Latest for VQR on the deadly Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, culprit of spreading dengue, yellow fever and zika viruses. Just like many other fatal creatures, Aedes aegypti is mesmerizingly beautiful. I want to make this tiny creature larger than life in both illustrations.The idea of the opener is to let the mosquito, adorned with motifs of suffering and death, dominate the page. The interior is inspired by photos of WWII air raids.
Big thanks to AD Paul Reyes for all the creative freedom!
Can you hear that buzz? That’s the sound of mosquitoes waiting to ruin your summer barbecues and camping trips. With today’s mosquito repellents, we face an unfortunate choice: natural stuff that doesn’t work very well or DEET, which keeps blood-suckers at bay but might melt your swim trunks and give you a rash.
Anandasankar Ray, professor in the Entomology Department at UC Riverside, is working on new, better, safer alternatives — not by squirting thousands of random chemicals at mosquitoes, but by understanding exactly how a mosquito’s nose works.
Once Ray’s lab found how mosquitoes detect DEET, they were able to screen virtually nearly half a million chemicals to find alternatives that would act in the same way. Of the 1,000 candidates, over 100 came from fruits and plants and were already known to be safe. Instead of a harsh medicinal aroma, some of the new mosquito repellents Ray is developing smell like sandalwood or orange blossom.
Safer and cheaper mosquito repellents aren’t just great for saving your summer fun: they could have a real impact on global health.
“Nearly a billion people worldwide are affected by mosquito-borne diseases,” said Ray. “I am hopeful that this approach will lead to interventions that could be useful in the field and perhaps not only help protect us in our backyard barbeques, but also help have an impact on malaria.”
“Hi there! Was wondering if you can help indemnify this insect. It’s quite big. About 4-5 cm. Thank you!”
Hello! Thanks for the great submission. The close-up clear photo gives me a lot of help, especially looking at the end of the abdomen and the veins of the wings, which are often the only differences between some insect species.
This is a big female (and completely harmless and nonvenomous) Crane Fly, which kind of look like a Mayfly (or a giant mosquito) but lack the long filament “tails” at the end of their abdomen.
Crane Flies are present around the world and there are many subspecies, and in Japan they’re generally called ガガンボ (Gaganbo).
I am not certain about the exact species you’ve photographed, but don’t worry as they’re all totally safe (although slightly alarming)!
Thanks again and message me anytime with ID requests and I’ll do my best.
“Hello, I came across this tumblr, and would like some help identifying this particular bug.
Just some background information: I currently sell drinks out here in West Tokyo (Tachikawa), and generally work with a lot of sugar. My shop is also brightly lit, with neon lights and lots of LEDs. Some weeks ago, I’ve spotted a few of these bugs hanging around my neon lights and LEDs. Although it was fine at the start, starting last week there were more and more of them flying around, so I checked around and discovered a whole cluster of them hidden a section in my shop between the ceiling and a partition where I’ve got a strip of LEDs, and hosed down the whole area with some bug spray. However, it didn’t even take a day for a few of them to start flying around again. I plan to call an exterminator to deal with this, but I would also like to know just what bug is this so I could read up on it.
It’s got a long black body, with hairy feelers, long legs, flies, and is usually found near or perched on light sources.”
Hello! Thanks for the submission! With the help of the bug experts on Reddit, they believe your insect is a Non-Biting Midge. As the name implies, they look a bit like mosquitoes but do not bite, are attracted to lights, and are seasonal. Mostly they are a nuisance. Here’s a useful PDF about their behavior: https://www.pub.gov.sg/Documents/Midge%20webpage%20guide%20PDF.pdf
Non-Biting Midge
Unfortunately, it seems that pesticides offer only temporary control of the adults as these are water-breeding insects (and delicious members of the food chain), but the good news is that they don’t last long, and the swarms will disperse without causing damage to people or property. I hope they aren’t causing too much trouble for you and your shop! Thanks again for your submission and have a good spring :) Post link
I can’t WAIT for the future…..each and every day, as technology takes us further and further into what we once thought could only be fantasies. And to think of the possibilities for which this kind of technology could be used. DNA harvesting? Intelligence/espionage? As a toy, or for base entertainment? Who knows….
it’s summer which means it’s mosquitos-eating-max-alive season and i currently have like ten bites. i’ve managed to control most of them (i am highly prone to huge swollen welts), but i have one rn that is just a beast on my ankle and has filled with fluid and become really painful this happens to me every summer i hate mosquitos
