate candy ribbons …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>… which happen to be coming out of the butts of these tiny insects: Asian citrus psyllids. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They suck sap from citrus trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And produce the prettiest of poops, called honeydew. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ants ranch the psyllids like cattle, putting their lives on the line to protect their herd from predators. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This ladybug larva is easily deterred. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this hoverfly larva takes more convincing. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even more dangerous to psyllids is this tiny parasitoid wasp. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s looking for a host for its eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the ants are having none of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The psyllids and their ant allies have an even bigger threat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Citrus growers who are desperate to keep the pests out of their orchards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because psyllids can spread bacteria in their saliva that causes a disease called citrus greening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The disease turns leaves yellow and makes fruit green and bitter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Citrus growers can spray pesticides, but those kill the helpful insects too …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>… leaving the trees undefended when the psyllids inevitably find their way back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus spraying only gets at some of the ants, since most are safely underground at any one time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003cbr>\nLearn how \u003ca href=\"https://biocontrol.ucr.edu/asian-citrus-psyllid\">Hoddle Lab at University of California, Riverside \u003c/a> studies ways to protect citrus orchards from Asia citrus psyllids and citrus greening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More information about \u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74155.html#:~:text=The%20adult%20Asian%20citrus%20psyllid,the%20pattern%20at%20the%20back.\"> Asian citrus psyllids \u003c/a> from the University of California Integrated Pest Management Program\u003cbr>\n[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So let’s recap: it’s psyllids and their ant bodyguards vs. citrus growers, predators and parasites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still with me? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because psyllids are so tough to get at, citrus growers decided to take out their ant accomplices instead. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By studying the ants’ behavior, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, found a weakness they could exploit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ants follow the easiest path from tree to tree. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re all about efficiency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They turn the orchard’s irrigation pipes into mini highways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers set up sensors on the pipes that use invisible infrared beams to measure how many ants go marching through. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the most trafficked areas, researchers spread these tiny biodegradable balls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re soaked in sugar water laced with a slow-acting insecticide. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ants slurp up the poison and bring it back to share with the colony.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This targeted technique uses just a fraction of the pesticide that spraying would.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With fewer of their bodyguards around, the psyllids are more exposed to their enemies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parasitoid wasp moves right on in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And lays an egg on the psyllid’s soft underside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That wasp egg hatches and the larva right here burrows into the psyllid, devouring it from the inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the wasp is all grown up, it chews its way out, right through the top of the dead psyllid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Glad they’re on our side, huh?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a story of unlikely allies, fighting an ongoing battle, for the sweetest of rewards.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They suck sap from citrus trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And produce the prettiest of poops, called honeydew. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ants ranch the psyllids like cattle, putting their lives on the line to protect their herd from predators. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This ladybug larva is easily deterred. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this hoverfly larva takes more convincing. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even more dangerous to psyllids is this tiny parasitoid wasp. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s looking for a host for its eggs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the ants are having none of that.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The psyllids and their ant allies have an even bigger threat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Citrus growers who are desperate to keep the pests out of their orchards.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s because psyllids can spread bacteria in their saliva that causes a disease called citrus greening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The disease turns leaves yellow and makes fruit green and bitter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Citrus growers can spray pesticides, but those kill the helpful insects too …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>… leaving the trees undefended when the psyllids inevitably find their way back.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Plus spraying only gets at some of the ants, since most are safely underground at any one time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003cbr>\nLearn how \u003ca href=\"https://biocontrol.ucr.edu/asian-citrus-psyllid\">Hoddle Lab at University of California, Riverside \u003c/a> studies ways to protect citrus orchards from Asia citrus psyllids and citrus greening.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>More information about \u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74155.html#:~:text=The%20adult%20Asian%20citrus%20psyllid,the%20pattern%20at%20the%20back.\"> Asian citrus psyllids \u003c/a> from the University of California Integrated Pest Management Program\u003cbr>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So let’s recap: it’s psyllids and their ant bodyguards vs. citrus growers, predators and parasites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Still with me? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because psyllids are so tough to get at, citrus growers decided to take out their ant accomplices instead. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By studying the ants’ behavior, researchers at the University of California, Riverside, found a weakness they could exploit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ants follow the easiest path from tree to tree. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re all about efficiency.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They turn the orchard’s irrigation pipes into mini highways.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers set up sensors on the pipes that use invisible infrared beams to measure how many ants go marching through. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the most trafficked areas, researchers spread these tiny biodegradable balls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re soaked in sugar water laced with a slow-acting insecticide. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The ants slurp up the poison and bring it back to share with the colony.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This targeted technique uses just a fraction of the pesticide that spraying would.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With fewer of their bodyguards around, the psyllids are more exposed to their enemies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parasitoid wasp moves right on in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And lays an egg on the psyllid’s soft underside.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That wasp egg hatches and the larva right here burrows into the psyllid, devouring it from the inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the wasp is all grown up, it chews its way out, right through the top of the dead psyllid.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Glad they’re on our side, huh?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a story of unlikely allies, fighting an ongoing battle, for the sweetest of rewards.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cem> Oblique streaktail hoverflies zip from bloom to bloom wearing a wasp costume to avoid getting eaten. But it’s all show – they don’t even have stingers! Their fierce maggots, on the other hand, devour hundreds of insect pests. As they gorge, they help keep orange trees safe from disease.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>What hovers like a tiny helicopter and flies backwards?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Has the flashy backside of a wasp … the huge eyes of a fly … and spawns murderous maggots?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meet the hoverflies, also known as “flower flies,” or syrphids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are 6,000 species, each with its own style.