Move Over Nobel (AKA: Getting weird!)

If you aren't familiar with the Ig Nobel Prizes, they are an annual celebration held by Improbable Research honoring science that "makes you LAUGH, then makes you THINK."

As an entomologist—and someone who readily admits to being a bit eccentric when it comes to bug obsession—Ig Nobel season is my second favorite time of year*. Science isn't always about pristine ivory towers; sometimes it’s about looking at strange, seemingly bizarre biological phenomena and asking, "Wait, why does that happen?"

The 36th First Annual Ceremony took place earlier this month, and insects stole the spotlight in some surprising ways. Let's look at the insect-related winners and see how their "weird" science actually connects to pest management!

1. The Chemistry Prize: Cockroach "Milk" is a Superfood

The Winning Research: A team of international scientists won the 2026 Chemistry Prize for structural research into the protein crystals produced by Diploptera punctata—the Pacific beetle cockroach.

The Science: Unlike most roaches, Diploptera punctata gives live birth. The female secretes a dense, liquid nutrient within her brood sac to feed the developing embryos. Inside the embryos' midguts, this liquid crystallizes into a protein-dense "milk" that packs more than three times the energy of dairy milk.

The Pest Control Takeaway: No, we aren't going to start milking roaches at commercial dairies anytime soon! But from an IPM perspective, understanding the sheer nutrient density and unique reproductive biochemistry of live-bearing cockroaches shows why these insects are ecological titans. Cockroaches adapt, protect their offspring, and maximize energy efficiency better than almost any pest on earth—which is precisely why a half-hearted, off-the-shelf control attempt never works against an established infestation.

So remember: when dealing with cockroach problems, don’t forget those ootheca (egg sacs) and how treatments may not get to them. When doing cockroach jobs, I don’t ever see it as a one time service, it needs at least one follow up.

2. The Biomechanics Prize: The Technical Definition of "Kissing" in Ants

The Winning Research: Matilda Brindle and her team took home the Biomechanics Prize for standardizing a comparative definition of "kissing" across species, including ants.

The Science: In ant colonies, what looks like "kissing" is actually trophallaxis—a non-agonistic mouth-to-mouth transfer of fluids, nutrients, and chemical signals between colony members.

The Pest Control Takeaway: Trophallaxis is the literal biological Trojan Horse that makes modern ant control possible! When a pest management professional deploys a bait formulation, we rely on social ants sharing that slow-acting active ingredient mouth-to-mouth throughout the entire nest, eventually reaching the queen. What behavioral ecologists call "intraspecific oral contact," we call colony elimination.

So remember: since they are sharing with the 80% of the colony that isn’t out foraging, we need to use enough bait to get to the majority of the colony. Most bait “failures” I see in ant and cockroach control are because not enough bait is being used.

3. The Technology Prize: "Necroprinting" with Mosquito Proboscises

The Winning Research: Researchers earned the Technology Prize for pioneering micro-scale 3D printing nozzles using preserved mosquito mouthparts.

The Science: Mosquitoes possess ultra-fine, highly flexible needle structures designed by millions of years of evolution to penetrate skin with minimal resistance. Scientists repurposed these microscopic biological proboscises as high-resolution nozzles for precision printing.

The Pest Control Takeaway: Mosquitoes are public health enemy #1, but their piercing-sucking mouthparts are masterpieces of mechanical engineering. Studying how insects penetrate barriers, deliver fluids, and sense micro-textures directly informs how we develop better vector control tools—from micro-encapsulated formulations to targeted barrier repellents.

So remember: as you remind customers to protect themselves and wear PPE and repellent outdoors so they don’t get bitten before they realize… you need to too! Remember all those diseases that mosquitoes carry; no one wants one of those.

When people hear about "cockroach milk" or "ant kissing," it’s easy to chuckle and dismiss it as frivolous grant spending. But every major breakthrough in structural pest control—from IGRs that mimic juvenile hormones to pheromone disruption traps—started because a scientist sat down and obsessed over an obscure bug quirk.

We don't solve complex pest problems in commercial facilities, warehouses, or residential neighborhoods by doing the same thing over and over. (That’s often why programs fail!) We solve them by staying curious, looking at biology through new angles, and taking lessons from even the weirdest corners of science. Embrace the weird, because curiosity drives innovation. I’m a bit weird too, so contact me for help with all your weird problems. We can help with that. And, here's to the Ig Nobels: proving that weird science isn't useless—it's just the starting point for big ideas.

Lagniappe - watch the whole thing, it's totally worth it!

* OBVIOUSLY Halloween is my favorite!