Post Aj7Ek74Emk3lzgPy6a by futurebird@sauropods.win
(DIR) More posts by futurebird@sauropods.win
(DIR) Post #Aj79tk18q77fdAk2G8 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T09:21:05Z
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Some one asked in DM how to identify ants. So here is my method:The best resource online is https://www.inaturalist.org/This is an effectively peer-reviewed database of correctly identified photos of insects. To identify an ant search for "ants" then set your region to the location where you saw the ant. Look through the photos until you see a match. 1/
(DIR) Post #Aj7A6po6cnAhLst5fs by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T09:23:29Z
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This is more effective since you are looking at the *most recently posted* photos and it is likely that if you saw a bug someone else did too and posted it. A few tips about matching insects on appearance:1. Look at the number of segments. Is there one bump or two between the gaster and thorax.2. Look at the texture. Ant colors may vary in many species, texture is more reliable. 3. Ask for help on formiculture.com (for ants) or other specialist forums for other insects.3/
(DIR) Post #Aj7ANrBekPs8YR1ILw by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T09:26:32Z
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There is a neat app called "picture insect" that will try to identify insects directly from photos. If this is getting you excited you aren't alone. This app was pretty good. For me they were correct about 70 percent of the time. Since you now have to pay for this app that level of accuracy isn't worth it IMOOn iPhone 15 the camera app will hightlight insects and try to identify them. I think it's using the same tech as "picture insect" since it makes the same mistakes. Worth a shot. 3/
(DIR) Post #Aj7AmFb7dme9DGYyxs by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T09:30:57Z
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Here is the thing that makes my "scan recent posts on iNaturalist" even more fun. If you have an arthropod that isn't in the 100 most recently spotted on iNaturalist you have found a "rare" insect and experts will *not* be annoyed if you ask for their help. They will be excited to see the cool bug that you found. The only area where this can get tough is if you are looking at mites. Mites are impossible to identify and every mite is "rare." No one knows anything about mites. It's horrible. 4/4
(DIR) Post #Aj7BJm7vidbJeltWbI by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T09:36:57Z
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Mites are incredibly important to nearly every ecosystem. Huge impacts: nearly drove honeybees to extinction. So we should probably pay more attention to mites. I've promised myself I will learn more about them, but never have I found a subject harder to find a starting thread to pull.Everything is either laughably basic or dense scientific papers only 5 people in the world can read without a glossary. Maybe we should do a "mite week" or something? It mite be a mistake to ignore them!
(DIR) Post #Aj7BpZhBTRw0MsY0h6 by CliftonR@wandering.shop
2024-06-20T09:42:28Z
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@futurebird I'm vaguely aware of certain kinds of mites in the context of being our commensals or symbiotes.It always astounds me when I think about how humans have got one species of mites specifically adapted for living in our eyebrows, a different species living a few inches away in our hairline, and frequently another species living in our ear canals.And then there are the dust mites who live with us, who mostly live off the tiny bits of dead skin we shed. Amazing.
(DIR) Post #Aj7C4XNmM7oVXQbcHo by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T09:45:28Z
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Mites are spiders, but less glamours in every way that people who like bugs tend to care about. The big issue is they all look pretty much the same. Mites have adapted to live with ants in symbiotic and parasitic ways. Often they are both. There are mites that replace the feet of ants, mites that clean ant mandibles. Mites that steal food when ants share honeydew via trophallaxis.
(DIR) Post #Aj7CBUbr42AKxtVRZ2 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T09:46:40Z
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There are mites on your eyelashes, different ones on your skin. I think this fact stops people from thinking about mites since the best way to deal with this harsh truth is to forget it. But, to understand mites I can't ignore the mites on my face. I have to come to terms with my body as an ecosystem, a planet with its own residents. That is a lot to deal with emotionally. I like to think of myself as a singular being, not a writhing collective of growing living systems.
(DIR) Post #Aj7CQsYeJ6S3aDLM12 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T09:49:30Z
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@CliftonR Things go very very very wrong when these little residents are disrupted or removed. Some skin conditions seem to come down to the balence being thrown off and the wrong sort of mites growing too large in numbers causing cycles of irritation. But for all the money people spend of skincare and "anti aging" treatments ... not much attention at all is paid to the little gardeners on our skin. Nobody wants to think about them!