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bold stripes or plump fuzzy bodies make them look like wasps or bees. But it’s just a ruse. This protective disguise tricks predators into thinking they might get a face full of stinger if they try to eat the hoverflies. This bluff is called Batesian mimicry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This one with the intricate pattern on her back is an oblique streaktail. Right now, she’s on a mission in this Southern California flower patch, fueling up on the pollen that will help her grow her eggs. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She loves this fragrant alyssum and pollinates it as she darts from bloom to bloom. See how precisely she lands?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her wraparound eyes catch the faintest motion … just in time for her to escape this hungry crab spider.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After filling up on pollen, she uses her stubby, but powerful, antennae to smell for the perfect spot for her eggs … an orange tree under attack by these yellow insects with curlicue poop: Asian citrus psyllids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hoverfly lays her eggs next to them. When maggots hatch out of the eggs, they’ll have plenty of those psyllids nearby to eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003cbr>\nLearn \u003ca href=\"https://www2.ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/syrphids/\">how to tell hoverflies apart from the bees and wasps they mimic\u003c/a>, and what other garden pests their maggots feed on, from the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.\u003cbr>\n[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Orange growers despise Asian citrus psyllids, which spread a destructive bacterium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of these juicy beauties, trees suffering from this “citrus greening” make green, bitter fruit … and eventually die.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, scientist \u003ca href=\"https://biocontrol.ucr.edu/nic-irvin\">Nic Irvin\u003c/a>, at the University of California, Riverside, has planted alyssum in orange groves to attract oblique streaktails.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their maggots hunt for psyllids on the orange trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the psyllids have a security detail: Argentine ants. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They feed on the psyllids’ poop. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In exchange, the ants try to keep the maggots away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this big one has the upper hand. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It digs its mouthparts in and injects some venom. It even sucks out a little taste, to see if it might want to eat the ant. Nope. It’s really after the psyllids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each maggot will devour more than 400 in the week before it turns into a pupa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that gluttony means more oranges for you and me.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Bold stripes or plump fuzzy bodies make them look like wasps or bees. But it’s just a ruse. This protective disguise tricks predators into thinking they might get a face full of stinger if they try to eat the hoverflies. This bluff is called Batesian mimicry.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This one with the intricate pattern on her back is an oblique streaktail. Right now, she’s on a mission in this Southern California flower patch, fueling up on the pollen that will help her grow her eggs. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She loves this fragrant alyssum and pollinates it as she darts from bloom to bloom. See how precisely she lands?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her wraparound eyes catch the faintest motion … just in time for her to escape this hungry crab spider.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After filling up on pollen, she uses her stubby, but powerful, antennae to smell for the perfect spot for her eggs … an orange tree under attack by these yellow insects with curlicue poop: Asian citrus psyllids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The hoverfly lays her eggs next to them. When maggots hatch out of the eggs, they’ll have plenty of those psyllids nearby to eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003cbr>\nLearn \u003ca href=\"https://www2.ipm.ucanr.edu/natural-enemies/syrphids/\">how to tell hoverflies apart from the bees and wasps they mimic\u003c/a>, and what other garden pests their maggots feed on, from the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.\u003cbr>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Orange growers despise Asian citrus psyllids, which spread a destructive bacterium.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Instead of these juicy beauties, trees suffering from this “citrus greening” make green, bitter fruit … and eventually die.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, scientist \u003ca href=\"https://biocontrol.ucr.edu/nic-irvin\">Nic Irvin\u003c/a>, at the University of California, Riverside, has planted alyssum in orange groves to attract oblique streaktails.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their maggots hunt for psyllids on the orange trees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the psyllids have a security detail: Argentine ants. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They feed on the psyllids’ poop. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In exchange, the ants try to keep the maggots away.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But this big one has the upper hand. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It digs its mouthparts in and injects some venom. It even sucks out a little taste, to see if it might want to eat the ant. Nope. It’s really after the psyllids.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each maggot will devour more than 400 in the week before it turns into a pupa.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that gluttony means more oranges for you and me.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cem>Why is that yellowjacket crashing your BBQ? Well, she wants what you’re having: burgers, hot dogs, fish and turkey. But she doesn’t eat them herself. Her nest’s larvae need that protein to develop. So she carves up your dinner and makes teeny-tiny meatballs for them.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Ah, time for some grilling.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what’s up with this bee helping herself to my burger? Shouldn’t she be off pollinating something?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s often called a “meat bee,” but she’s not a bee at all.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She’s a western yellowjacket — a type of wasp.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Are you sure that’s a yellowjacket? Learn how to spot a yellowjacket and \u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/QT/yellowjacketscard.html\">how to manage them\u003c/a> from the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Learn what to do if a yellowjacket nest is in a location that puts people in danger and needs to be removed. Get more info from the \u003ca href=\"https://wasps.ucr.edu/wasp-faqs\">University of California, Riverside Department of Entomology Wasp FAQs\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\n[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can tell her apart from a bee because she’s a little bit less hairy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now this yellowjacket is on a hunt for tasty protein.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And she’ll have what you’re having.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first she does a little quality control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sensors on her mouthparts and antennae help her judge the food’s condition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She slices off a chunk with scissor-like mandibles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she doesn’t actually eat this fine fare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mature yellowjackets like her don’t need the protein themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So she rolls it up into a meatball, using her forelegs and mandibles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And takes that burger to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flying it back to her underground nest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And she does it all for these cuties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yellowjacket larvae need protein to develop. And they like meatballs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All that gathering food and flying around gives our adult yellowjacket an appetite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She prods the youngsters and they offer their thanks in the form of a sugary throw up, or exudate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The adults slurp that up and jet off on more meatball missions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yellowjackets bring back all kinds of interesting entrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ever tried moth wings?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cockroach croquettes?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As these yellowjackets make mouse tartare for their babies, they can clean a carcass down to the bone!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s an important service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I mean, would you want to clean this up?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To help fuel their frequent flying, they stop at flowers, downing sugary nectar and pollinating as they go\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what about that sting?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike her bee cousins, she can sting again and again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s a last resort when she or her nest is threatened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So give them some space!