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Can I Bug You?: Daily Summaries Delivered
by UC Riverside
A twice-monthly deep dive into the sometimes creepy but mostly fascinating world of insects with one of the world's foremost experts on the topic, UC Riverside entomologist Dr. Doug Yanega.
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- 3 weeks ago30 min
Ep. 47: UCR entomology: 111 years young!
For the UCR Department of Entomology's 111th anniversary, we are joined by four professors who tell us why this department is still thriving after more than a century, even as similar departments elsewhere have disappeared. More info about anniversary celebration activities open to the public: https://entomology.ucr.edu/entomologys-111th-celebration
- Apr 15, 202628 min
Ep. 46: W-2 (much paperwork)
As we struggle with piles of paperwork on Tax Day, we’re taking a little time to reflect that it was not humans that invented paperwork, but wasps. Jim Carpenter, curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, fills us in on how wasps do it, and why.
- Apr 8, 202630 min
Ep. 45: The great eye-biting fly epidemic that wasn't
News outlets in Los Angeles have been reporting on an epidemic of eye-biting flies in the San Gabriel Valley this year. And there is a human-feeding fly infestation, but reports incorrectly identified the species. Our guest from the SGV Vector Control District joins us to set the record straight on what's attacking us, and what can be done about it.
- Mar 18, 202629 min
Ep. 44: Take your medicine
Even though there are estimated to be 40 million insect species, nearly every example of insects used in medicine is either misguided or just… wrong. Listen in and learn about some of the insect cures people pay top dollar for that just do not work and hear about what, if anything from the insect world, does.
- Mar 7, 202635 min
Ep. 43: Welcome to the wasp hotel
Walking through an oak woodland, you might encounter trees with strange fruit. Some are small, fuzzy, or red "Hershey Kiss" shapes while others look like large, papery brown spheres. These aren't fruits. Dr. Matt Buffington of the U.S. Agricultural Research Service - formerly at UCR - joins us to explain these strange structures that act like hotels with room service for tiny wasps.
- Feb 10, 202628 min
Ep. 42: The gifts of love
Forget roses and chocolates. Some insects bring pebbles wrapped in silk and hope for the best. This Valentine’s Day episode of Can I Bug You? dives into some of the most surprising courtship rituals in the insect world.
- Jan 26, 202630 min
Ep. 41: Roachbots
Defense contractors are developing "cutting-edge" technologies like "spy cockroaches" to reinvent warfare. But roachbots aren't a new idea. They had a moment in a 1997 blockbuster, The Fifth Element. If they didn't work out then, why would they work now? Listen in to find out if the current crop of roachbot hopefuls are likely to succeed.
- Jan 13, 202631 min
Ep. 40 - Insects are wildlife, too
In our first episode of 2026, we explore the important role that genetics play in conserving insect species about to blink out of existence. With special guests, UCR entomologists Hollis Woodard and Zachary Macdonald.
About Can I Bug You?
A twice-monthly deep dive into the sometimes creepy but mostly fascinating world of insects with one of the world's foremost experts on the topic, UC Riverside entomologist Dr. Doug Yanega.
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