Got Cicadas? Take a Picture and Help Entomologists Map Their Arrival
Scientists are looking to the public for help in mapping 17-year cicadas in the massive Brood X due to emerge from the ground this spring in the eastern U.S. The citizen-science effort, powered by a smartphone app, could generate the biggest-ever observation data set in the history of cicada research. Here's how you can participate.
New Method Makes for Faster Genetic ID of Eastern U.S. Termites
With multiple species of termites responsible for structural damage in the U.S., rapid identification is a critical part of management efforts. A team of researchers has developed a faster ID method that uses a genetic tool called inter-simple sequence repeats.
Where Dung Beetles Perch Says a Lot About Community Evolution
Research on dung beetle behavior shows many species, especially smaller ones, choose a "sit and wait" strategy for finding food, while only larger ones actively search for food by following animals. A pair of biologists suggest this behavior is a resource-partitioning strategy to reduce competition for scarce food.
Pierce’s Disease: Areawide Project Shows IPM Success for 20 Years
A new case study in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management chronicles the challenges and successes of a two-decade effort to manage the glassy-winged sharpshooter and the bacterial disease it spreads in California vineyards.
Amazing Insects ›
Flexible Reproduction ‘Mite’ Explain Invasion Success
Spider mites may adapt to uncertain environments by successfully inbreeding and by adjusting reproductive resources, a new study shows. The findings may help entomologists better understand and manage invasions by other haplodiploid arthropods.
Funeral or Feast: How Termites Manage Their Dead
In a colony of eastern subterranean termites, as many as 70,000 termites may die every day. Dealing with all those corpses is critical to colony health, and a new study reveals how the primary methods for termite undertakers—burying corpses or eating them—vary by caste.
The Lepidopteran Life Aquatic
Most people expect to find caterpillars in plants and trees or on the ground, but did you know some moth and butterfly larvae spend their time in aquatic habitats? Here's a look at the lesser-known, water-dwelling contingent of order Lepidoptera.
Quiz Yourself: 2020 Entomology Games Questions
Test your entomological expertise with questions from the 2020 Entomology Games, the Entomological Society of America’s student quiz competition.
Science Policy and Outreach ›
Planting a Tree? Choose a Native Species and Save Some Insects
Every invasive tree in the United States was intentionally introduced, and these plants often out-compete native plants while negatively affecting insects and other animals that depend on native species. You can do your part to help insects and protect local ecosystems by choosing native plants in your landscaping plans.
From the Bench to a Broader Impact: Traveling a Non-Traditional Path for Science to Benefit the World
Meet entomologist Shavonn R. Whiten, Ph.D., who translated her academic experience in vector-borne disease management into a career in public policy and international development. Learn what it takes to turn scientific training into real-world capacity building—and how Whiten made the leap.
Frantic About Residential Tick Management? This Film Series is Just for You
Tick researchers in Connecticut turn their eye toward their local community with an educational film series about backyard tick management. Learn how the project came together and why it could be a useful model for other entomology-outreach efforts.
Vector-Borne Disease: CDC Report Outlines Key Steps for Prevention and Control in U.S.
Perhaps overlooked in the public eye upon its release in September, a new "framework" report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is none the less a vital step forward in the nation's efforts to better support and coordinate the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases. Here's a closer look at the report and what's next in this critical public-health pursuit.
Research News ›
New Method Makes for Faster Genetic ID of Eastern U.S. Termites
With multiple species of termites responsible for structural damage in the U.S., rapid identification is a critical part of management efforts. A team of researchers has developed a faster ID method that uses a genetic tool called inter-simple sequence repeats.
Where Dung Beetles Perch Says a Lot About Community Evolution
Research on dung beetle behavior shows many species, especially smaller ones, choose a "sit and wait" strategy for finding food, while only larger ones actively search for food by following animals. A pair of biologists suggest this behavior is a resource-partitioning strategy to reduce competition for scarce food.
Pierce’s Disease: Areawide Project Shows IPM Success for 20 Years
A new case study in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management chronicles the challenges and successes of a two-decade effort to manage the glassy-winged sharpshooter and the bacterial disease it spreads in California vineyards.
Can Cuticle Compounds Be Extracted From Insects Preserved in Ethanol?