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And try to remember the good she does as a scavenger, a pollinator and a provider for her colony, as she’s swiping a tiny meatball from your plate.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Are you sure that’s a yellowjacket? Learn how to spot a yellowjacket and \u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/QT/yellowjacketscard.html\">how to manage them\u003c/a> from the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Learn what to do if a yellowjacket nest is in a location that puts people in danger and needs to be removed. Get more info from the \u003ca href=\"https://wasps.ucr.edu/wasp-faqs\">University of California, Riverside Department of Entomology Wasp FAQs\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>You can tell her apart from a bee because she’s a little bit less hairy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Right now this yellowjacket is on a hunt for tasty protein.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And she’ll have what you’re having.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But first she does a little quality control.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sensors on her mouthparts and antennae help her judge the food’s condition.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She slices off a chunk with scissor-like mandibles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she doesn’t actually eat this fine fare.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mature yellowjackets like her don’t need the protein themselves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So she rolls it up into a meatball, using her forelegs and mandibles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And takes that burger to go.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Flying it back to her underground nest.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And she does it all for these cuties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Yellowjacket larvae need protein to develop. And they like meatballs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All that gathering food and flying around gives our adult yellowjacket an appetite.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She prods the youngsters and they offer their thanks in the form of a sugary throw up, or exudate.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The adults slurp that up and jet off on more meatball missions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And yellowjackets bring back all kinds of interesting entrees.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ever tried moth wings?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cockroach croquettes?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As these yellowjackets make mouse tartare for their babies, they can clean a carcass down to the bone!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And that’s an important service.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I mean, would you want to clean this up?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>To help fuel their frequent flying, they stop at flowers, downing sugary nectar and pollinating as they go\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what about that sting?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unlike her bee cousins, she can sting again and again.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it’s a last resort when she or her nest is threatened.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So give them some space!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And try to remember the good she does as a scavenger, a pollinator and a provider for her colony, as she’s swiping a tiny meatball from your plate.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cem>Monarchs are locked in a battle with \u003cem>Ophryocystis elektroscirrha\u003c/em> (OE), a parasite that can trap a butterfly in its own chrysalis and deform its beautiful wings. Turns out there is a right way, and a *wrong* way, for you to help these butterflies in your backyard.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s a magical moment in the life of a monarch butterfly — and a vulnerable one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its metamorphosis complete — it breaks free from its chrysalis and pumps fluid from its abdomen into its spectacular new wings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for some it’s a struggle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An old enemy, a parasite called \u003cem>Ophryocystis elektroscirrha\u003c/em>, known as OE, is making it harder for monarchs to undergo this crucial transformation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The infection causes sticky sores on the abdomen, trapping the butterfly inside its own chrysalis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And by trying to help monarchs, we humans might be making it worse\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each summer, monarchs make their homes in milkweed patches all over North America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When infected females lay their eggs on the plant, they unknowingly drop microscopic OE spores onto the eggs and surrounding leaves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few days later the next generation begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The caterpillar goes to work, munching on the empty shell of its old egg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then it’s on to the milkweed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With each bite, the caterpillar downs more and more of these microscopic, football-shaped spores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inside the caterpillar’s gut, the spores break open, releasing wormy-looking parasites that burrow out of the gut and into the caterpillars flesh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the caterpillar transforms into a chrysalis …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parasite starts multiplying rapidly, stealing nutrients and taking up space where the monarch would normally grow skin and scales.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it’s time to emerge, the weakened butterfly fights to free itself from the sticky chrysalis – attracting predators and exhausting itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some never escape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Others do, but with wings that are all crumpled and deformed … never fully extending.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or just bent and uneven, making it harder to fly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at Emory University in Atlanta take samples of monarch scales to hunt for OE under the microscope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://deroodelab.org/\">Jacobus de Roode\u003c/a> studies the relationship between monarchs and their OE parasite at Emory University in Atlanta\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See all those tiny black specs wedged in between the monarch’s scales?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those are OE spores\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, this one’s infected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But OE has been around a long time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what’s making it such a big problem now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, monarchs have lost much of their summertime milkweed habitat to agriculture and development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every stage of their life cycle is connected to this family of unassuming plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the end of summer the local milkweed dies off and the monarchs head south for the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the plant dies back, it takes the OE down with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, in an effort to help monarchs, some of us plant tropical milkweed in our gardens, with its showy yellow and red flowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tropical milkweed sticks around a lot later into the year than native milkweeds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means more time for OE to build up on its leaves\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And because the tropical kind doesn’t die back with the rest of the milkweed, some monarchs don’t get the signal to start migrating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They just hang out on the infested plants, missing their chance to hook up with all the other butterflies that spend their winters partying down south.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s worse, they spread OE to healthy butterflies that pass through on their migration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, if you wanna help the monarchs –- do ’em a solid!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cut back your tropical milkweed in the fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the next time you plant milkweed … make sure it’s a native kind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With all the problems that monarchs face, this is one small thing we can do to help.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cem>Monarchs are locked in a battle with \u003cem>Ophryocystis elektroscirrha\u003c/em> (OE), a parasite that can trap a butterfly in its own chrysalis and deform its beautiful wings. Turns out there is a right way, and a *wrong* way, for you to help these butterflies in your backyard.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>It’s a magical moment in the life of a monarch butterfly — and a vulnerable one.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Its metamorphosis complete — it breaks free from its chrysalis and pumps fluid from its abdomen into its spectacular new wings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But for some it’s a struggle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An old enemy, a parasite called \u003cem>Ophryocystis elektroscirrha\u003c/em>, known as OE, is making it harder for monarchs to undergo this crucial transformation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The infection causes sticky sores on the abdomen, trapping the butterfly inside its own chrysalis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And by trying to help monarchs, we humans might be making it worse\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Each summer, monarchs make their homes in milkweed patches all over North America.