California Insect Science

California Insect Science We provide comprehensive insect and wildlife educational resources for youth, adults, and licensed pest management professionals in California.

What can insects teach us about resource management?They favor efficiency over competition. Resource partitioning: - All...
01/31/2026

What can insects teach us about resource management?
They favor efficiency over competition.

Resource partitioning:
- Allows several different species to coexist on a single type of resource
- Provides each individual what they need to fully develop and reproduce.

One thistle flower can feed multiple insect species.

Paracantha genitilis larvae feed centrally in spring.
Terellia occidentalis larvae feed on intact seeds in mid-summer.
Phycitodes mucidella larvae feed around the perimeter mid- to late summer.

Why do insects do this? So they don’t have to fight each other for every scrap of food.

Knowing how insects feed, what they feed on and when, is key to effective pest management decisions. Research informs applied solutions for pest management. Real science is real necessary.

Read the full story on conflict avoidance: www.californiainsectscience.com/cisblog/flies-and-their-evolution-of-conflict-avoidance

12/19/2025

🐛Woolybear caterpillars are now seeking shelter for the winter.
Here’s a couple facts, and one myth, to keep in mind if you come across one seeking shelter.

✅ They survive the winter by having a nice fluffy coat on the outside and antifreeze, similar to what you have in your car’s radiator, on the inside.

✅ With shorter days and colder temps, they seek shelter and enter into a winter diapause - a sort of hibernation.

❌ The width of their stripes or direction of travel can foretell the oncoming winter’s harshness.

The truth about their "antifreeze" is fascinating!
Check out the short video: www.californiainsectscience.com/cisblog/wollybear-caterpillars
I explain how woollybears survive the winter and one simple thing you can do to preserve their habitat.

The video and transcript are available on the blog page in English y español.

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12/15/2025

Imagine…two hours with a captive audience of students listening while I wax on about insect biological control. My happy place, for sure!

Many thanks to Jack Koster for inviting me to speak to his agriculture entomology class at CSU Monterey Bay last week. I had a blast! Jack is a former Master’s student from Cal Poly, SLO and he was in a couple of my courses, including biological control. As he introduced me to his class, he noted that I taught him, now he’s teaching them, and that made me their academic grandfather!

The students are bright and curious and enjoy learning about the world of entomology. Some of the best ag professionals come out of Monterey County and the Salinas Valley. It was fun to be a small part of the next generation's educational process.

And the students brought coffee and pan dulce to class! It doesn’t get any better than that.
Go Otters!

11/20/2025

We gotta talk about pupation and the Soupy Goop Myth.

Does an insect body completely liquefy into a soupy goop before magically becoming an adult? I’ve seen several articles and social media posts that suggest this very thing. So of course, I was compelled to weigh in and offer some facts.

Strategic Transformation vs. The Soupy Goop Myth

🐛Myth: The insect turns into a "soupy goop" and miraculously regenerates adult anatomy.

🐛Reality: The pupa is not a bag of soup. If you gently poke one, it can move and dig itself back into the soil using a nervous system and functioning muscles. This ability requires internal structure and coordination.

Is the soupy goop myth perpetuated because the facts are complicated? Maybe. But when complicated concepts are clearly explained, people can handle it.

Simply put, everything the adult insect needs to be its best self has been inside it from the beginning, waiting for the right conditions to grow and flourish. Just like you.

For more pupation facts and some cool photos, check out the full blog.
I know you can handle it.
https://www.californiainsectscience.com/cisblog/we-gotta-talk-about-pupation

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