(DIR) Post #Aj7CiRRtpt7KidYqBc by chris_evelyn@troet.cafe
2024-06-20T09:51:26Z
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@futurebird Wait a minute, mites that REPLACE THE FEET of ants? I can't even
(DIR) Post #Aj7Cm4PtPaCeRZLunQ by CliftonR@wandering.shop
2024-06-20T09:52:50Z
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@futurebird Occasionally I get a small irritated red patch right between my eyebrows at the bridge of my nose, which I think might have something to do with having an allergic or irritated skin reaction to the eyebrow mites.Usually it goes away with more careful face-washing for a few days, and applying a tiny bit of hydrocortisone cream, but I wish I knew more about exactly what was causing it.
(DIR) Post #Aj7D6j2o4JssEvP49w by WearsHats@realsocial.life
2024-06-20T09:57:02Z
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@futurebird I like demodex, though. Their bodies are curved to match the radius of your eyelash. They can't survive anywhere else. Entire lives dedicated to giving you a tiny invisible hug while cleaning your eyelashes for you.
(DIR) Post #Aj7DqxVccZrQQEvXyS by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T10:05:25Z
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@chris_evelyn Macrocheles rettenmeyeriThis mite drinks the army ant's blood (hemolymph) by attaching to the foot since it can pierce the soft portion of the foot pad that normally helps ants to climb. The ant walks as if the mite were her foot. The food no longer provides grip on smoother surfaces, but in function it's mostly the same. The mite will even hold on to other ants when the army ants build their bivouac. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25085720
(DIR) Post #Aj7EJRVKh0xJYkNFho by econads@mendeddrum.org
2024-06-20T10:10:30Z
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@futurebird @futurebird @CliftonR Same with skin bacteria right? We take 'em off with soap and wipe out their habitat then sometimes try to restore said habitats with moisturiser. I'm fascinated by how my parents can shower once a week and not really smell but if I go longer than a day I start to stink.
(DIR) Post #Aj7ELsgCcuN8QBcZ72 by chris_evelyn@troet.cafe
2024-06-20T10:09:50Z
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@futurebird OK, that's weird, unsettling and wonderful. Thanks for sharing!
(DIR) Post #Aj7ENEuHTLXpeAqzia by NatureMC@mastodon.online
2024-06-20T10:10:33Z
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@futurebird Not nobody. 😉 I talked about these mite-mates living on/with us because they could even be in danger. Well, perhaps more near the side "laughably basic" because I want to change the mind of people who are no specialists: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/season-01-ep-03-sitting-with-your-body-mates/id1630784381?i=1000581150332 But I still have the bookmarks to the studies that I read for writing that episode.And for photos, I recommend @nev and @frankashwood and #MiteMonday #mite #mites @CliftonR
(DIR) Post #Aj7ERbqQ8GTpwg8EpE by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T10:12:05Z
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@econads @CliftonR I think your parents secret may be never sweating much. Younger people are more sweaty -- and part of the whole purpose of sweat is to give the body an odor. Odors that are too rich and say too much for a modern world.
(DIR) Post #Aj7EVqRLo9hGN5QQlM by not_gagarin@mastodon.world
2024-06-20T10:12:33Z
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@futurebird @chris_evelyn This might honestly be the weirdest and best ant fact I've learned from you so far
(DIR) Post #Aj7Ei1co36T4XFajwG by rubinjoni@mastodon.social
2024-06-20T10:15:00Z
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@futurebird @econads @CliftonR It could also be the materials - synthetic textiles tend to get stinky faster / in a different way. Nutritional and lifestyle habits also play a role.
(DIR) Post #Aj7Ek74Emk3lzgPy6a by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T10:15:24Z
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@NatureMC @nev @frankashwood @CliftonR We know enough to understand that we can't simply sterilize our skin. Which is our first instinct when we find out about the mites. But, no, we are adapted to them, and they are adapted to us. So, it's harder to offer a "solution" that fits into our expectations. I would love to see some skincare cream say "nourishes and balances the population of facial mites while reducing the yeasts and bacteria that can lead to population blooms." LOL
(DIR) Post #Aj7ElhyJ3r8ijxP86a by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T10:15:41Z
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@NatureMC @nev @frankashwood @CliftonR I'm going to check this out on my bus ride in.
(DIR) Post #Aj7EnsWenCEm3IVSFc by econads@mendeddrum.org
2024-06-20T10:16:05Z
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@futurebird @CliftonR I mean they don't move around much, but I'm also sitting in front of the laptop most of the day. I think my dad might be more active around the house than I am, but hard to measure. Their house is certainly larger & has stairs unlike my flat.Also I'm also not "that" young, just hit 40.I think maybe their skin biome is better adjusted than mine to not washing so frequently or they just have a different one.