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When infected females lay their eggs on the plant, they unknowingly drop microscopic OE spores onto the eggs and surrounding leaves.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A few days later the next generation begins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The caterpillar goes to work, munching on the empty shell of its old egg.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then it’s on to the milkweed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With each bite, the caterpillar downs more and more of these microscopic, football-shaped spores.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Inside the caterpillar’s gut, the spores break open, releasing wormy-looking parasites that burrow out of the gut and into the caterpillars flesh.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the caterpillar transforms into a chrysalis …\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The parasite starts multiplying rapidly, stealing nutrients and taking up space where the monarch would normally grow skin and scales.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it’s time to emerge, the weakened butterfly fights to free itself from the sticky chrysalis – attracting predators and exhausting itself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some never escape.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Others do, but with wings that are all crumpled and deformed … never fully extending.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Or just bent and uneven, making it harder to fly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers at Emory University in Atlanta take samples of monarch scales to hunt for OE under the microscope.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://deroodelab.org/\">Jacobus de Roode\u003c/a> studies the relationship between monarchs and their OE parasite at Emory University in Atlanta\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See all those tiny black specs wedged in between the monarch’s scales?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those are OE spores\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Unfortunately, this one’s infected.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But OE has been around a long time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So what’s making it such a big problem now?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, monarchs have lost much of their summertime milkweed habitat to agriculture and development.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Every stage of their life cycle is connected to this family of unassuming plants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At the end of summer the local milkweed dies off and the monarchs head south for the winter.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the plant dies back, it takes the OE down with it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s good.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, in an effort to help monarchs, some of us plant tropical milkweed in our gardens, with its showy yellow and red flowers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Tropical milkweed sticks around a lot later into the year than native milkweeds.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That means more time for OE to build up on its leaves\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And because the tropical kind doesn’t die back with the rest of the milkweed, some monarchs don’t get the signal to start migrating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They just hang out on the infested plants, missing their chance to hook up with all the other butterflies that spend their winters partying down south.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>What’s worse, they spread OE to healthy butterflies that pass through on their migration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, if you wanna help the monarchs –- do ’em a solid!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Cut back your tropical milkweed in the fall.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the next time you plant milkweed … make sure it’s a native kind.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With all the problems that monarchs face, this is one small thing we can do to help.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cem>During hurricane season, as floodwater flows into their nest, red fire ants build a terrifying raft – out of their own interlocking bodies. If you wade into this ant raft nightmare, you’ll likely get a vicious bite and sting.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>This soft mound of dirt is home to some tough insects: red fire ants. They’re all over the southern U.S.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you get too close, you will regret it. They clamp onto you with their huge jaws. And then they sting. Over and over. Rude. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They inject nasty venom that burns and causes itchy welts to pop up.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And if you think they’re scary on land, you’re gonna absolutely hate ’em during a flood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In California, red fire ants can be found in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties and in the Central Valley. Learn \u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7487.html#:~:text=The%20red%20imported%20fire%20ant,lesser%20extent%2C%20San%20Diego%20counties.\">how to manage them\u003c/a> from the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re stung you’ll want to wash the area with soap and water. Get more \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/RedImportedFireAnts.aspx\">treatment tips\u003c/a> from the California Department of Public Health.\u003cbr>\n[/pullquote] \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Imagine wading into one of these. This floating nightmare is made out of thousands of fire ants. They’ve escaped their flooded nest by making a raft from their own bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here’s how they pull it off.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As flood water trickles into the tunnels below their mound, fire ants start a rescue mission. They evacuate the colony’s babies – these larvae and pupae – to the surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But researchers at Louisiana State University found that instead of putting the babies on the top of the raft, where it’s dry, they put them on the bottom.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Listen, these ants have their reasons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See the halo of hairs on these larvae? If you look at the raft from below you’ll see how those hairs trap air bubbles and hold the larvae together in clusters, you know, like giant floaties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those same bubbles help everyone breathe through tiny holes on the sides of their bodies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And hey, don’t feel bad for these ants with their heads dunked underwater. They’ll get their turn on top of the raft eventually.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Workers grab onto each other by the tips of their legs, called tarsi. Some of them hold onto the larvae, too, and lock legs … like ant scaffolding. And then they’re ready to set sail, wherever the water may take them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Ants make these rafts really quickly. Check out this experiment. A researcher at Georgia Tech drops a ball of fire ants into the water. It only takes them two minutes to assemble.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This ability has helped red fire ants spread across the world from South America, where they evolved along the rivers’ edge.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Rafts can stay afloat for almost two weeks. They survive on food they brought in their bellies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With the whole colony to protect, workers are extra defensive. They sting with more venom than usual. Not a good time to run into them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When the water recedes, they’ll dig a new nest … and live their best fire ant life, eating whatever crosses their path and stocking up for their next getaway.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These little predators spend most of their time swimming around upside down on their backs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They row around with their gigantic back legs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Hairs on the tips of their legs fan out like the blade of a paddle. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those hairs, plus more on their abdomen, let them balance on the underside of the water’s surface. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kinda like they’re hanging on the ceiling. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These relentless hunters patrol the shallows in search of unlucky prey … and drag them down to a watery death.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of their favorite snacks are these mosquito larvae loitering at the surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The backswimmer stabs the mosquito with its beak — injecting digestive enzymes, and sucking out its meal, leaving an empty husk.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But backswimmers aren’t the only predators to look out for in these parts. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their massive eyes wrap around from the top of their head to the bottom so they can watch for danger below while keeping their eye on the sky.