this post was submitted on 09 May 2026
589 points (96.2% liked)

Science Memes

20150 readers
1288 users here now

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.



Rules

  1. Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.
  4. Infographics welcome, get schooled.

This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.



Research Committee

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] obinice@lemmy.world 152 points 1 day ago (5 children)

Do butterflies infest homes and destroy property?

I feel like it's less what they look like, and more how they impact us. It's still very human-centric, but ya know, not so much a beauty thing as one might think at first.

[–] crapwittyname@feddit.uk 48 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Yep. Spiders are top 10 ugliest creatures in history, but I would never kill one unless it was a lethally toxic variety. Because they keep the population of disease-carrying, filthy-egg-laying proboscidean-vomiting flying vermin down. Spiders are bros.

[–] PapaStevesy@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Yeah, same thing with house centipedes, but I'd argue they're even uglier than spiders.

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 6 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

yeah and they try to pretend they are your eyelashes, lull you into a sense of security and then bam they're drinking your eye juice

[–] bampop@lemmy.world 4 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Imagine looking in the mirror in the morning thinking why are my eyelashes so tickly, and suddenly they start running around all over your face. This is why you should always keep a flamethrower in the bathroom

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 points 22 hours ago

you know funny you should mention that. one of the burners on our stove doesn't light well so we had a good excuse to buy that novelty lightsaber blowtorch

[–] socsa@piefed.social 1 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Spiders and centipedes won't actually meaningfully decrease the population of other insects in your house. Both populations will simply grow together if the conditions are correct.

[–] crapwittyname@feddit.uk 1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

If I removed all of the spiders from my house, the fly population wouldn't increase? I don't remember my high school biology too clearly, but I seem to remember a definite link between predator and prey which would suggest rampant increase in an environment where predators are sparse.

[–] socsa@piefed.social 1 points 15 hours ago

Predators and prey will always maintain some equilibrium, yes. But you can simply look outside and see that equilibrium typically includes a shit ton of other bugs (or birds, or mice, etc). You can also look at homes with serious infestations to see that this organic control alone doesn't typically keep pest populations in check. Nobody has ever gotten rid of roaches by introducing spiders. Sometimes you do get infestations of spiders though, in which case the spiders are usually eating each other.

Generally, inside your home there are other factors keeping pest populations in control. With a few very notable exceptions, most insects do not actively breed indoors because the climate conditions are not correct, or there is not access to food, or they don't like the vibrations and noise. Most of what spiders in your home catch are bugs which get in by accident and would simply die in one way or another.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

nope, its all moths, clothes moths, pantry moths are very hard to eradicate. notable mentions are drain moths, and pantry beetles. butterflies are specializes to mostly flowers, or sometimes carrion, since they are recently evolved from moths, moths are very ancient insects.

[–] a_non_monotonic_function@lemmy.world 28 points 1 day ago (2 children)

For real. I don't like mosquitos, either. Has nothing to do with the fact that they are ugly.

[–] drmoose@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Mosquitos are actually quite beautiful https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58398905

Just lookup mosquito macro photography - they're all colorful and fluffy and everything

[–] HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 1 points 23 hours ago

really? Because the Prince of Proboscis was talking smack about you, and he has a schnoz like a bent candy cane. i know you two used to mash face puckers. And then there's billy buzzbutt? the homeless blood addict who invented molotov cocktails? that motherfucker gave you leprosy. And menopause. and i don't even know how that is supposed to be contagious. He was ugly as sin. Then there was Virginialetta. I should call her.

[–] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 42 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Textile moths do. Good thing that they’re drab looking.

[–] Velypso@sh.itjust.works 28 points 1 day ago (2 children)
[–] Zagorath@quokk.au 3 points 19 hours ago

Biologically speaking, there is no way to define butterfly in a way that includes everything people consider butterflies and does not also include moths.

If not butterfly why butterfly shape?

[–] fossilesque@mander.xyz 11 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I suggest reading this book. There's a whole chapter about that or two, it may change your mind.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/16158510-wild-ones