MADISON (WKOW) -- Drowned out by the buzz surrounding the emerging cicada brood, Wisconsin’s bugs have been having a big moment this spring.
UW-Madison Extension Entomologist PJ Liesch spends much of his time identifying and confirming insect sightings. This spring has brought him a number of unusual observations, including a scorpion.
Scorpion
“A gentleman here in the Madison area that was watching TV in his basement happened to look down and see something moving, and it was a live scorpion,” Liesch said.
The scorpion is now a part of the university’s collection at the Insect Diagnostic Lab.
Liesch hopes to identify the species of scorpion to find where it might have originated. The entomologist has seen scorpions reported in Wisconsin before, but their presence has an easy explanation, like recent travel to a region where the arachnid is established.
No such easy explanation has emerged for this particular scorpion. Liesch said he expects one will emerge once he learns more about the creature. He concedes weather and climate patterns have allowed different critters to make a home for themselves in Wisconsin, but not scorpions.
Spongy Moths
Spongy moths – formerly known as gypsy moths – are an invasive species with a long history in the U.S. and Wisconsin. But the last couple of years have seen an explosion in the moth’s population.
Dry conditions allow the moth to flourish. Amid last year’s drought, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources warned of further spongy moth surges. The agency has placed the eastern two-thirds of the state under a quarantine. The measure prohibits the transportation of certain outdoor items like lawn furniture, firewood and Christmas trees from quarantined counties into the western reaches of the state.
During a field trip into Iowa County this month, Liesch confirmed a suspicion: spongy moth caterpillars are dying en masse.
The wet spring has brought the moist conditions that allow a fungus that kills the moth to thrive. It’s too early to say exactly what the impacts will be on the invasive species that eats the leaves of native trees, but early signs are encouraging.
Japanese Beetles
Early June brought an unusual report into Liesch’s inbox: Japanese beetles. The insect is well established in Wisconsin where it enjoys feasting on garden plants. Notable about this report was the timing.
“Now, that's unusually early,” Liesch said, before speculating the warm spring encouraged some of the bug’s adults to emerge earlier than normal.
The single report of the beetle in the Cross Plains area has so far been the only one Liesch has seen. He believes the majority of the population will emerge as July approaches.
Cicadas
Consuming the majority of Liesch’s time has been the cicadas of brood XIII.
The once in a 17-year occurrence has been hard to miss in Wisconsin’s farthest southern areas. The insect’s males sing a loud mating call that has become the song of the summer each year they awake from hibernation.
“The periodical cicadas have just been an amazing thing to be able to see and experience myself,” Liesch said. He estimated he has conducted perhaps as many as 90 media interviews so far this year, mostly about the cicadas. He has relished the chance.
Despite the avalanche of buggy news this spring, Liesch has found his calling and talks about his work with a smile.
“It is stressful with the caseload this time of the year, but also really exciting, because I know that every day is going to be a little bit different at the diagnostic lab,” he said.
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