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A single shadow will send them diving for safety in the vegetation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And these bugs can hide down here for a while. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They trap a bubble of air around their abdomen that they use to breathe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, they have to hold onto something or they’ll pop right back up to the top.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These backswimmers have been hanging out feasting on nearly everyone in sight.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But what happens when they start running out of food?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re trapped in this pond right? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Nah, not these bugs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>First, they do a very athletic flip, bursting out of the water and landing on top. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They unfurl their wings that they’ve been hiding this whole time under a leathery cover.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And take flight. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes traveling for days in search of a new home.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These bugs are often one of the very first creatures to settle in streams, ponds and even swimming pools\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Explorers that straddle the boundary between water and sky.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe] \u003cem>Barn owls swoop down on rodents and swallow them whole – gophers, voles and mice, gone in a few gulps. But how do they keep down all that food? Well, they don’t. In a few stomach-turning steps, they transform the varmints into compact balls of fur and bones known as pellets.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Scarfing down their food \u003cem>whole\u003c/em> keeps barn owls moving.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After all, these hungry birds gotta eat and there are lots of little rodents to hunt.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barn owls need a hole to nest in, and when a tree isn’t available, they’ll use a building. Or an owl box, like this one in California’s Napa Valley. Scientists keep tabs on the owls inside. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Winegrowers invite barn owls to raise their young in the boxes because owls are pest control machines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I mean, a barn owl family can kill about 3,500 varmints a year. They don’t take ’em all out, but they can make a dent. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They particularly like gophers, like this stunner right here. Their constant tunneling damages roots and irrigation lines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there’s voles, which gnaw on the grapevines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This 2-week-old owl already has the hang of it. But how the heck does it keep down all that food?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, it doesn’t. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meet the owl pellet. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Check out this furball. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And here’s a jaw. Gnarly!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The secret to turning this into this is its stomach. It has two chambers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first one oozes digestive juices, like our stomach. The second one – the gizzard – squeezes the remains with powerful muscles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fats and proteins get absorbed. The fur and bones become tightly compacted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After about eight hours in the gizzard, the result is one of these beauties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For researchers like Laura Echávez, from Cal Poly Humboldt, pellets are forensic evidence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She carefully dissects them to find out how many pesky gophers and voles the owls took care of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laura (off camera): The tail still has skin on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This unlucky rodent had a small skull. It could be a vole.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But then she examines the teeth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laura (off camera): The teeth are actually looking more like a gopher’s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re kind of circular, surrounded by a white ring of enamel. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the first and second teeth are joined by a bridge. Classic gopher trademarks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laura (off camera): If it’s a gopher, it’s a very young one, because this is on the small side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes more than one carcass is crammed into a single pellet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This one had two gophers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003cbr>\nRead about the ongoing research on barn owls in Napa Valley by students at Cal Poly Humboldt in the lab of professor of wildlife \u003ca href=\"https://wildlife.humboldt.edu/people/matthew-johnson\">Matthew Johnson\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And learn more details on these raptors from the \u003ca href=\"https://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/barn-owl-facts/\">Barn Owl Trust\u003c/a>, a nonprofit group in England working to protect them. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Winegrowers love barn owls for their prolific appetites. But researchers still don’t know whether vineyards are an ideal place to raise an owl family.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Christian Cortez, a researcher at Cal Poly Humboldt, studies young owls to see how well they’re growing.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After covering their head to calm them down, he takes a drop of blood, and plucks a feather. They will tell him if the owlet is getting enough to eat.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers want to know, do owls have enough open space to hunt in? \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And do the toxic chemicals Napa winegrowers sometimes use to kill rodents end up hurting the owls too?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As scientists explore these questions, we’ll find out if barn owls are really getting a good deal.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>I mean, a barn owl family can kill about 3,500 varmints a year. They don’t take ’em all out, but they can make a dent. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They particularly like gophers, like this stunner right here. Their constant tunneling damages roots and irrigation lines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And then there’s voles, which gnaw on the grapevines.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This 2-week-old owl already has the hang of it. But how the heck does it keep down all that food?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Well, it doesn’t. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Meet the owl pellet. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Check out this furball. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And here’s a jaw. Gnarly!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The secret to turning this into this is its stomach. It has two chambers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The first one oozes digestive juices, like our stomach. The second one – the gizzard – squeezes the remains with powerful muscles.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The fats and proteins get absorbed. The fur and bones become tightly compacted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>After about eight hours in the gizzard, the result is one of these beauties.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For researchers like Laura Echávez, from Cal Poly Humboldt, pellets are forensic evidence.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She carefully dissects them to find out how many pesky gophers and voles the owls took care of.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laura (off camera): The tail still has skin on it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This unlucky rodent had a small skull. It could be a vole.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But then she examines the teeth.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laura (off camera): The teeth are actually looking more like a gopher’s.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re kind of circular, surrounded by a white ring of enamel. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And the first and second teeth are joined by a bridge. Classic gopher trademarks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Laura (off camera): If it’s a gopher, it’s a very young one, because this is on the small side.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes more than one carcass is crammed into a single pellet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This one had two gophers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cem>With their short tongues, Valley carpenter bees can’t easily drink the nectar from tubular flowers. So they use powerful mandibles to slice into the blooms and steal it. It’s called nectar robbing, since the plants don’t get the benefit of being pollinated by the enormous bees.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>Like all busy bees, this huge female Valley carpenter bee is always on the go. But she has a secret life of crime.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As she forages, she splatters pollen across her cheeks and forehead. That sloppiness helps pollinate flowers and crops, like blueberries and eggplants.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But she also happens to be an accomplished nectar thief. