New Review Examines the Promise of Habitat Management for Pest Control
In a new special collection on trap and cover crops in integrated pest management, experts review the latest research on various habitat-management methods and their applications in both deterring pest populations and fostering natural enemies of crop pests.
Why Modern IPM Should Take a Wider View of Key Influences
In a new model for integrated pest management, one cooperative extension pro says broader management, business, and sustainability factors must be factored in for IPM success.
How Milkweed Location Influences Monarch Egg-Laying and Survival
A study examining monarch butterflies' preferences for laying eggs on milkweed in cropland, open ground, or prairie—as well as predation rates on eggs in those settings—offers some mixed signals for monarch-conservation efforts.
Forest Service Crews Double as Tick-Surveillance Teams in Collaborative Study
A partnership between the University of Tennessee and the USDA Forest Service is a proof-of-concept for collaborative tick-surveillance programs.
Why IPM Adoption is Lower in Developing Countries
Integrated pest management comes with a variety of benefits, but its mix of methods can present complicated choices to growers low on resources and agricultural advice. A new report in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management outlines some potential solutions.
New Guide Offers IPM Tips for Japanese Beetles in Soy and Corn
An invasive species established in the eastern United States for more than a century, the Japanese beetle is making its way into Midwestern soybean and corn fields. A new review in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management offers a guide to the pest's biology and behavior and methods to fend it off.
New Study Highlights Ups and Downs in Tick Management
A new study examines two host-targeted tick-control methods, and one shows a distinct advantage, but it's likely not cost-effective for the typical homeowner.
Mixing Lawn Grass Varieties Could Trim Fall Armyworm Infestations
A simple change in the choice of grass varieties for lawns of St. Augustinegrass could be a key tool for fending off fall armyworm infestations, according to new research. While no single St. Augustinegrass cultivar rises above the rest in resisting infestation, mixing varieties may confer some benefits, as fall armyworms clearly preferred single-cultivar plantings in a series of lab tests.
How One Entomologist Found His Calling as an IPM Facilitator
Meet Alejandro Del Pozo-Valdivia, Ph.D., IPM entomology advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension, connector of grower and research communities, and subject of the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
Why Empathy, Connection, and Confidence are Critical for Science Communication
Patricia Raun, director of The Center for Communicating Science at Virginia Tech, traces her path from professional actor to science communicator and offers entomologists advice on engaging with their communities.
New Guide Offers Latest in Carrot Weevil Management
Carrot weevil (Listronotus oregonensis) is a pest of carrots as well as parsley and celery. A new profile in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management gathers a variety of IPM methods for fending off carrot weevil and highlights where research is needed to better understand its biology and behavior.
Edible Plant Oils Show Potential for Management of Aedes aegypti
A new study finds several edible plant oils—such as hempseed, sesame, and pumpkinseed oils—have potential utility as eco-friendly larvicides or egg-laying deterrents against the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Mosquito Management is Key in Creating Popular Urban Wetlands
A study that shows mosquitoes might benefit from wetland-management tactics aimed at protecting frogs illustrates the complicated ecological dynamics present in urban wetlands. Understanding the habitat requirements and ecological interactions of local mosquito species is critical to balancing such wetlands' risks and benefits.
Assay Array: Entomologists’ Lab Tests Expose Insect Secrets
Entomologists can find out a lot about an insect through some simple chemical reactions in a lab. A new review offers a guide to the wide variety of tests, or assays, that can be conducted to measure the fats, sugars, and other compounds in an insect's body—thereby revealing useful clues about how it stores and uses energy.
Climate Change Could Open Doors, Closes Others for Spread of Japanese Beetle
A new study modeling potential future climate-change scenarios finds the potential for the invasive Japanese beetle to expand its range northward into new regions in North America, though some parts of it southern range could become too warm for it.
Road Trip: How Hive Transportation Puts Stress on Honey Bees
Honey bees are in high demand for pollinating crops, and hives are often trucked thousands of miles a year to serve different crops in different regions and seasons. But researchers say honey bees show signs of stress from all that travel.
Amazing Insects ›
Meet the Mosquito With a Big Appetite—for Other Mosquitoes
The mosquito species Toxorhynchites rutilus is harmless to humans but is a voracious predator of other mosquitoes. Researchers in Houston, Texas, are hoping the "mosquito assassin" could be put into action as a tool for controlling mosquitoes that carry human pathogens—if they can find an efficient way to raise the predator mosquitoes in the lab.
Show or Tell? Testing Peacock Spiders’ Multi-Modal Mating Display
Famous for their flashy colors, peacock spiders also emit vibrational signals during their mating dance. But why both kinds of courtship cues? And which kind matters more? Researchers have been studying peacock spiders to find out.
When Cicada-Killer Wasps Become Cicada-Stealer Wasps
Hunting cicadas and lugging them back to a nest is hard work for a cicada-killer wasp. But sometimes all that hard work goes to waste, when a fellow wasp swoops in and lays her egg on the other wasp's prey. And that's if the cicada isn't stolen by a bird first.
Balance, Hearing, and More: Why Some Wasps Have Fat Lower Legs
The fat lower legs that dangle below flying wasps in the family Gasteruptiidae turn out to be filled with insect fat body, and they may play key roles in flight dynamics, detecting vibrations from prey, and even detoxification.
