This week we are joined by the entomologists at Arthro-Pod to talk about cockroaches! This is our biggest episode yet and conversation covers a wide range of tangents including our The Blue Beetle (the movie is good!), sexy Pokémon, how to best poison each other, "murder hornets", Danny Devito, the Elon Musk/Zuckerberg fight, and loose bugs. This is also the first episode where the topic of the show makes an appearance. So anyways, I started blatting...

And Kelly still hasn't seen Across the Spider-verse.

Follow our guests on Twitter @Arthro_Podshow, @bugmanjon, @JodyBugsmeUNL, and @MSkvarla36. Get their show through Apple Podcast, Spotify, or your favorite podcatching app!

You can see the cockroach field notes at https://www.bugsneedheroes.com/episodes/the-trash-man-and-tergal-lad

You can see all our guest episodes at https://www.bugsneedheroes.com/bug-heroes

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Hosted by Amanda Niday and Kelly Zimmerman with editing by Derek Conrad

Created by Derek Conrad and Kelly Zimmerman.

Character artwork by Amanda Niday.

Music by Rolemusic.

We talk about poop in this episode. A lot. You know this bug from the nature documentaries, but with seven thousand species, there's a lot you don't know about this romantic beetle.

View the artwork and Kelly's Field Notes on our website: https://www.bugsneedheroes.com/episodes/the-brown-beetle

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Hosted by Amanda Niday and Kelly Zimmerman with editing by Derek Conrad with some assistance from Chelsey Bawden.

Created by Derek Conrad and Kelly Zimmerman.

Character artwork by Amanda Niday.

Music by Rolemusic.

This episode we interview Dr. Mathias Nordvig, Professor or Pre-Christian mythologies and Scandinavian folklore at the University of Colorado, Boulder. We chat about the differences between Norse and Nordic, bees in Nordic mythology, and why there is a general paucity of insect lore in Nordic mythology as a whole. Tangents include Loki, Amanda steps on a nail, Snorri Sturluson, Marvel's Thor and other animal lore. Dr. Nordvig has several books out about Nordic mythology (including a kid's book!) and has recently released his own translation of Völuspá: The Vision of the Witch, which Kelly read and loved. You can find it on https://www.hyldyr.com/.

Follow Mathias on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mathiasnordvig/

Check out his website: https://mathiasnordvig.com/

Listen to his podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-sacred-flame/id1671438723

Send us questions and suggestions! [email protected]

Join us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bugsneedheroes/

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Hosted by Amanda Niday and Kelly Zimmerman with editing by Derek Conrad with some assistance from Chelsey Bawden.

Created by Derek Conrad and Kelly Zimmerman.

Character artwork by Amanda Niday.

Music by Rolemusic.

It's just about time for National Moth Week!

In this episode we talk about Producer Derek's favorite moth: the cinnabar moth (Tyria jacobaeae). Finally, a rival for Isabella Tigermoth. And this moth isn't alone in her fight against the noxious Stinking Willie; her fellow biocontrol agents include the tansy ragwort flea beetle (Longitarsus jacobaeae) and the ragwort seed head fly (Botanophila seneciella). This moth and her team are basically Superman, but for cows. Tangents include Animorphs, Spider-verse, being a goth kid, and John Wick.

Check out NationalMothWeek.org to learn more about how you can participate in this citizen science initiative.

Field notes and artwork on our website: https://www.bugsneedheroes.com/episodes/team-jacobaea

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Hosted by Amanda Niday and Kelly Zimmerman with editing by Derek Conrad with some assistance from Chelsey Bawden.

Created by Derek Conrad and Kelly Zimmerman.

Character artwork by Amanda Niday.

Music by Rolemusic.

In this episode we talk about Kelly's cat's favorite bug: the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula). Kelly rants about honeybees. Amanda teaches Kelly the term "caked up." Tangents include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle believing in faeries, crocuses, and trying to remember Adrien Brody's name. Plus a bonus taste test that makes Amanda uncomfortable.

The spotted lanternfly smashing app is called Squishr.

Field notes and artwork on our website: https://www.bugsneedheroes.com/episodes/the-bouncing-brute

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Hosted by Amanda Niday and Kelly Zimmerman with editing by Derek Conrad.

Created by Derek Conrad and Kelly Zimmerman.

