bugs | The Burgundy Zine

September 2, 2020

September is National Honey Month

As sunflowers put on a show for us this month, it’s also important to pay homage to another black and yellow marvel of nature: bees.

September is National Honey Month, a time in which we honor the byproduct of the five-eyed, six-legged, insects that have soared through our skies at 20mph for the last 30 million years.

Bee pollination adds approximately 14 billion dollars to improved crop yield and quality annually in the United States, according to NASA. And while we all know the “BEES ARE DYING,” which will inevitably wreak havoc on agricultural output, did you know that honey may have played a critical role in human evolution?

July 4, 2020

Artist Spotlight: Duran Jay

Makeup artist Duran Jay has us bugging over their insect-inspired looks.

May 3, 2020

Mantises Through the Lens of Calvin Taylor Lee

Photographer Calvin Taylor Lee stuns us with his macro photographs of mantises.

April 26, 2020

Litter is Not a Suitable Home for Ants, Study Says

The world is your oyster, not your dumpster – although it’s often mistreated as such.

The non-profit organization Keep America Beautiful reports the United States spends approximately $11.5 billion to clean up litter annually. However, crumbled up plastics and abandoned glass bottles still find their way into the natural world, invading forests, lakes, rivers, and oceans.

Recently, researchers investigated the impact of discarded bottles and containers on ants, questioning whether these discarded byproducts of human activity are a “deadly trap or sweet home.”

October 23, 2019

Big Spiders by My Forty Something Life

My Forty Something Life cracks on ridiculous advice for dealing with spiders.

August 16, 2019

Joining the Battle Against Spotted Lanternflies

The Spotted Lanternfly is a destructive pest with the potential to cost Pa’s economy in the upwards of $18 billion dollars, the Penn State Extension (PSE) reports. Since their discovery in Berks County five years ago, they’ve rapidly invaded southeastern Pa.

In an effort to engage residents in the Pa Department of Agriculture (PDA)’s fight against this insect, the PDA will offer permits for 31 in-person Spotted Lanternfly classes for businesses across 14 counties, including: Lehigh, Berks, Lancaster, Chester, Delaware, Philadelphia, Montgomery, and Bucks.

March 21, 2019

Beetles Over Beef

Beetles. Caterpillars. Bees. Ants. Grasshoppers… Is your mouth watering yet? No? Well, it should be. Opting for beetles over beef may just save our planet.