Bug Sunbathes to Keep Germs Away A western boxelder bug CREDIT:
Simon Fraser University Western boxelder bugs frequently stretch
out in the sun, though not to get a tan. Canadian researchers
found that these insects use sunbathing to keep germs at bay.
The winged bugs are often found grouped together in sunny
patches in the interior of British Columbia. The researchers
said sunlight seems to trigger the biosynthesis of monoterpenes,
a strong-smelling chemical compound that encases fungal spores
on the insect's body and protects from germ penetration.
"Prophylactic sunbathing defends these bugs against pathogens
that they encounter in their shelters," researcher Gerhard
Gries, a biology professor at Simon Fraser University, said in a
statement. The pheonomen has yet to be observed or reported in
other insects, Gries added. "If they are converting the sun's
solar energy to fuel chemical work, without the aid of microbial
symbionts — organisms that live together with a host, often to
their mutual benefit — we wo