Researchers studying hydrocarbons in insect cuticles typically avoid specimens preserved in ethanol, for fear the solvent may interfere with chemical analysis. A new study, however, finds ethanol has little effect—at least in the case of one wasp species tested—and opens the possibility that ethanol-preserved insects can indeed be used for the analysis of cuticular chemical compounds.
The Entomology Profession ›
Can Cuticle Compounds Be Extracted From Insects Preserved in Ethanol?
Researchers studying hydrocarbons in insect cuticles typically avoid specimens preserved in ethanol, for fear the solvent may interfere with chemical analysis. A new study, however, finds ethanol has little effect—at least in the case of one wasp species tested—and opens the possibility that ethanol-preserved insects can indeed be used for the analysis of cuticular chemical compounds.
Mosquito Forecasting: How Phenology Data is Powering New Advances
A partnership between the National Ecological Observatory Network and the National Phenology Network makes deep troves of ecological and phenological data available for a variety of uses, including predicting populations and dynamics of insects such as mosquitoes.
Another Study Confirms Mosquitoes, Midges Don’t Transmit Coronavirus
Biosecurity research at Kansas State University adds to the chorus of studies showing mosquitoes and other insects are not biological vectors of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Here's a look at how that research is conducted.
Planting a Tree? Choose a Native Species and Save Some Insects
Every invasive tree in the United States was intentionally introduced, and these plants often out-compete native plants while negatively affecting insects and other animals that depend on native species. You can do your part to help insects and protect local ecosystems by choosing native plants in your landscaping plans.
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Bed Bug Repellent Tests Should Reflect Type of Bug Behavior, Researchers Find
A new study digs into the pros and cons of two different methods for testing potential bed bug repellents: a harborage test and a barrier test. Repellency results can differ when bed bugs are searching for shelter versus when they are searching for a bloodmeal.
Let’s Collaborate: How Entomology Students Can Drive Multidisciplinary Work
Weighty problems like the threat of vector-borne disease require more than just entomological solutions, and students of insect science can be leaders in bringing together research from a variety of fields. One student shares his view on the potential collaborations that students could develop to mitigate the rise of tick-borne disease.
Mapping Lyme: CDC Reveals Distribution of Lyme Disease-Causing Bacteria by County
A new study by CDC researchers provides a county-level map of the presence of ticks confirmed to be carrying the bacteria that cause Lyme disease—though the distribution of ticks that are capable of carrying it is much wider.
Flexible Reproduction ‘Mite’ Explain Invasion Success
Spider mites may adapt to uncertain environments by successfully inbreeding and by adjusting reproductive resources, a new study shows. The findings may help entomologists better understand and manage invasions by other haplodiploid arthropods.
Hitchin’ a Ride: A Review of Firewood as a Vector of Forest Pests in North America
Human-mediated movement is a major way in which forest pests get from one place to another. Many pests that live in or on wood can be unknowingly moved in firewood. A new review in the Journal of Economic Entomology looks at what we know about forest pest movement in firewood, and what we can do about it.
Exciting But Dreadful: New Invasive Forest Pest Arrives in South Carolina
The Asian longhorned beetle, a federally regulated invasive woodboring pest, was recently discovered in South Carolina—hundreds of miles from the nearest known infestation. Federal and state officials are working hard to try to eradicate this pest, and there are many research questions and opportunities associated with this infestation.
Planting a Tree? Choose a Native Species and Save Some Insects
Every invasive tree in the United States was intentionally introduced, and these plants often out-compete native plants while negatively affecting insects and other animals that depend on native species. You can do your part to help insects and protect local ecosystems by choosing native plants in your landscaping plans.
Pheromone Treatment Puts Up the “No Vacancy” Sign for Douglas-Fir Beetles
A new review article looks at the research and development of a leading method for protecting Douglas-fir trees from bark-beetle infestations, using the pests' antiaggregation pheromone against them—essentially putting up a "no vacancy" sign that sends the beetles elsewhere.
Drought-Tolerant, Aphid-Hungry Lacewing Species Arrives in Americas
Sometimes, an invasive species is a good thing. The discovery of a species of lacewing, Chrysoperla zastrowi, established in arid regions of the U.S. and Central America offers potential for biological control of aphids, mites, and other crop pests in those locales.