(DIR) Post #Aj7F2y2uYCb9W5mups by aimee@mastodon.nz
2024-06-20T10:18:46Z
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@futurebird I think it's wonderful that we're entire ecosystems for other lifeforms :D
(DIR) Post #Aj7Fi1RMppM5uvnsn2 by joncounts@mastodon.nz
2024-06-20T10:26:08Z
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@futurebird @chris_evelyn Woah!
(DIR) Post #Aj7GGI47WuOjKCGp4y by Penguinflight@mastodon.scot
2024-06-20T10:32:23Z
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@futurebird Mites, turning dead skin to dust since you were a baby.
(DIR) Post #Aj7HsB4y3LqccDIRhg by NatureMC@mastodon.online
2024-06-20T10:50:25Z
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@futurebird The day you find this cream please tell me, I buy it! 😁 I once met a rather aggressive colleague in a very bad mood, the facial features looking bad-tempered. Me: "Say something nice and friendly to your face-mites, they can help you!" I never forget these eyes! 😂 🤣 @CliftonR
(DIR) Post #Aj7IqHos7aUUtZQiYK by fritzoids@mas.to
2024-06-20T11:01:17Z
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@futurebird iNaturalist has a companion app called Seek https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/seek_appthat has gamified the identification of stuff around you by giving you challenges every month and by giving you badges for finding e.g. 100 different species of plant.
(DIR) Post #Aj7J4a6uudN3g6gdge by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T11:03:55Z
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@fritzoids I've been avoiding this since I know the moment I start it's going to ... consume me. This is crack cocaine. This is my salvation and undoing. I think I'll try it today! Goodbye everyone! I will say hello to EVery Ant
(DIR) Post #Aj7JVtDrxhsolvxb4S by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T11:08:52Z
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@NatureMC @CliftonR I was thinking about it some more and I think the "perfect skin care regime" would need to have a testing and adaptation mechanism. A way to test skin for ph, oils, sugars, mite population, bacteria, fungi etc. Determine what is out of balence and what action to take. Not a cream but more like system to regulate the skin biome like an expert gardener. We can understand that just because plants need water and light "more water!" and "more light" aren't always better.
(DIR) Post #Aj7JdpEEhCVwhXupwu by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T11:10:14Z
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@NatureMC @CliftonR I mean, really our skin ought to mostly take care of itself. But that isn't the case for many people, or we find the stasis point unacceptable for one reason or another. But adjustments to the system shouldn't need to be complex or extreme... just well considered and precise.
(DIR) Post #Aj7M194pGaFYpPlIOm by NatureMC@mastodon.online
2024-06-20T11:36:49Z
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@futurebird Then cosmetics would be medicine and that's not allowed. It would help a lot to wean our skin off the chemical bombs that promise all sorts of things for a lot of money - and return to simpler, more natural recipes. @CliftonR
(DIR) Post #Aj7MVwcrboltBnMvzM by llewelly@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T11:42:28Z
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@futurebird mites: arachnid taxonomists will sometimes say undescribed species of mites outnumber all other arachnid species combined, both described and undescribed. Personally I think the problem is worse than that but I'm too old to take delight in shattering people's optimism.
(DIR) Post #Aj7NI34cwIpd5RIDGi by guy_redshirt@mastodon.social
2024-06-20T11:51:08Z
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@futurebird I identify ants as they/them. It hasn’t landed me in any trouble yet.
(DIR) Post #Aj7NKDny0migwrXJXk by jepdee@mastodon.social
2024-06-20T11:51:19Z
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@futurebird personally I had a much easier time. she married my uncle.
(DIR) Post #Aj7NmDasOFkWOylN9k by maggieumber@mastodon.social
2024-06-20T11:56:35Z
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@futurebird @chris_evelyn My mind is blown!
(DIR) Post #Aj7OlcnbIAyqEszn28 by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T12:07:43Z
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@maggieumber @chris_evelyn oooh I just thought of another entry for my list of “common ant says and idioms” (this is for a book)Army ants will say “—-, my foot!” and this has extra layers of disgust. “She expects us to gather that millipede? we already brought home a mantis! bossy little callow!”“Just make another run!”“make another run, my foot!”“far as I care my mite-bitten foot can fetch that millipede!”(formic grumbling continues)
(DIR) Post #Aj7PIYw2g93NoOeMgy by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T12:13:38Z
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@guy_redshirt Statistically you will hardly ever go wrong with “she” unless they have wings— in that case use “he” if they have a little head, “your majesty” if they have a big head. If ants cared to be identified they would be more concerned with who was a major, minor or queen as much as sex — and these categories are just as complex.