Character artwork by Amanda Niday.

Music by Rolemusic.

In this episode, we discuss the arachnid order Opiliones, also known as Harvestmen or Daddy longlegs.  Easily confused with spiders, these detritivores have long had an urban legend about their mythical bite. But they are harmless and exhibit some impressive parental care. Also in this episode, Amanda talks about a car accident. Tangents include Bluey, Henry Cavill Sherlock, and a lot of talk about things dads enjoy (farts).

Kelly mentioned a video from Vine that showed the clumped up daddies. That has been rehosted here: https://youtu.be/JG3WXlykzhY

Kelly's Field Notes: https://www.bugsneedheroes.com/episodes/the-harvestman-as-played-by-pedro-pascal

Send us questions and suggestions! [email protected]

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Hosted by Amanda Niday and Kelly Zimmerman

Editing by Derek Conrad with assistance from Chelsey Bawden.

Created by Derek Conrad and Kelly Zimmerman.

Character artwork by Amanda Niday.

Music by Rolemusic.

This episode with interview entomologist Kaitlyn O'Donnell to talk about a range of topics, but particularly her work with the invasive winter moth (Operophtera brumata) and her work at Norfolk County Mosquito Control. Tangents include the film Jupiter Ascending, bald eagles, and Amanda opens a can of worms called the biological species concept. Producer Derek highly recommends the documentaries Cane Toads: An Unnatural History and Ferrets: The Pursuit of Excellence but really any film by Mark Lewis is worth checking out.

Follow Kaitlyn on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/entomol_oh_gee/

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Hosted by Amanda Niday and Kelly Zimmerman with editing by Derek Conrad.

Created by Derek Conrad and Kelly Zimmerman.

Character artwork by Amanda Niday.

Music by Rolemusic.

We recorded this episode before the release of the 2023 animated film Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse to discuss the heroes we expect to see in the film (Miles Morales, Jessica Drew, Gwen Stacy, and Miguel O'Hara), what we love about these characters, and to make wild speculation about the plot based on some of the comics we have read. We previously published an episode about Peter Parker in September 2022 discussing how that Spider-Man's powers compare to real life spiders. Tangents include Disney's Encanto, the dystopian setting of Marvel's Spider-Man 2099, the trouble with multiverse stories, and what Brian Michael Bendis is like as a college professor (adjunct).

This episode contains minor spoilers for The Mitchell's Vs The Machines and Spider-Man: No Way Home but does not have spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse unless we got lucky.

Field notes and artwork on our website: https://www.bugsneedheroes.com/episodes/across-the-spider-people

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Hosted by Amanda Niday and Kelly Zimmerman with editing by Derek Conrad.

Created by Derek Conrad and Kelly Zimmerman.

Character artwork by Amanda Niday.

Music by Rolemusic.

The vocab word of the day is cerci. Amanda proves she has been paying attention in this episode about perhaps the buggiest bug who ever bugged. This episode discusses the soil beasts who you may find in your bathroom and their outstanding parental care. Tangents in this episode include the moral capacity for evil in dolphins, garter snakes, and the films of Don Bluth (both real and imagined). 

Field notes and artwork on our website: https://www.bugsneedheroes.com/episodes/the-super-mom

Send us questions and suggestions! [email protected]

Join us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bugsneedheroes/

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Hosted by Amanda Niday and Kelly Zimmerman with editing by Derek Conrad.

Created by Derek Conrad and Kelly Zimmerman.

Character artwork by Amanda Niday.

Music by Rolemusic.

Get ready to learn some entomology jargon! This episode is all about what a bug is. We discuss taxonomy, anatomy, how we are defining a "bug" in this podcast. If you've ever wondered if bugs are tasting you with their feet, this episode is for you. Tangents in this episode include eating ants, marine biology, and fiddler crabs in The Little Mermaid.

Field notes and artwork on our website: https://www.bugsneedheroes.com/episodes/the-basic-bug

Send us questions and suggestions! [email protected]

Join us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bugsneedheroes/

Join us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bugsneedheroes

Join us on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BugsNeedHeroes

Hosted by Amanda Niday and Kelly Zimmerman with editing by Derek Conrad.

Created by Derek Conrad and Kelly Zimmerman.

Character artwork by Amanda Niday.

Music by Rolemusic.