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Trending Topics: Research News•The Entomology Profession•Amazing Insects•Science Policy and Outreach

How One Entomologist is Working to Solve the Mysteries of Tick-Borne Red-Meat Allergy

Meet Paulina Maldonado-Ruiz, Ph.D., postdoctoral research associate at Kansas State University whose work studying ticks and the causes of alpha-gal syndrome earned her a spot in the Early Career Professional Recognition Symposium at Entomology 2023. Learn more about Maldonado-Ruiz and her work in this next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.

Several periodical cicadas perched on green foliage. The cicada's bodies are black with large red eyes. On each, folded backward over its body are two long translucent wings with brown veins at top and black veins toward the end of the wings.

Broadband Buzz: Periodical Cicadas’ Chorus Measured With Fiber Optic Cables

Through an emerging technology called distributed fiber optic sensing, cables bringing high-speed internet to American households can be used to detect temperature changes, vibrations, and even sound. And periodical cicadas—the insects that emerge by the billions every 13 or 17 years and make a racket with their mating calls—are loud enough to be detected. A new study shows how fiber optic sensing could open new pathways for charting populations of these famously ephemeral bugs.

Amazing Insects ›

Spider Solidarity: Scientists Discover New Species With Unprecedented Social Behavior

Sociality in spiders is quite rare, but a new species found in Madagascar takes it a step further. Isoxya manangona kite spiders build large colonies of webs, all connected by a central silk line where multiple adult males gather harmoniously. Researchers suggest the males could be "lekking," gathering in a group to perform mating displays for females, a behavior never before seen in spiders.

closeup view of a webbing clothes moth (Tineola bisselliella) adult on a gray fabric or carpet surface, of which individual fibers are visible in focus below the moth, but the foreground and background are blurry. the moth is near uniformly light brown in color, its wing scales somewhat pearlescent. its eyes are dark gray, and its head is fuzzy and slightly orange-brown.

In Defense of Clothes Moths, Marvels of Evolution

Though they cause headaches for dining on your wardrobe, webbing clothes moths are unique creatures with fascinating specialized biology. They can eat hair and metabolize their own water. They can chew through plastic and digest mercury. And that's not all. An entomologist studying these moths makes a case for appreciating their evolutionary feats.

side-by-side image of two spiders. at left, a brown widow, hanging vertically in webbing, showing its underside toward the viewer. the spider is dark brown to black in color, with an bright orange blotch on the bottom of its abdomen. at right is a black widow spider, hanging vertically on a stick, viewed from the side. the spider is dark black in color with a bright red splotch visible on the underside of its abdomen.

Brown Widow Spiders’ Aggression Likely Driver of Black Widow Decline

Black widow spiders have earned a fearsome reputation for their venomous bite. But in parts of the southern U.S. these spiders have much to fear themselves—from spider relatives who really don't like their company. A new study shows that brown widow spiders, of a species in the same genus, have a striking propensity to seek out and kill nearby black widows.

Science Policy and Outreach ›

A fuzzy black and yellow bumble bee visits a flower with many long, wispy lavender strands, amid a field of many such flowers blurry in the background.

An Essential U.S. Pesticide Database is Disappearing

Responsible use of pesticides depends in part on understanding where and when they're used and their impacts on the environment. However, a key source of information on pesticide usage is being scaled back, which could leave scientists and the public in the dark.

A group of a few dozen people gather in a circle and with their attention centered on one person in the foreground near parking area at a fruit orchard on a bright sunny day.

A Fruitful Discussion: Field Tour Gathers Insect Biocontrol Community

The ESA Plant-Insect Ecosystems Section field tour series returned in May 2022, convening experts and practitioners from research, industry, and government focused on insect biological control, with in-person demonstrations and discussions featuring the Washington state tree fruit industry.

A woman sits at a desk in front of a computer screen on which is a video showing a woman speaking on the left and an overhead view of a tarantula spider on the right.

Virtual Outreach: How Students Bring an Insect Zoo to an Entire State

The Kansas State University Insect Zoo has long been an on-campus attraction, but a student entomology club's efforts to create virtual engagement opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic have built a new model for outreach that continues to spread the educational value of the Insect Zoo far and wide.

Research News ›

Several periodical cicadas perched on green foliage. The cicada's bodies are black with large red eyes. On each, folded backward over its body are two long translucent wings with brown veins at top and black veins toward the end of the wings.

