Scientists researching wasps that may protect B.C. berries

Scientists researching wasps that may protect B.C. berries

Every year, invasive insects gnaw away at Canadian farms, gardens and wild plants, spreading disease and disturbing ecosystems.  But tiny wasps that lay body-bursting eggs in invasive insects may be able to help B.C. berry growers protect their crops. “It’s like a free service nature is providing us to help control crop pests,” said Paul Abram, an … Read more

Flies as pet food? Sask. team wants to boost insect’s potential as sustainable protein source

Flies as pet food? Sask. team wants to boost insect’s potential as sustainable protein source

Is your pet chasing flies? That could mean more protein, and perhaps someday a full meal. A Saskatoon-based company is domesticating black soldier flies because it says their larvae could be used in pet food or aquaculture.  NRGene Canada was started in 2020, with a fairly unique proposition — make food out of flies. The … Read more

Meet Bubbles, a rare pink grasshopper now living in a London family’s home

Meet Bubbles, a rare pink grasshopper now living in a London family’s home

Natalie Sansone and her family are “not usually bug people” but the family has welcomed a rare pink grasshopper into their northeast London, Ont., home after finding it hopping across their driveway.  Sansone and her husband, Ryan Seed, were walking home from school with their 3-year-old and 5-year-old on Tuesday afternoon when Seed spotted the pink … Read more

In case you weren’t aware, outdoor cats are stone-cold killers

In case you weren’t aware, outdoor cats are stone-cold killers

There are differing opinions on cats’ personalities and behaviour: They’re affectionate, they’re aloof, they love you, they hate you. Then there’s the undeniable fact of what they become when left to roam free outside: indiscriminate, stone-cold killers. A new study has found cats roaming free prey upon almost any animal, reptile, insect, and amphibian around the world … Read more

Artist redraws the world with 1,642 free-roaming animals — and no humans

Artist redraws the world with 1,642 free-roaming animals — and no humans

The Current11:34A hand-drawn map with no people, but 1,642 free-roaming animals Artist Anton Thomas wanted to draw a “world map of nature” that would showcase the many different species across the globe — but at one point he was a little worried he’d run out of animals. “I thought before drawing, ‘Oh, surely I would … Read more