Getting Buggy

Spiders. Cockroaches. Giant Centipedes. Scorpions. Do the words give cold chills? Ever since I saw the movie "Arachnophobia" as a teenager, I've struggled to make peace with the insect denizens of our planet. As a science enthusiast, I appreciate the role they play in our ecosystem; I can even appreciate the curiously alien expressions that insects have (if you don't believe me, check out this amazing macro photo of a midge from our SciSpy community). Everyone seems to have one "kryptonite" critter - a creepy crawler that can turn you into a frozen weakling with one unexpected tickle. For me, terror marches in on long, skinny legs ... harvestmen, millipedes, and silverfish reduce me to squeaks and hand-rubbing.

That said, I've really enjoyed working on the fansite for Monster Bug Wars these past two seasons! Surprisingly enough, in our weekly team meetings, no one volunteered to take this project on. Like Ben Stein's character in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," I heard nothing but silence in response to my request for a volunteer. So, as a gardener and an amateur beekeeper, I felt it was my duty to give the bug world its proper respect, and I took it on myself.

What I love about this show is the way it brings together detailed explanations of each critter's natural defenses - and weapons - with smackdown fights to the death. It's a perfect combination of entertainment and education. The 3D animations bring out incredible detail in even the smallest insect's physiology; Drs. Grieg Fry and Linda Rayor bring home the remarkable strength, power, and deadly natural weapons that nature has bestowed.

There are over 900,000 known species of insect in the world. They're armed with venom, stingers, pincers, super-strong mandibles, and can lay traps that are stronger than steel and stickier than super-glue. Watching them fight to the death each week in Monster Bug Wars, I'm just glad they're not running for political office. It would get ugly! Who do you think would win in the ultimate bug smackdown?

Joy Montefusco
Site Director
ScienceChannel.com

Image: Thinkstock

Comments

[terry wilson]

Information is correct. But so is the entertainment. Aside from the information Monster Bug Wars has the most gripping and fun sound effects: Roars, clanging metal, explosions, growls and I would like to see what the techs look like when they mix the sounds.

[Andi Grill]

Hey Terry. We showed your comment to one of the show producers. He's a little blog-shy (which stinks because he's absolutely hilarious). But here's what he had to say:

Hi – I executive produce the current season of MBW for Science. Who knew that fast moving bugs sound suspiciously like F1 cars, mantids growl like ED-209 when agitated and that all bugs are incapable of quietly and discretely chewing their food?

Everyone always assumes life on the set of MBW is all fun and games, but it’s quite the opposite, I assure you. It’s the entertainment industry, so there are always divas. The bigger spiders whine all the time about our mics pinching their hairy legs. Crickets disappear more quickly than extras in a Star Trek landing party. And good luck keeping track of which ant is supposed to get a speaking part because their uncle “knows somebody.” You never know which end of the leech to mic until it bites you. I could go on and on. I asked the crab about a picture of him in the recording booth for this post and he quoted Schopenhauer. Nobody likes him...the crab I mean.

But I digress...The show's numerous noises are an eclectic sampling of prerecorded natural and artificial sounds, largely drawn from a palette created during the first season. Much of the initial sound design, however, occurs when the cuts are assembled. It’s a cool job done by a very talented and creative team. Except for the Katydids. They've been phoning it in all season.

(For the record, I believe ED-209 was a backwards jaguar.)