Monthly Archives: October 2015

Central Texas rain and mosquitoes

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WOW!  More rain here in Central Texas today….and that is a bit of an understatement.  Work this morning was exciting, if a bit worrying.  We had everyone in the bathrooms for a period of time because we were under a tornado warning.  Fortunately, that didn’t last too long for us.  It was good bonding time.  After returning to my office, I discovered water seeping in through the wall and window.  I had to sop up the water and set up a barricade of old t-shirts.  Currently, it’s not… Read More →

Where do bugs go when it rains?

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It’s raining! Wait. Let me repeat that. IT’S RAINING!!!! Since it’s a rainy day here in Central Texas, I decided to answer a question I often get when I speak to children about insects. Where do they go when it rains? If you want to know what they do when it gets cold, see this post. We all know that insects don’t carry around umbrellas to protect themselves from the rain, but should they? It often depends on the insect’s size and the heaviness of the rainfall. Obviously,… Read More →

Oak leaf galls

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Galls are an abnormal swelling of plant tissue and can be caused by mites, insects, nematodes, bacteria or fungi. Galls usually are found on leaves and stems, but can sometimes be found on other locations of the plant. In this case, the organism causing the oak leaf gall is a wasp. The gall grows around the insect and helps to protect it from predators and weather. The gall will also provide nutrients to the wasp until the wasp is fully mature. The galls do not seriously affect the… Read More →