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Some flowers, like this salvia, have nectar that’s hard to reach with the bee’s short tongue. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s easy for a hummingbird to get at the nectar because it has a long beak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, she takes a shortcut by slicing an incision at the base of the flower … sneaking the nectar out through the back door. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a selfish indulgence called nectar robbing. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The flower rarely gets pollinated this way because the bee doesn’t get close enough to rub pollen onto the plant’s reproductive parts. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The carpenter bee stores the stolen goods in her crop – a pouch near her stomach. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While she’s busy thieving, nearby this enormous golden male hovers around the same shrub for hours. He’s hoping to catch her attention with his fitness display. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also known as the teddy bear bee, he’s almost as big as your thumb, but he’s all show. He doesn’t even sting. He’s staking out his tiny territory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Occasionally he lands, releasing pheromones to mark his spot with a flowery aroma to entice the ladies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once in a while his efforts pay off. They mate quickly and discreetly. She’s simply too busy to linger. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just like their name suggests, carpenter bees are skilled woodworkers. The female bee uses her powerful mandibles to tunnel into dead wood – like logs or tree trunks. Mama bees lay their eggs and provide food for the developing offspring in these chambers. The bees may return to the same nest for generations, expanding and renovating year after year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carpenter bees don’t have a queen, and they aren’t as social as honeybees, but several bees may room together in a nest.\u003cbr>\n[pullquote]\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003cbr>\nThe UC Integrated Pest Management Program offers guidance on \u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7417.html\">how to prevent carpenter bees from making their home in yours\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\n[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes they carve their homes in structures made by humans, giving them a bad rap. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it turns out carpenter bees do play an important role in our ecosystem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They still pollinate many flowers and crops the usual way, but even their crime sprees benefit some members of the neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other insects and pollinators – like this honeybee – take advantage of the incisions left behind. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the flowers lose out on this racket. They’re unlikely to get pollinated by the nectar robbers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It would be better for the plants if carpenter bees entered the front door like respectful visitors. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But despite their rather dodgy reputation, you have to admire their creativity.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s easy for a hummingbird to get at the nectar because it has a long beak.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, she takes a shortcut by slicing an incision at the base of the flower … sneaking the nectar out through the back door. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s a selfish indulgence called nectar robbing. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The flower rarely gets pollinated this way because the bee doesn’t get close enough to rub pollen onto the plant’s reproductive parts. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The carpenter bee stores the stolen goods in her crop – a pouch near her stomach. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While she’s busy thieving, nearby this enormous golden male hovers around the same shrub for hours. He’s hoping to catch her attention with his fitness display. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Also known as the teddy bear bee, he’s almost as big as your thumb, but he’s all show. He doesn’t even sting. He’s staking out his tiny territory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Occasionally he lands, releasing pheromones to mark his spot with a flowery aroma to entice the ladies.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Once in a while his efforts pay off. They mate quickly and discreetly. She’s simply too busy to linger. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Just like their name suggests, carpenter bees are skilled woodworkers. The female bee uses her powerful mandibles to tunnel into dead wood – like logs or tree trunks. Mama bees lay their eggs and provide food for the developing offspring in these chambers. The bees may return to the same nest for generations, expanding and renovating year after year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Carpenter bees don’t have a queen, and they aren’t as social as honeybees, but several bees may room together in a nest.\u003cbr>\n\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003cbr>\nThe UC Integrated Pest Management Program offers guidance on \u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7417.html\">how to prevent carpenter bees from making their home in yours\u003c/a>.\u003cbr>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes they carve their homes in structures made by humans, giving them a bad rap. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But it turns out carpenter bees do play an important role in our ecosystem.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They still pollinate many flowers and crops the usual way, but even their crime sprees benefit some members of the neighborhood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Other insects and pollinators – like this honeybee – take advantage of the incisions left behind. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, the flowers lose out on this racket. They’re unlikely to get pollinated by the nectar robbers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It would be better for the plants if carpenter bees entered the front door like respectful visitors. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But despite their rather dodgy reputation, you have to admire their creativity.\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This summer, as you cool your bare feet in a stream somewhere in California — or almost anywhere in the world, really — you might feel a painful nip. The menacing culprit: a giant water bug.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lurking just below the surface of that flowing creek or refreshing pond, these bugs resemble enormous aquatic ticks, with googly eyes and praying mantis arms. And although they won’t seek you out for an attack, they also won’t hesitate to take a defensive bite if you get too close, earning them the nickname “toe-biters.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1979488\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1979488 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/DL909_giant_water_bugs_label.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Several species of giant water bugs lurk in ponds and streams throughout California, like this \u003cem>Abedus indentatus.\u003c/em> \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They puncture the skin with dagger-like mouth parts, and have a bite known as one of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032(10)00039-6/fulltext\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">most painful of any insect\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> — sharp and stinging like a wasp’s. You may not even get a chance to spot the offending insect before it dashes off, but you’ll undoubtedly be left with an indelible impression. And a swollen, throbbing toe.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Or, if you go chasing water bugs, like I did while researching this story, it could be your thumb that takes the hit. Ankle-deep in a cold stream near San Jose, I grabbed a submerged rock, flipped it over, and instantly felt a piercing jab. Sharp pain radiated out from the puncture site, marked with a red dot. I watched as my thumb swelled, gradually turning shades of blue and purple. The perpetrator and I locked eyes for only a second before it darted off like an aquatic bandit. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1979475\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1979475\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/DL909_giant_water_bugs_toebiter.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In some parts of the world, giant water bugs are nicknamed “toe-biters” due to their notoriously painful bites. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Giant water bugs are recognized around the world. In Brazil, they’re known as “escorpião d’água” (water scorpions). They prowl rice fields and other wetlands throughout Asia, where they’re \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eatingthaifood.com/how-to-eat-a-giant-water-bug-maeng-da-thailand/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">considered a delicacy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: One Thai dish serves water bugs with wings removed and bodies pulverized. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“You get this kind of a green lumpy substance that looks like guacamole, but doesn’t taste like guacamole,” says Robert Sites, an entomologist at the University of Missouri. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sites describes the dish as quite tasty, with a nutty flavor. And it sometimes includes a useful prop. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“If you get one of the legs, you can use that as a toothpick,” he says. