ScienceLife Sciences

Can I Bug You?

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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21 episodes
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Avg 30 min
English

Episodes 21

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October 26 · 29 min
Ep. 54: Flying gonads?
The males of most insect species aren't thought to contribute much to their nests or colonies beyond DNA. Our guest today, UCR entomologist Meghan Moore, confounds that thinking with new research on bumblebee brothers, and sheds new light on the work that males do toward keeping their species going.
August 31 · 30 min
Ep. 53: Sporefare
UCR mycologist Jason Stajich tells us what is and isn't really possible when trying to use fungi to control insect pests.
August 3 · 30 min
Ep. 52: Home sweet homing
Imagine being a toddler, stepping out the door for the first time, walking 3 miles for some food and finding your way home again without a cell phone, GPS, or any kind of map. Humans would never, but this is normal for insects. Listen in and learn how they do it! Cover shot by Cabezonication/iStock/Getty.
July 20 · 29 min
Ep. 51: What the heck is THAT?
How likely is it that, on any given day, you see a random insect and it actually has a name? Why do insects need names anyway? Drop on by, we'll explain.
July 6 · 29 min
Ep. 50: Morning cup o' beetle
The coffee berry borer is a tiny beetle that represents a big and growing threat to most adults’ beloved morning beverage. It appears to be infesting new islands in the major coffee-growing region of Hawaii. Dr. Bodil Cass, subtropical entomology specialist at UCR, joins us to discuss this creature and as well as available options for protecting our beans.
June 24 · 31 min
Ep. 49: The most expensive fly in America
New World screwworm: a successful eradication program rid the U.S. of this devastating pest 60 years ago, but it's back. 19 cases detected in Texas as of 6/24/26. To explain what exactly the insect is, how it infects living mammal tissue, and what is being done about it, we're joined by UC Riverside veterinary entomologist Dr. Amy Murillo, who leads a monitoring and education program funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
June 8 · 27 min
Ep. 48: A trip to the fair
The postal service has finally delivered this audio postcard recorded on site at the 2026 Riverside Insect Fair! Ever wondered what there is to do or see at an all-day festival dedicated to bugs? Who might you meet and what might you eat? Listen in and learn!
May 11 · 30 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
April 15 · 28 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.
April 8 · 30 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.
March 18 · 29 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.
March 7 · 35 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.
February 10 · 28 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.
January 26 · 30 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.
January 13 · 31 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.
Nov 24, 2025 · 30 min
Ep. 39: The end is nigh?
So many insect species are on the brink. What will it take to get them on the federally endangered species list for legal protections, alongside so many creatures with spines? UCR entomologists Zachary MacDonald and Hollis Woodard break down what's involved.
Nov 10, 2025 · 30 min
Ep. 38: The wide world of webs
Spiders get all the credit for spinning webs, but they’re hardly the only arthropods weaving silk. In this episode, we untangle stories of web-making mites, moths, butterflies, and even glow-in-the-dark flies, revealing how silk making is a bigger story and sometimes, stranger than fiction.
Sep 29, 2025 · 30 min
Ep. 37: Minecraft: the secret lives of leafminers
Leafminers tunnel between the outer layers of leaves, leaving silvery trails and agricultural chaos in their wake. Guest entomologist Alejandra Rocha joins the show to talk ancient insect graffiti, modern crop threats, and the surprisingly artistic evidence of Earth’s oldest infestation.
Aug 25, 2025 · 30 min
Ep. 36: Tails of ice and fire
As the western U.S. bakes under record heat, some insects are showing us how to thrive where most life wilts. From fire-chasing beetles to poison-munching caterpillars, meet the bugs built for extremes.
Aug 11, 2025 · 31 min
Ep. 35: Alien vs. predator
It's Halloween in August. In this episode we focus on the difference between parasites, parasitoids, and outright predators, and give plenty of possibly creepy examples of each. Cover image of bombardier beetle by Reiner Richter.

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