Author: Danielle Hoefele

Danielle Hoefele is a student in the Masters of Pest Management program at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. She studies the foraging and communication of an invasive pest, the European Fire Ant. She creates and runs insect outreach programs for children part-time. She is a queer woman in science, hoping to someday work in science communication, writing, or outreach. Check out her website, www.dhoefele.com, or twitter, @dhoefele. (Photo by Jen Cook)

A macro photo of an ant queen. She is dark red with wings. She is sitting on a blade of grass, preparing to take flight.

Insects can’t be virgins and you should stop calling them that

Why I will not put the word “virgin” on my ants.