Science Policy and Outreach ›
Why Empathy, Connection, and Confidence are Critical for Science Communication
Patricia Raun, director of The Center for Communicating Science at Virginia Tech, traces her path from professional actor to science communicator and offers entomologists advice on engaging with their communities.
Citywide Mosquito Management Effort in Puerto Rico During Zika Outbreak Offers Lessons for Future
An integrated vector management program is no small undertaking, but a program run in Caguas City, Puerto Rico, during the Zika outbreak of 2016 shows such an effort can be successful at the scale of a city of more than 140,000 people.
Gender Research in IPM: Women’s Empowerment as a Key to Unlocking Food Security
In developing countries, women make up 43 percent of the agricultural labor force, so incorporating women's input into the application of integrated pest management activities has major implications for IPM success. Ongoing research is aimed at improving equity and access in designing IPM programs.
An Invasive-Species Success Story: The Eradication of the European Grapevine Moth in California
The successful eradication of the European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana) in northern California after it was found there in 2009 offers important lessons for invasive species response. Researchers are studying the dynamics of the invasion and eradication effort to prepare future response plans for other potential invasive species both in California and beyond.
Research News ›
How Milkweed Location Influences Monarch Egg-Laying and Survival
A study examining monarch butterflies' preferences for laying eggs on milkweed in cropland, open ground, or prairie—as well as predation rates on eggs in those settings—offers some mixed signals for monarch-conservation efforts.
Forest Service Crews Double as Tick-Surveillance Teams in Collaborative Study
A partnership between the University of Tennessee and the USDA Forest Service is a proof-of-concept for collaborative tick-surveillance programs.
Survey Shines Light on Beekeepers’ Efforts to Manage Varroa Mites
Nonchemical Varroa-management methods are more common among small-scale beekeepers, but chemical varroacides show wide use among all types.
Why IPM Adoption is Lower in Developing Countries
Integrated pest management comes with a variety of benefits, but its mix of methods can present complicated choices to growers low on resources and agricultural advice. A new report in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management outlines some potential solutions.
The Entomology Profession ›
Why Modern IPM Should Take a Wider View of Key Influences
In a new model for integrated pest management, one cooperative extension pro says broader management, business, and sustainability factors must be factored in for IPM success.
How One Entomologist Found His Calling as an IPM Facilitator
Meet Alejandro Del Pozo-Valdivia, Ph.D., IPM entomology advisor at the University of California Cooperative Extension, connector of grower and research communities, and subject of the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
Why Empathy, Connection, and Confidence are Critical for Science Communication
Patricia Raun, director of The Center for Communicating Science at Virginia Tech, traces her path from professional actor to science communicator and offers entomologists advice on engaging with their communities.
Assay Array: Entomologists’ Lab Tests Expose Insect Secrets
Entomologists can find out a lot about an insect through some simple chemical reactions in a lab. A new review offers a guide to the wide variety of tests, or assays, that can be conducted to measure the fats, sugars, and other compounds in an insect's body—thereby revealing useful clues about how it stores and uses energy.
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How Milkweed Location Influences Monarch Egg-Laying and Survival
A study examining monarch butterflies’ preferences for laying eggs on milkweed in cropland, open ground, or prairie—as well as predation rates on eggs in those settings—offers some mixed signals for monarch-conservation efforts.
Survey Shines Light on Beekeepers’ Efforts to Manage Varroa Mites
Nonchemical Varroa-management methods are more common among small-scale beekeepers, but chemical varroacides show wide use among all types.
Yellowjackets: A Look at Opportunistic Raiders of Honey Bee Hives
Yellowjackets are nuisance predators of honey bees, preying on them and pillaging their honey. But bees fight back, and healthy hives are rarely at risk. Learn more about yellowjackets, their interactions with bees, and what sets yellowjackets apart from hornets and other fellow wasps.
Road Trip: How Hive Transportation Puts Stress on Honey Bees
Honey bees are in high demand for pollinating crops, and hives are often trucked thousands of miles a year to serve different crops in different regions and seasons. But researchers say honey bees show signs of stress from all that travel.
Show or Tell? Testing Peacock Spiders’ Multi-Modal Mating Display
Famous for their flashy colors, peacock spiders also emit vibrational signals during their mating dance. But why both kinds of courtship cues? And which kind matters more? Researchers have been studying peacock spiders to find out.
To Boost IPM Adoption, Treat It as a Complex Social System
Pest management is more than just matching pests with control methods. A tangled web of societal influences also play a role in growers' decisions and their uptake of integrated pest management, and researchers say the science of "social ecological systems" can inform efforts to increase IPM adoption.
New Study Highlights Ups and Downs in Tick Management
A new study examines two host-targeted tick-control methods, and one shows a distinct advantage, but it's likely not cost-effective for the typical homeowner.
Why Researchers are Re-Creating an Infamous Hitchhiker’s Month-Long Journey Around the Globe
New Zealand is working hard to keep the invasive brown marmorated stink bug from reaching its shores, and researchers there are working with colleagues at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to understand the dynamics of the pest's ocean voyage aboard cargo ships bound for the island nation, in hopes of finding new ways to detect and prevent its arrival.
Why One Insect Toxicologist Aims to Explore the Unexplored
Meet Daniel Swale, Ph.D., assistant professor of entomology at Louisiana State University, whose research works to uncover novel biochemical targets in insects for potential application in pesticides. Swale is the subject of the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.