Boston Flora

Tag: Mosquitoes

  • Tuesday, July 29, 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm Eastern – The Harms of Mosquito Spraying, Online

    Aaron Anderson of The Xerces Society will present a free online talk on The Harms of Mosquito Spraying on Tuesday, July 29 from 7 – 8:15 pm. To receive the link to this free presentation, email officemanager@grownativemassachusetts.org.

    Aaron Anderson works with the public and Xerces staff to reduce pesticide use in residential landscapes, including promoting alternative pest control measures and pollinator-friendly gardening practices. Prior to joining Xerces in 2022, he researched pollinator conservation in urban landscapes, restored habitat for several endangered butterfly species, and worked in insect biocontrol. In 2021 he was an AAAS Mass Media Fellow at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, where he reported science and business stories. Aaron has a PhD from Oregon State University, and outside of work you can probably find him riding his bike, science writing, or fiddling with old cameras.

  • Tuesday, November 14, 7:30 pm – Limacodidae Caterpillars and the Life of Harrison Dyar

    November’s meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club will be held Tuesday, November 14th, at 7:30 PM in room 101 of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Oxford Street, Cambridge. Marc Epstein, Senior Insect Biosystematist at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, will be discussing Limacodidae Caterpillars and the Life of Harrison Dyar.

    When Marc Epstein began dissertation research on limacodid moths at the University of Minnesota, he soon sensed that Harrison G. Dyar had an “inordinate fondness” for them, although he was known for his work on many families of Lepidoptera, as well as mosquitoes. Epstein will take you on my journey of discovery, including an interview with his son about Dyar’s extensive tunnels beneath Washington, DC, an exploration of his double life, and other unusual attributes of his life. Epstein will also touch on his life in Boston with his mother, Eleonora Rosella Dyar, a well- known medium, his time at MIT and as a member of this club publishing not only his famous paper on geometric growth of caterpillars, known as “Dyar’s Law” in Psyche, but also other papers, including the life histories of over 60 geometrid moths! Dyar spent most of a decade in Boston (1882-1892), interrupted only by summers near Rhinebeck, New York, and extensive western collecting trips.

    A book signing will follow the talk.

    The talk is free and open to the public. The meeting is readily accessible via public transportation. Parking is available in the Oxford Street Garage with advance arrangement,  or (usually but not always) at spaces on nearby streets. Everyone is also welcome to join us for dinner before the talk (beginning at 5:45 PM) at the Cambridge Common, 1667 Mass Ave., Cambridge.

  • Sunday, June 26, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Should We Engineer the Mosquito?

    Mosquitoes are more than annoying pests — they’re carriers of the deadly malaria parasite. Every year, hundreds of millions of people are infected with malaria, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths. Insecticide resistance is increasing, and the drugs used to treat malaria are becoming less effective. Scientists have developed a way to alter mosquito DNA to reduce their ability to transmit malaria. Releasing genetically modified mosquitoes into affected environments could bring us closer to eradicating these diseases, but may also cause unforeseen consequences. Should we tinker with the mosquito?  Come to the Museum of Science on Sunday, June 26 beginning at 6 pm to discuss the potential benefits and trade offs. What would you do? Advance registration begins at 9:00 am, Saturday, June 11 (Thursday, June 9 for Museum members) at http://www.mos.org/public-events/should-we-engineer-the-mosquito. Image from www.ted.com.

  • Tuesday, January 15, 7:30 pm – Other People’s Bugs: The Politics and Perceptions of Public Health Pests on Global and Personal Scales

    The next meeting of the Cambridge Entomological Club will be held on Tuesday January 15 at 7:30 PM in the Haller Hall of the Harvard Geological Museum (24 Oxford St Rm 102). Please note that in January we are meeting on the third Tuesday of the month and in a different room. Richard Pollack will present a talk entitled “Other people’s bugs: The politics and perceptions of public health pests on global and personal scales”.

    Diverse insects find people attractive – and cause other people to shun those endowed with genuine and presumed infestations. Fears of certain insects have long been used as excuses to repress the liberty and opportunities of others, or as political fodder to advance political agenda. Dr. Pollack will highlight several examples pertaining to lice, mosquitoes, bed bugs and yet other of his favorite creatures to scratch the surface of this complex topic.

    The meeting is free and open to the public. Snacks will be provided and you are also welcome to join us at 6:00 PM for an informal pre-meeting dinner at the West Side Lounge restaurant.

  • Saturday & Sunday, July 25 & 26, 12:30 – 1:30 pm – History Underfoot: Walking the Fruitlands Landscape

    The trails at Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts traverse over 210 acres of forest, swamp and meadows plus thousands of years of history. There are many stories to uncover, such as: the location of a long ago beach, why there was a brick factory here, where to spot wildlife and how we know a certain area was used by Native peoples for over 10,000 years.

    Join Fruitlands’ Curator, Mike Volmar, on this series of walks to discover these and other stories through the geology, ecology, wildlife habitat and archaeology of the Fruitlands’ landscape.

    Visitors to our trails should wear appropriate footwear and be able to negotiate surfaces typical of woodland trails. Be aware that poison ivy, mosquitoes, deer flies and ticks may be encountered by people walking the trails, so we highly recommend the use of mosquito and tick repellent.  Members Free, non-members $6 (included with regular free museum admission.  Limited to 10, purchase tickets at Museum Shop.  The tour repeats on  August 8, September 5, October 3, and November 15.  For more information log on to www.fruitlands.org.