PLEASE PLEASE post the picture of the insect.
PLEASE follow the guideline carefully.
Scavenger Hunt!! Take a photo of an insect or arachnid (living or non-living) and describe a DIRECT, NEGATIVE impact that it has on animals and/or humans (e.g., bites, sucks blood, causes annoyance, transmits a pathogen, causes allergies, etc.). Make a post of your photo along with answers to the following prompts (see below) in this discussion group. Please read and carefully follow the guidelines below.
Please answer the following questions in your post:
a) What is the picture of?
-The posted photo is clear and in focus and the specimen is identifiable. (4 pts)
-Correctly identify the insect/arachnid. The exact scientific/species name is not required (e.g., ‘mosquito’ is sufficient).(2 pts)
-For help identifying your insect/arachnid, there are some useful apps such as seek.
b) When and where did you take or find the photo?
-Provide day, month, and year (1 pt)
-Provide specific location of where the photo was taken (e.g., ‘my apartment’), including the city/town and state or country (if outside the U.S). If found on the internet, please provide a working url (weblink) to the website or on-line resource where you found the photo (1 pt)
c) How is the insect or arachnid in your photo relevant to Veterinary or Medical Entomology?
-Conduct a web search to learn about the basic biology of the insect or arachnid in your photo (e.g., search Google for ‘mosquito basic biology’) and describe one fact that you found to be fascinating or ‘cool’ in 1-2 sentences (4 pts)
-Provide a working url (web link) to the website where you found the basic biology fact (1 pt)
-Conduct a web search to find a direct, negative impact that the insect or arachnid in your photo has on human and/or animal health (e.g., search Google ‘bed bug human health’) and describe this impact in 1-2 sentences (4 pts)
-Provide a working url (web link) to the website where you found the direct negative impact (1 pts)
-If you are unsure of direct, negative impacts, please review Module 1 for examples (e.g., blood feeding, annoyance, pathogen transmission).
Please note that a decline in agricultural crop production (e.g., plant health) affecting our food supply is NOT a direct effect on human health. That is an indirect effect.
If you are not finding direct, negative impacts of the insect or arachnid on humans or animals, then you may need to consult with the instructor. A different specimen may be required.
Below are some additional resources that you may find helpful for finding insects/arachnids or helping you identify them:
The seek app
iNaturalist
BugFinder (to help you identify insects you find)
Bugs you may find in your house .