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Science Nerds

Wow! That must have been fascinating.

It was. It was such a quincidence that I saw it and I had never seen garden ants do that before. You'd think they would all get stuck in the web, that's what spider webs do, but the sheer weight and mass and all the movement of the ants ripped it all apart. I wonder if that one ant made sounds or used a scent to call for help. 🤔 It clearly attracted all the other ants.
 
It was. It was such a quincidence that I saw it and I had never seen garden ants do that before. You'd think they would all get stuck in the web, that's what spider webs do, but the sheer weight and mass and all the movement of the ants ripped it all apart. I wonder if that one ant made sounds or used a scent to call for help. 🤔 It clearly attracted all the other ants.
How Do Ants Communicate With Each Other? Kids Ant Facts
 
This one's another creature that isn't very well documented yet. Locally it's called The Smelly Ant. They give off a pheromone stink that other larger ants are terrified of. They have no bite or sting, they just stink. It's funny watching the big bullants stumble in to their trail, the bullants turn around and run away literally with their tails tucked underneath them.

Doleromyrma darwiniana - Wikipedia

[Edit] I spent a lot of time in the bush with not much else to do and insects are always fascinating.
 
This one's another creature that isn't very well documented yet. Locally it's called The Smelly Ant. They give off a pheromone stink that other larger ants are terrified of. They have no bite or sting, they just stink. It's funny watching the big bullants stumble in to their trail, the bullants turn around and run away literally with their tails tucked underneath them.

Doleromyrma darwiniana - Wikipedia
The skunk of the ant kingdom.
 
Where does a person find other people that are awkward in their social skills, own microscopes and other science equipment, enjoy examining plants, insects, ect., and sharing random science facts in real life. Such people exist in fiction and online but I just can't seem to find them in real life.
I was real life last I checked. I assume you mean face to face. I do meet your requirements, but I live in Central Florida
 
I was real life last I checked. I assume you mean face to face. I do meet your requirements, but I live in Central Florida
I suppose real life was a poor choice of wording since people on this and similar forums are real people just typically located far apart from one another. 😂
 
I fit the category too. In fact, I was just thinking earlier tonight about how I enjoy watching the lifestyles of insects.
I raise Darkling Beetles. The farm, as I call it, is set up in the laundry room.
There I care for the complete life cycle circle of the insect.
Eggs to giant mealworms to pupae to beetles which lay the eggs and around again.

I keep an acrylic insect holder with seven adult beetles on a shelf beside where I eat.
I can watch them and observe every nuance of their daily life. It is really interesting to see how they have a community and interact with each other and with me as well.
They see me eating and come to the side of their container to look at me- Feed Me!
And I do give them little bits of what I eat as well as their daily foods.
Oh, yes, I was thinking who else might like insects and learning their ways.

I also raise Monarchs. Another lifecycle.

I've always been a science nerd.
The Uni I went to had Star Parties. This was an astronomy club that set up telescopes all over a golf course and the public was invited. Students could interact and explain things about what each scope was set on.
Don't know of anything like that where I live now.

A bug's life: :D

Darklingbeetle.jpg
 
A fairly recent discovery about wombats, normally they're quite grumpy and cantankerous animals and will attack anything that hangs around too long, but during bushfires they let any other animal take refuge in their burrows with them including snakes.
That's interesting.

Hummingbirds are territorial and fight with each other around the feeders. But at dusk, they seem to reach an armistice and allow each other to drink just as the sun is going down.
 
I fit the category too. In fact, I was just thinking earlier tonight about how I enjoy watching the lifestyles of insects.
I raise Darkling Beetles. The farm, as I call it, is set up in the laundry room.
There I care for the complete life cycle circle of the insect.
Eggs to giant mealworms to pupae to beetles which lay the eggs and around again.

I keep an acrylic insect holder with seven adult beetles on a shelf beside where I eat.
I can watch them and observe every nuance of their daily life. It is really interesting to see how they have a community and interact with each other and with me as well.
They see me eating and come to the side of their container to look at me- Feed Me!
And I do give them little bits of what I eat as well as their daily foods.
Oh, yes, I was thinking who else might like insects and learning their ways.

I also raise Monarchs. Another lifecycle.

