Love life of the Colorado beetle

At the NYRB, John Banville on the latest volumes of Beckett's letters.

The world bedbug collection

At the NYT, Donald McNeil, Jr. on bedbugs:

The classic bedbug strain that all newly caught bugs are compared against is a colony originally from Fort Dix, N.J., that a researcher kept alive for 30 years by letting it feed on him.

But Stephen A. Kells, a University of Minnesota entomologist, said he “prefers not to play with that risk.”

He feeds his bugs expired blood-bank blood through parafilm, which he describes as “waxy Saran Wrap.”

Coby Schal of North Carolina State said he formerly used condoms filled with rabbit blood, but switched to parafilm because his condom budget raised eyebrows with university auditors.

Also (unrelated): download a free PDF of Lewis Shiner's excellent novel Glimpses....

Bugs Britannica

Folk names for the woodlouse: tiddy-hog, God’s little pig, monkeypede, Billy button.