It turns out that the cockroach’s ability to keep upright has nothing to do with the neural makeup of their brains, as it does in most other creatures, but rather relies on the physical architecture of their legs! That’s right; it’s the shape of the cockroach leg that allows it to keep the cockroach upright. Furthermore, a cockroach can navigate throughout its surroundings WITHOUT THINKING.

I don’t know about you, but this knowledge makes them even creepier.

As ABC Science points out, this knowledge goes beyond simply making our nightmares more nightmarish. The understanding of cockroach mobility might help robotics engineers develop more efficient robots: “one of the recurring challenges of designing a mobile robot is writing an algorithm that keeps it from falling over.” By bypassing the need for a robot “brain” and this complex balance algorithm, building a feasible self-reliant robot may become reality….wait, I’ve seen this movie. STOP THE ROBOT PROGRAM!

ABS Science also mentions the potential for this knowledge to help humans, too. Human mobility – how we walk upright – is still a bit of a mystery. Despite how easy our two-legged motion is, the neural processes that allow us that motion are quite complex. Understanding how the architecture of a leg on a cockroach may potentially help us to develop more reliable prosthetics and perhaps better therapies for people with brain injuries. So, I guess, CONTINUE THE ROBOT PROGRAM!

The post Did You Know: Cockroaches Don’t Use Their Brains to Keep Balance? first appeared on Lloyd Pest Control.

A new reality TV show on AMC, “Immortalized,” aims to showcase the creative side of taxidermy. One contestant in particular, Petaluma, California entomologist Kevin Clarke, takes taxidermy to level most of us have likely never considered: insects on motorcycles (hilariously titled “Weevil Knievel”).

While most people have heard of butterfly preservation, the preservation and articulation of other insects may come as a surprise. For Clarke however, the interest seems to have been with him since childhood:

I was very cruel to bugs when I was little. I had this dissecting table, and I would sit and poke at them with pine needles. Play doctor.

Who can blame him, though? We were all mean to insects when we were children. That seemingly inborn animosity for most of use carries throughout our lives, but some, like Clarke, adopt a different perspective.

Clarke’s work, which can be seen at BugUnderGlass.com, runs the gamut from whimsical to educational but remain consistently, dare we say, aesthetically beautiful.

But as beautiful as some insects can be, it’s important that insect and other bugs are controlled to prevent residential infestations. Once bugs – along with the diseases they carry and damage they cause – breech the perimeter of our homes, we must take serious action. That’s where Lloyd Pest Control comes into play. Call us for all of your Southern California pest control needs. Or, if you have some amazing Kevin Clarke specimens to show off, call us and invite us on a tour!

Call now! 1. (855) 533-8022

The post Beetles Riding Skateboards and Playing Banjos? first appeared on Lloyd Pest Control.