I've always been a science nerd.
The Uni I went to had Star Parties. This was an astronomy club that set up telescopes all over a golf course and the public was invited. Students could interact and explain things about what each scope was set on.
Don't know of anything like that where I live now.

A bug's life: :D

View attachment 136771
@SusanLR Insects do seem to show responses that prove some level of intelligence and understanding and actually seem to have distinct personalities. We used to have lots of tent caterpillars every year and I even got to hand feed a leaf to one. When I would go to pet them, some would shy away and want to be left alone, a few would get mildly aggressive like they thought I meant them harm ,and yet others would act like they enjoyed being held and petted (that one even letting me feed it).🤓
 
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Where does a person find other people that are awkward in their social skills, own microscopes and other science equipment, enjoy examining plants, insects, ect., and sharing random science facts in real life. Such people exist in fiction and online but I just can't seem to find them in real life.
Do you have a Conservation District locally? I help out with Macroinvertebrate surveys in our local rivers and have my own equipment plus a stereo microscope for when we make IDs down to family level. We then use scores that relate to the sensitivity for pollutants, temperature, etc. and calculate a Hilsenhoff Biotic Index. I've developed a self scoring spreadsheet and am looking at creating a Chi-squared test to detect change between the frequencies of tolerant and intolerant families. The University of Minnesota has a great reference book that I use; Guide to Aquatic Invertebrates of the Upper Midwest | Chironomidae Research Group

Another one of my projects has been working with a fossil preparator in Alnif, Morocco to obtain at least one genus of trilobite from all the families in the Ordovician and Devonian. Once completed, this will go to the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology.
 
Do you have a Conservation District locally? I help out with Macroinvertebrate surveys in our local rivers and have my own equipment plus a stereo microscope for when we make IDs down to family level. We then use scores that relate to the sensitivity for pollutants, temperature, etc. and calculate a Hilsenhoff Biotic Index. I've developed a self scoring spreadsheet and am looking at creating a Chi-squared test to detect change between the frequencies of tolerant and intolerant families. The University of Minnesota has a great reference book that I use; Guide to Aquatic Invertebrates of the Upper Midwest | Chironomidae Research Group

Another one of my projects has been working with a fossil preparator in Alnif, Morocco to obtain at least one genus of trilobite from all the families in the Ordovician and Devonian. Once completed, this will go to the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology.
@Gerald Wilgus Do you have to pay to be part of groups like that? I know the ones that involve travel are currently off limits, but asking about local projects.
 
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@SusanLR Have you ever heard the chirping sound that some beetles make. There was a beetle I found that would make a low bird like chirping sound that you could hear if you held it near your ear. I am not sure about the species.
 
@Gerald Wilgus Do you have to pay to be part of groups like that? I know the ones that involve travel are currently off limits, but asking about local projects.
For the collecting, no previous experience necessary. And, we are always looking for volunteers - no cost. Data costs money so everything that we can do for citizen science is appreciated. I am a team leader on several streams and will train people for collecting and help them with basic identification on the spot. At least where I am, during identification, I can train people to sort out orders and then do the family ID. If you can get a copy of that guide I cited from your library you can take a look at it. I find it pretty easy, but you will need to be comfortable with the syntax they use to describe the insects. After about a couple of ID sessions you will start getting pretty good. My only difficulty lies with Caddis Flies because some feature are very microscopic. Contact your local Conservation District or any Park district and they may be able to direct you. It is a lot of fun.
 
@Gerald Wilgus I looked at the closest option I could find and it sounds like a minimum of a Bachelors Degree is necessary. 😪
I find that unusual. The in-stream collecting and picking can be done by anybody. I enjoy training people in collecting techniques using a D-net or just grabbing cobble or pieces of submerged wood. No degree necessary. Then it is fun finding the hiding places of the insects. Biological identification, like that U of Minn. citation, use what is known as "dichotomous keys." It asks you about a feature of the insect and your answer, Y or N, will send you to the next step until you end up identifying the family. Just attention to detail is needed. Plus, the first step of identifying the Order of the critter can be done by eye. Start doing that and you will become acquainted with things pretty quickly.

I really enjoy doing all of that and will encourage you to find somebody to take you on. Collection and ID is usually done twice a year in spring and fall. Many groups will supply the equipment, including waders.

Here I am geared up and getting ready to collect in the Platte River.
1730163457301.jpeg
 

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