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Several species live in California’s ponds and streams, and most measure about the length of your thumb. When park rangers in the Santa Monica Mountains found healthy populations of giant water bugs near popular swimming holes in 2018, they \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.newsweek.com/beware-giant-toe-biting-water-bugs-rangers-warn-1088848\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">warned the public\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to beware of their particularly unpleasant bites. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But our toes aren’t what water bugs are after. Giant water bugs prey on other aquatic insects, as well as animals as large as turtles, snakes and even ducklings — one naturalist in the 1800s even recorded one ambushing and devouring a woodpecker. Using their powerful, vice-grip legs, they subdue their victim before stabbing into it and injecting venom that liquefies the insides of their prey. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“They wait for everything to dissolve, and suck it back out,” says Chris Goforth, an entomologist and manager of citizen science at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. “Almost certainly, it’s still alive when it’s being eaten.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1979476\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1979476 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/DL909_giant_water_bugs_eat_fish.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A giant water bug injects a fish with paralyzing digestive enzymes before slurping out the liquefied insides. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite their aggressive and predatory nature, giant water bugs might just be the most responsible fathers in the insect world. In some California species, dad will haul his eggs around piggyback style for weeks, until they hatch right off his back. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Parental care is unusual in itself,” says Sites, “but then actually attaching the eggs to the males — that’s another layer of complication.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1979477\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1979477 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/DL909_giant_water_bugs_eggs_eye_spots.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Male giant water bugs in the \u003cem>Abedus\u003c/em> genus, like this \u003cem>Abedus indentatus\u003c/em> in California, carry their eggs around piggyback style throughout their development. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After mating, a female climbs onto the male’s back to lay row after row of eggs, gluing each one with a gooey substance oozing from her reproductive glands. Mom’s work ends here, and she swims off to prowl the shadows for her next meal. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But for dads, their job has only started. Most insects leave their eggs defenseless, relying on sheer numbers to get some of them through to hatching. By carrying the eggs on their backs, giant water bug dads can dodge predators and keep an eye on their babies. They’ll carry these eggs for weeks, shuttling them to the surface for air like an insect minivan. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“They’ll just bob up and down, ever so slightly,” says Hope Klug, an ecologist at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. “With the movement, they’re making sure that each individual egg is getting some oxygen to help it develop.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After several weeks, the eggs have doubled in size and turned a milky white color. Suddenly, a pair of eyes is visible through each egg casing: The nymphs inside are getting ready to hatch. Within a few days, a transparent nymph pushes through, face first, unfolding its long limbs as it emerges. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1979478\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1979478 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/DL909_giant_water_bugs_egg_hatch.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A nymph emerges from its egg casing after weeks of being shuttled around on dad’s back. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once it’s fully hatched, the nymph quickly swims away. If dad catches it, his instincts will kick in. Despite the weeks of careful parenting that he dedicated to ensuring the eggs’ survival, his offspring are now fair game as a tasty snack.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sabrina Mendoza-Espinoza, who cares for more than a dozen water bugs on display at the San Francisco Zoo, put it this way: “They’ll go after anything that moves.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Including their own children. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">This summer, as you cool your bare feet in a stream somewhere in California — or almost anywhere in the world, really — you might feel a painful nip. The menacing culprit: a giant water bug.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Lurking just below the surface of that flowing creek or refreshing pond, these bugs resemble enormous aquatic ticks, with googly eyes and praying mantis arms. And although they won’t seek you out for an attack, they also won’t hesitate to take a defensive bite if you get too close, earning them the nickname “toe-biters.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1979488\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1979488 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/DL909_giant_water_bugs_label.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Several species of giant water bugs lurk in ponds and streams throughout California, like this \u003cem>Abedus indentatus.\u003c/em> \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">They puncture the skin with dagger-like mouth parts, and have a bite known as one of the \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032(10)00039-6/fulltext\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">most painful of any insect\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> — sharp and stinging like a wasp’s. You may not even get a chance to spot the offending insect before it dashes off, but you’ll undoubtedly be left with an indelible impression. And a swollen, throbbing toe.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Or, if you go chasing water bugs, like I did while researching this story, it could be your thumb that takes the hit. Ankle-deep in a cold stream near San Jose, I grabbed a submerged rock, flipped it over, and instantly felt a piercing jab. Sharp pain radiated out from the puncture site, marked with a red dot. I watched as my thumb swelled, gradually turning shades of blue and purple. The perpetrator and I locked eyes for only a second before it darted off like an aquatic bandit. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1979475\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1979475\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/DL909_giant_water_bugs_toebiter.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">In some parts of the world, giant water bugs are nicknamed “toe-biters” due to their notoriously painful bites. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Giant water bugs are recognized around the world. In Brazil, they’re known as “escorpião d’água” (water scorpions). They prowl rice fields and other wetlands throughout Asia, where they’re \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.eatingthaifood.com/how-to-eat-a-giant-water-bug-maeng-da-thailand/\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">considered a delicacy\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">: One Thai dish serves water bugs with wings removed and bodies pulverized. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“You get this kind of a green lumpy substance that looks like guacamole, but doesn’t taste like guacamole,” says Robert Sites, an entomologist at the University of Missouri. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sites describes the dish as quite tasty, with a nutty flavor. And it sometimes includes a useful prop. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“If you get one of the legs, you can use that as a toothpick,” he says. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Several species live in California’s ponds and streams, and most measure about the length of your thumb. When park rangers in the Santa Monica Mountains found healthy populations of giant water bugs near popular swimming holes in 2018, they \u003c/span>\u003ca href=\"https://www.newsweek.com/beware-giant-toe-biting-water-bugs-rangers-warn-1088848\">\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">warned the public\u003c/span>\u003c/a>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to beware of their particularly unpleasant bites. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But our toes aren’t what water bugs are after. Giant water bugs prey on other aquatic insects, as well as animals as large as turtles, snakes and even ducklings — one naturalist in the 1800s even recorded one ambushing and devouring a woodpecker. Using their powerful, vice-grip legs, they subdue their victim before stabbing into it and injecting venom that liquefies the insides of their prey. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“They wait for everything to dissolve, and suck it back out,” says Chris Goforth, an entomologist and manager of citizen science at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. “Almost certainly, it’s still alive when it’s being eaten.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1979476\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1979476 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/DL909_giant_water_bugs_eat_fish.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A giant water bug injects a fish with paralyzing digestive enzymes before slurping out the liquefied insides. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Despite their aggressive and predatory nature, giant water bugs might just be the most responsible fathers in the insect world. In some California species, dad will haul his eggs around piggyback style for weeks, until they hatch right off his back. