Any book details?
March 29, 2010
Do you have any details about the book like where it will be available, pricing, number of pages, overall physical size and any thoughts of a special edition?
Sean Kempf
Hi Sean,
Thanks for your interest. The book will be approximately 200 pages. Other than that, we aren’t sure about the actual size, though we presume it will be about 5 1/2 by 8 inches. We will copy our editor to see if Penguin can provide any additional details. What exactly do you mean by a special edition?
Thank you for such a prompt response. By special edition, I mean something like a limited run of serialized prints with an extra that’s not included in the normal production. Signed would be wonderful! Lastly, do you know if there will be pre-orders available?
Hi Again Sean,
We don’t believe Penguin/Perigee has any plans for a limited run, though the initial printing will not be large. Since we are rather new to the world of professional authorship, we don’t really have many answers.
National Insect Week
I would like to get a insect week started in the US, (see the link to the UK national insect week: http://www.nationalinsectweek.co.uk/ ) Since you guys have a great web presence I wanted to be the first official person to sign the “petition” to start a US based- National Insect Week (preferably during the school year so students can participate) Entomologists Unite!!
Michelle Gunter
Favorite Bugs!
March 14, 2010
Hi WTB!
My name is Shanny. I’m the co-host of a monthly literary arts show in Chicago called The Encyclopedia Show. Each month, we choose a topic from an encycloedia and invite 10-12 writers/artists to perform. We assign them subtopics of the month’s theme and give them a month to make something up. It’s great!
Our April show is Insects. Do you have favorite insects? Any that are fascinating? Will you accidentally be in Chicago on Wednesday, April 21 and want to be in the show? ;c)
Fondly,
Shanny
Dear Shanny,
Thanks so much for the intriguing offer, but alas, we are unable to get away from our teaching job to come to Chicago. We would probably choose the Cicada Killer as the insect we would have profiled had we been able to participate.
site comment
March 1, 2010
site comment
just want to say i think the site is awsome. been usin it since i was 5 years old and i am 16 now. i recomend it to everybody.
josh smith
Wow Josh,
This is just about the best fanmail letter we have ever received. You must have been one of our first readers back when we were a brand new presence on the internet.
venomous
February 26, 2010
things that are VENOMOUS are more then once referred to on this site as poisonous there is a big difference between the two.
G. Davisson
Dear G. Davisson
Merriam-Webster.com defines Poisonous as “1 : destructive, harmful 2 : having the properties or effects of poison : venomous 3 : spiteful, malicious.” Merriam=Webster.com defines Venomous as “1 : full of venom: as a : poisonous, envenomed b : noxious, pernicious <expose a venomous dope ring — Don Porter> c : spiteful, malevolent <venomous criticism> 2 : having a venom-producing gland and able to inflict a poisoned wound <venomous snakes>.” Since that bastion for defining the English language uses the two words to define one another and indicates that they are interchangeable, we don’t feel we are entirely incorrect in our usage, though there might be a subtle difference that we should consider. The bite of a Brown Recluse Spider would be venomous, while poisoning would occur following the ingestion of a Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper. Rather than just providing a blanket statement chastising our language usage, can you please cite some concrete examples of the adjective usage that you find offensive? That way we can consider them more closely. Even better, can you provide the source for the definition that creates a solid distinction for the proper and incorrect usages of the two terms?
Hello!
I just wanted to extend a thanks to all you who make “What’s That Bug” possible. It’s really an excellent site and I often find myself perusing it just to feed my amateur entomolgist’s appetite! I noticed the Nasty Reader’s Section you have and was both amazed by the breath-taking idiocy of some of the readers featured there and amused by your responses.
So thanks again, for all you hard work on an excellent site!
Nate McInnis
Hi Nate,
Thanks for your words of encouragement.
Kids science book
February 15, 2010
Hello, I’m writing a couple of science books for children but the publishers want them to be international. One of the experiments is about garden science and looking at what bugs you can find in your soil, through a funnel shining a light on top. I need to come up with a list of international bugs and wondered if you could help? Many thanks indeed,
Lisa
International!
Hi Lisa,
Please describe the experiment more thoroughly as it doesn’t make sense to us how the funnel and light are used. One international subterranean dweller is a Mole Cricket, but we are uncertain how your trap would work in finding the mole cricket. It would be much easier if we just provided you with a list of potential soil dwellers.
Daniel
Thanks so much for getting back to me! It’s like a Berlese funnel experiment. A list of potential soil dwellers would be absolutely perfect! And if you happened to know which were most widespread, all the better, but I realise that is very hard to ascertain sometimes,
All my very best wishes,
Lisa
Comment from Australia
Hi guys,
Congratulations on being near the end with the book project. … As an aside, I noticed the letter about the light and the funnel. One method of trapping insects is to bury a bottle with a funnel so that the lip of the funnel is at ground level. A light is suspended above it and ground dwellers walk to the light and fall into the funnel. Hope that sheds some light on it 
aussietrev
I like This
But, I am glad I was able to keep him warm for the winter and now he’s probably happy muching on some trees somewhere. Thank you, WTB, for all the great info and the time and patience to ID a pretty common bug! I c ome to your website at least once a day, and still find new and interesting bugs! Keep up the great work, hopefully this fall, I will find another Axel on my bedroom wall! 
