Dr. Mike Raupp is the Bug Guy at the University of Maryland - College Park.
Bug of the Week recently reached a significant milestone when we published our 10th anniversary bug story! Help the Bug Guy, Professor Mike Raupp, celebrate a decade of bringing awareness and appreciation of our tiny neighbors to the public by completing the trivia contest below. You will need to search the Bug of the Week Archives (https://bugoftheweek.squarespace.com/archive/) for the answers, then email your answers to csargen1@umd.edu. The first 5 people to send a response with all ten answers correct will receive an autographed copy of Dr. Raupp’s children’s alphabet book, ‘26 Things That Bug Me’, 2nd edition. Remember to include your mailing address with your entry.
What exotic, invasive bug from the Old World was the topic of the first Bug of the Week episode published back in 2005? Euonymus Leaf Notcher, Pryeria sinica
In 2006, the strange creature featured in the April 10th story was dressed to kill, so to speak. What was this bug trying to accomplish with its odd fashion choices? Camouflage to sneak past ants to feed on soft-bodied insects such as aphids and scale
In the April 9, 2007 Bug of the Week episode, the featured bug is not a true insect, although it is a related arthropod. What characteristic about their eyes helps distinguish jumping spiders from other types of spiders? A row of 4 forward-facing eyes in the center of their face
The much maligned Asian lady beetle, featured in the May 19, 2008 Bug of the Week episode, was imported to help control what prolific pest of flowers and crops? Aphids
Is the scary looking bug in the Nov. 23, 2009 episode of Bug of the Week a “good guy” or a “bad guy”? Good; the wheel bug is a bug assassin!
Is it possible that there is such a thing as a beneficial stink bug?! Check the 2010 Archives for the answer, and then give us the names of these two heroes of the true bug clan. Spined soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris, and Two spotted stink bug, Perillus bioculatus
The lovely butterfly featured in the August 15, 2011 episode is renowned for its awesome annual migration. The caterpillar stage of this bug feeds on milkweed and stores potent defensive chemicals that will later protect the adult butterfly. What is the name of these chemicals? Cardiac glycosides
What dreaded invasive insect from Asia was featured in the September 17, 2012 episode, and give two reasons why they are regarded as such a serious pest in the U.S. Brown Marmorated stink bug (BMSB) (Halyomorpha halys); significant agricultural crop losses and serious nuisance pest (home invader).
Every 13 or 17 years these boisterous bugs rise from their long underground slumber to entertain us with their cacophonous symphonies. What bug is featured in several episodes in the spring and early summer of 2013? Cicadas (Magicicada spp.)
What dark secret of the cleverly disguised bee fly is revealed in a 2014 episode of Bug of the Week? It preys on the larvae of ground nesting bees
Bonus question: Bug of the Week loves to visit foreign lands and learn about their interesting bugs. Name exotic 3 bugs and the countries they live in that have been featured in Bug of the Week over the past decade. Too many to detail here!!
That’s it! Good luck, send your answers to csargen1@umd.edu, and we hope you’ll be the proud winner of your own copy of ‘26 Things That Bug Me’!