Buzzed Report

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Insects

19 Tarantulas, 1 Python Left in Maine Apartment

A Maine landlord arranged for the rescue of 15 tarantulas and one python that had been left behind by a tenant.

Animal rescuer Drew Desjardins was called to the apartment Wednesday in Auburn, the Sun Journal reported.

He found that four of 19 tarantulas had died and that the ball python did not have water. Desjardins said Thursday that he took the surviving animals back to his home and that they were doing fine.

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Read this at Associated Press Link opens in new window.

SOURCE URL
https://apnews.com/article/oddities-929758b61d10af9e1ccda8811136e76a

Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Released in Florida Keys

In an effort to fight insect-borne viruses like Zika, dengue fever and malaria, genetically modified mosquitoes are set to be released in the Florida Keys.

U.K.-based biotechnology company Oxitec has partnered with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District in an effort to control the invasive and disease-spreading female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in the region.

Oxitec’s male mosquitoes — which don’t bite, unlike the recently-discovered yellow fever-carrying Aedes scapularis mosquitoes — will be introduced in small areas in a select number of neighborhoods between mile markers 10 and 93 in the Keys.

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Read this at Fox News Link opens in new window.

SOURCE URL
https://www.foxnews.com/science/first-genetically-modified-mosquitoes-florida-keys

Don’t Eat Cicadas…If You’re Allergic to Seafood

The FDA has warned us, “don’t eat cicadas if you’re allergic to seafood as these insects share a family relation to shrimp and lobsters.”

As a fan of the show Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, I was already aware of this, but in talking to people in the past week, it would seem that I am one of the few people who stored that bit of info away for when the SHTF one day. So now you know.

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Read this at FDA Link opens in new window.

SOURCE URL
https://twitter.com/US_FDA/status/1400135267269414914