@talkingrootworm

Principal Res. Scientist & Res. Program Leader in Insect Behavior. Illinois Natural History Survey/PRI at Univ. of IL. Amazing insects, rootworms, corn & more!

 Illinois, USA
Joined February 2012
  • Tweets3.9K
  • Following235
  • Followers871
1.8KMedia
Joseph Lee Spencer retweeted
Illinois Men's Basketball
@IlliniMBBMar 27
WE CAME FOR 2. SEE YOU SATURDAY.
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Joseph Lee Spencer retweeted
ESPN
@espnMar 27
THE FIGHTING ILLINI TAKE OVER IN H-TOWN 😤 Illinois knocks off Houston to keep dancin' to the Elite Eight 🪩
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As our conversation comes to a close, Dr. Joseph Spencer reflects on the future of managing corn rootworm pressure. Now it’s your turn to reflect on the best approach for your fields. Take our quiz to see which Bayer trait fits your needs next season. bit.ly/48haswH A big thank-you to @talkingrootworm and the University of Illinois for inviting us out and sharing such great insight into the world of corn rootworm.
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#Spider #mating or a midnight snack? There's both a male & a female orbweaver (perhaps #Neoscona crucifera) in there. I think it's more #marriage than mealtime mayhem as they were suspended from a single silken strand.
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These boy #bees are catching ZZZs! #Melissodes bimaculata is in the same family as the honeybee, #Apidae. The males roost together overnight on vegetation, while females stay in their individual nest holes in the ground.
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Join us for a weekly series of conversations with Dr. Joseph L. Spencer @talkingrootworm, Principal Insect Behaviorist with the Illinois Natural History Survey and part of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois. Each episode delves into corn rootworm and the pressure patterns they bring, shaping cornfields this season and beyond. 👉 New episodes drop every week till September. Episode 1 drops tomorrow — don’t miss your chance to “Know Before You Grow.” 🔍 Follow along for insights that help you stay ahead in the field. #RootwormWatch
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Western #corn #rootworm adults & pupa from #Illinois #CropSciences #Entomology research plots. #Beetles have been out for ca. 2 weeks. #WCR larval pressure looks very good at present. Great conditions to evaluate products. #Diabrotica #virgifera #Chrysomelidae #Coleoptera
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When you walk through a dark #Illinois woods at night, expect to find killers, the dead, and/or the infected! #Insect #Spider #Fly #Fungus #macrophotography
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Three’s a crowd. Old fields surround #Illinois woods have been alive w/ the amorous blinking of #fireflies for weeks! I’m giving firefly #3 an “A” for enthusiasm, but there is inevitable disappointment in his future! #Lampyridae #macrophotography
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I had the good fortune to stumble upon a wheel #bug nymph that was stalking an #earwig, with predictable results! #Predation #Reduviidae #Dermaptera
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#Lucky Shot! I've chased #fireflies in my yard for days. W/ the camera held in front, I ran behind an airborne #firefly, & clicked the shutter whenit seemed they were in focus. After many failures (kudos to zero depth perception), I got one that is close to being in good focus!
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Now just another link in the food chain. The black #swallowtail #caterpillar, #Papilio #polyxenes, feeding for >1 wk on my golden alexanders, #Zizia aurea, met its demise in the clutches of a crab #spider this evening. Caterpillars are “kibble” for many #predators.
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#Ant vs. jumping #spider. #Tutelina elegans won this #wrestling match staged on the leaf of a #coneflower. This diminutive jumper species w/ iridescent scales is common in fields & prairies. They put on a cool "leg-waving" courtship display. #salticidae
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“Doing the twist.” A 2nd instar black #swallowtail #caterpillar, #Papilio #polyxenes, dining on a golden alexanders, #Zizia aurea, #flower. The coming instars will give up their resemblance to bird droppings and become more green & harder to find in dense vegetation.
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In Michigan, they'd rightly call this a "20-point buck". #Cyriopalus wallacei is a species of #longhorn #beetle, named in honor of Alfred Russell #Wallace. This individual came to lights at #TrusMadi while I was staying at Jungle Girl Entomology Camp #Sabah #Borneo #Malaysia.
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Joseph Lee Spencer retweeted
Hoodlum 🇺🇸
@NotHoodlum29 May 2025
This is what happens when you put a brainworm anti-vaxxer in charge of HHS.
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Baby Mama #Beetle. #Trilobite beetles are #Lycenidae (net-winged beetles). Females are odd: they never #metamorphose to adults, retaining larval form, but are sexually mature; males are typical lycenids. The orange #Platerodrilus sp. is only on Mt. #Kinabalu in #Sabah, #Malaysia.
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HBO’s #thelastofus tells a tale of #Cordyceps that take over humanity. The #fungi are real, but only afflict & kill #arthropods. Victims go to die where spores will spread far. Best #Sabah #Borneo examples were on #cicada nymphs & adults, but also common on #flies, #wasps, etc.
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The eyes have it! #FlyDay. Both the males & females of #StalkEyed #Flies, Fam. #Diopsidae, have their eyes (& antennae – a character absent in other families) located at the ends of eye stalks. Male’s eyes are more widely spaced; likely a sexually-selected trait. #Sabah #Malaysia
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It’s not April Fool’s Day…yet! This small #Borneo #cerambycid #beetle from #PoringHotSpring in #Mt.Kinabalu N. Park was trying to trick me. The odd posture caught my eye. I asked myself, “What are you mimicking?” Do you think it looks like a #lizard? I do! #Sabah #Malaysia
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