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“Parental care is unusual in itself,” says Sites, “but then actually attaching the eggs to the males — that’s another layer of complication.”\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1979477\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1979477 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/DL909_giant_water_bugs_eggs_eye_spots.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Male giant water bugs in the \u003cem>Abedus\u003c/em> genus, like this \u003cem>Abedus indentatus\u003c/em> in California, carry their eggs around piggyback style throughout their development. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After mating, a female climbs onto the male’s back to lay row after row of eggs, gluing each one with a gooey substance oozing from her reproductive glands. Mom’s work ends here, and she swims off to prowl the shadows for her next meal. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">But for dads, their job has only started. Most insects leave their eggs defenseless, relying on sheer numbers to get some of them through to hatching. By carrying the eggs on their backs, giant water bug dads can dodge predators and keep an eye on their babies. They’ll carry these eggs for weeks, shuttling them to the surface for air like an insect minivan. \u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u003cbr>\n\u003c/span>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">“They’ll just bob up and down, ever so slightly,” says Hope Klug, an ecologist at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. “With the movement, they’re making sure that each individual egg is getting some oxygen to help it develop.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">After several weeks, the eggs have doubled in size and turned a milky white color. Suddenly, a pair of eyes is visible through each egg casing: The nymphs inside are getting ready to hatch. Within a few days, a transparent nymph pushes through, face first, unfolding its long limbs as it emerges. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_1979478\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 500px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-1979478 size-full\" src=\"https://ww2.kqed.org/app/uploads/sites/35/2022/06/DL909_giant_water_bugs_egg_hatch.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">A nymph emerges from its egg casing after weeks of being shuttled around on dad’s back. \u003ccite>(Josh Cassidy/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Once it’s fully hatched, the nymph quickly swims away. If dad catches it, his instincts will kick in. Despite the weeks of careful parenting that he dedicated to ensuring the eggs’ survival, his offspring are now fair game as a tasty snack.\u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sabrina Mendoza-Espinoza, who cares for more than a dozen water bugs on display at the San Francisco Zoo, put it this way: “They’ll go after anything that moves.” \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400\">Including their own children. \u003c/span>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>[dl_subscribe]\u003cem>The spotted wing drosophila may look like a common fruit fly, but it’s so much worse. Just as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are ripening in the field, this fly saws into them and lays her eggs inside. The growing maggots turn the fruit into a mushy mess. Could a wasp and its own hungry maggots save the day?\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003ch3>\u003cstrong>TRANSCRIPT\u003c/strong>\u003c/h3>\n\u003cp>You’ll never delight in this juicy raspberry, if this fly gets its way. It’s called a spotted wing drosophila because the male has dark spots on its wings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Common fruit flies are maddening enough, crawling around and feeding on your overripe bananas. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Their spotted wing cousins are way worse. They ruin blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and strawberries at their mouth-watering prime, before they can ever reach your kitchen.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Out in the strawberry patch, this female spotted wing drosophila is ready to lay some eggs. She uses this tool, called an ovipositor, to cut into the fruit. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Her ovipositor is long and has two rows of teeth. Much more impressive than the common fruit fly, which uses a smaller, smoother ovipositor to lay eggs on rotting fruit.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The spotted wing drosophila uses the extra cutting power to dig a hole into firm fruit while it’s still in the field. Then she pushes her egg in.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>See that tiny white string she left behind? It looks like one of the strawberry hairs, but that’s how the egg will breathe. Kind of like a snorkel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Within three days the egg hatches into a squirmy maggot. It makes itself at home – in this case, in a blueberry. The maggot transforms into a pupa at the fruit’s surface, where it breathes through two star-shaped tubes called spiracles. All this mucking about in the pulp ruins the fruit, so it never makes it to market.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These flies cost farmers millions all around the world. They’re originally from East Asia. Growers have to spray insecticides to kill them. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s why scientists are introducing a less toxic option. They’ve invited an old enemy from Asia to take the fly down.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[pullquote]\u003cbr>\nADDITIONAL RESOURCES\u003cbr>\nRead about \u003ca href=\"http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74158.html#:~:text=Spotted%20wing%20drosophila%20(SWD)%2C,crops%2C%20especially%20in%20coastal%20areas.\">the impact of the spotted wing drosophila fly in California\u003c/a>, in this sheet prepared by the UC Integrated Pest Management Program. \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a 2018 videotaped talk, UC Berkeley entomologist Kent Daane describes \u003ca href=\"https://youtu.be/KVTGmDo2LLQ\">the sleuthing that led him and his colleagues to a parasitic wasp, \u003cem>Ganaspis brasiliensis\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, which will soon be released in the U.S. to control the spotted wing drosophila. The wasp is featured in the Deep Look video above.\u003cbr>\n[/pullquote]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This parasitic wasp is even tinier than the fly, but just as determined to lay her eggs. Her favorite spot is inside a fly’s growing maggot. She can feel vibrations that lead her to a fly maggot moving below the fruit’s surface.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She slides a thin needle into the blueberry and injects an egg straight into a maggot. The wasp egg hatches. But instead of killing the fly maggot right away, it waits for it to plump up and develop a hard casing. Then the wasp maggot devours the fly and grows into an adult.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>All that’s left of the fly is its casing, from which the triumphant wasp emerges. It’s a boy! You can tell by the long antennae.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Scientists have been raising these wasps in labs in the U.S. Soon they’ll be released into fields across the country. Based on their research, scientists say the wasps will almost exclusively target spotted wing drosophila and the occasional common fruit fly.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The wasps can cut down the number of flies, but only up to about half. So, farmers will still need to use some pesticides. They’ll be playing a game of whack-a-mole to prevent flies from turning our scrumptious berries into mush.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"order": 1
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"id": "code-switch-life-kit",
"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"meta": {
"site": "radio",
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"link": "/radio/program/code-switch-life-kit",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnByLm9yZy9yc3MvcG9kY2FzdC5waHA_aWQ9NTEwMzEy",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"freakonomics-radio": {
"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
}
},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
"info": "Hosted by Terry Gross, \u003cem>Fresh Air from WHYY\u003c/em> is the Peabody Award-winning weekday magazine of contemporary arts and issues. One of public radio's most popular programs, Fresh Air features intimate conversations with today's biggest luminaries.",
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"meta": {
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
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},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mindshift-podcast/id1078765985",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/464615685/mind-shift-podcast",
"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/kqed/stories-teachers-share",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"stitcher": "https://www.stitcher.com/show/on-our-watch",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
}
},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "pbs"
},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Perspectives",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id73801135",
"npr": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/432309616/perspectives",
"rss": "https://ww2.kqed.org/perspectives/category/perspectives/feed/",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93dzIua3FlZC5vcmcvcGVyc3BlY3RpdmVzL2NhdGVnb3J5L3BlcnNwZWN0aXZlcy9mZWVkLw"
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},
"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/M4f5",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/Business--Economics-Podcasts/Planet-Money-p164680/",
"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
}
},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
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