(DIR) Post #Aj7RYHyNiBKNkJN3Z2 by billiglarper@rollenspiel.social
2024-06-20T12:38:48Z
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@futurebird @NatureMC @nev @frankashwood @CliftonR The EU just outlawed advertising disinfectants as "skin friendly", and I had to think of this post.https://ard.social/@tagesschau/112648956474384472
(DIR) Post #Aj7WJCWcBSkCHE0ZNY by WebCoder49@floss.social
2024-06-20T13:32:09Z
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@futurebirdWith an iNaturalist account and the website/Android/iOS app, anyone can also use the iNaturalist computer vision model to automatically guess the species - that's what I regularly do.It's free of charge and open source.
(DIR) Post #Aj7WfoCulM1tW7ZdJo by alexhaist@wandering.shop
2024-06-20T13:36:15Z
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@futurebird I spend a lot of time thinking about how I am a writhing collection of ecosystems. It starts out horrifying but ends up kind of soothing; we don't have to be just one thing.
(DIR) Post #Aj7Xx5OCEYSdgPeXmC by llewelly@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T13:50:39Z
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@futurebird @chris_evelyn golden ant with feet of mites
(DIR) Post #Aj7bHYihBzzMIwhAS8 by mauvedeity@mastodon.social
2024-06-20T14:27:55Z
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@futurebird here for “Formic grumbling”.
(DIR) Post #Aj7bp9fArLr0RE4Gem by llewelly@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T13:52:56Z
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@not_gagarin @futurebird @chris_evelyn
(DIR) Post #Aj7eI8gBnNUFh4UVaS by Jonricha@hoosier.social
2024-06-20T15:01:36Z
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@futurebird Yup. Haven’t thought much about mites since my undergraduate thesis, on oribatid mites in forest soils. Basically there’s an enormous number of mites in every cupful of soil, only very roughly classified, doing nobody knows exactly what for the soil ecosystem. We know next to nothing about them, and we’re not going to know much more soon, or probably ever, because soil is opaque and mites are tiny. Limits of human knowledge etc.
(DIR) Post #Aj7gKGrwW9Oba48Jay by econads@mendeddrum.org
2024-06-20T15:24:25Z
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@futurebird @NatureMC @CliftonR I think a lot of it has to do with the marketing that we get that tells us we should be constantly dissatisfied with all aspects of our appearance, and probably that bleeds into other body-related things too.
(DIR) Post #Aj81YSk1Guj7Ue2Fii by xris@ecoevo.social
2024-06-20T19:22:17Z
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@futurebird Speaking of rare, not a mite or ant, but I was excited to discover these wee (2-3 mm) folk in my garden over the past week.* 1st iNat observation of this species in NY State.* 2nd on BugGuide. The other was a decade ago in Cortland County (Ithaca).* I think GBIF has just the one from Ithaca. No museum records in GBIF!?https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/223251079#iNaturalist #UrbanNature #HabitatGardens #MacroPhotography #NaturePhotography
(DIR) Post #Aj8B44Wrj78lFr1vSi by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T21:08:48Z
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@nev Thank you for your hard work there. Everyone is so confused even the people who ought to be least confused.
(DIR) Post #Aj8EtSLPF39TkOrayG by futurebird@sauropods.win
2024-06-20T21:51:47Z
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@nev @michaelgemar Honestly? Anything that has like a dozen different species collaborating and annoying (and munching on) friggin army ants ... how can you compete?Army ants are one of the most boss of all creatures, unstoppable, amorphous, relentless... and mites? They said "let's live on their jaws. That is a good place to live, yes."
(DIR) Post #Aj8OXl6nnJfb7CKDmi by semitones@tiny.tilde.website
2024-06-20T23:39:54Z
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@futurebird @nev @michaelgemar "how do ants remove mites" is unfortunately not a fruitful Internet search... does this relate to the overall lack of research on mites?
(DIR) Post #AktVv3VkPG4QQ3EA3U by Henrysbridge@toot.wales
2024-08-12T15:06:05Z
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@futurebird I think you'll find this episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus very relevant:https://montypython.fandom.com/wiki/Michael_Ellishttps://www.dailymotion.com/video/x85vlvr
(DIR) Post #AktvNynDWdLt2PHsjw by fritzoids@mas.to
2024-08-12T19:51:28Z
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@futurebird oh. I think of myself as sort of a galaxy for all these teeny tiny living things. And it kinda makes me happy.