Broadband Buzz: Periodical Cicadas’ Chorus Measured With Fiber Optic Cables

Through an emerging technology called distributed fiber optic sensing, cables bringing high-speed internet to American households can be used to detect temperature changes, vibrations, and even sound. And periodical cicadas—the insects that emerge by the billions every 13 or 17 years and make a racket with their mating calls—are loud enough to be detected. A new study shows how fiber optic sensing could open new pathways for charting populations of these famously ephemeral bugs.

The Entomology Profession ›

How One Entomologist is Working to Solve the Mysteries of Tick-Borne Red-Meat Allergy

Meet Paulina Maldonado-Ruiz, Ph.D., postdoctoral research associate at Kansas State University whose work studying ticks and the causes of alpha-gal syndrome earned her a spot in the Early Career Professional Recognition Symposium at Entomology 2023. Learn more about Maldonado-Ruiz and her work in this next installment of our “Standout Early Career Professionals” series.
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Why One Entomologist Works to Discover New Agricultural Innovations

Meet entomologist Sajjan Grover, Ph.D., whose work as a senior scientist in early discovery and product development at Bayer Crop Science earned him a spot in the Early Career Professional Recognition Symposium at Entomology 2023. Learn more about Grover and his work in this next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.

Closeup of a butterfly perched on thin green leaves with its wings spread wide. The butterfly's wings have an orange base color with black veins and bordering, and small white spots within the black border and in the top middle of its forewings.

The Growing Utility of Online Photo Sharing for Entomology Research

The increasing volume of insect photo observations shared on iNaturalist and similar sites can no longer be ignored, and entomologists are finding ways to use it. A review in Annals of the Entomological Society of America digs into best practices for bolstering entomological research with this growing body of citizen-science data.  

Closeup of an emerald ash borer adult on a green leaf. The insect is iridescent green with large black eyes and a long, narrow body. It faces to the left, with the length of its body visible. Its wing covers are a dark iridescent green, while its thorax and the underside of its abdomen are much lighter green, almost golden.

Dispelling Urban Myths With Science Can Save Your Ash

Two decades after the arrival of the emerald ash borer in North America, plenty of misinformation remains about how best to manage its impact. A group of experts on this pest bust several myths about emerald ash borer in a new article in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management.

A periodical cicada perches on a green leaf. The cicada's body is black with large red eyes. Folded backward over its body are two long translucent wings with brown veins at top and black veins toward the end of the wings.

Do Adult Periodical Cicadas Actually Eat?

A long-standing agricultural query about periodical cicadas that emerge every 13 or 17 years was recently answered by a research team at USDA Agricultural Research Service:  Once periodical cicadas emerge, do they actually feed on vegetation? Their analysis of the gut contents found plant DNA in mature adult cicadas but none in freshly emerged adults, a strong sign that adult cicadas do feed on plants, since no plant matter in cicadas' guts carries over from their nymph stage.

Closeup of a butterfly perched on thin green leaves with its wings spread wide. The butterfly's wings have an orange base color with black veins and bordering, and small white spots within the black border and in the top middle of its forewings.

The Growing Utility of Online Photo Sharing for Entomology Research

The increasing volume of insect photo observations shared on iNaturalist and similar sites can no longer be ignored, and entomologists are finding ways to use it. A review in Annals of the Entomological Society of America digs into best practices for bolstering entomological research with this growing body of citizen-science data.  

Close-up view of a mite on a green plant surface. The mite's body is somewhat flat and oval-shaped, with mottled dark-brown coloration while elsewhere light brown and semi-translucent. It's eight short legs are also semi-translucent.

This Predatory Mite is a Rising Star in Pest Management

The mite Amblyseius swirskii feeds on various insect and mite species, including many notorious pests of vegetable crops. A new article in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management explores the biology and applications of this versatile mite that have propelled it to the forefront of many IPM programs.

DIY Mosquito Feeder: How to Feed Blood-Sucking Insects on a Budget

Mosquito control agencies and research centers often maintain lab colonies of mosquitoes for study—and, of course, they need to be fed. As an alternative to pricy commercial feeders, one metropolitan mosquito control agency has developed a simplified feeder that any lab could build for about $30.

A bright red cardinal, viewed from the side and looking to the right, perches on a dead tree branch in front of a blurry brown and gray mottled background.

Even at the Zoo, Mosquitoes Favor Local Wild Birds for Meals

In a study of mosquitoes in and around the Nashville Zoo, northern cardinals were found to be the most common source of the mosquitoes' blood meals, despite more than 300 species of animals on exhibit. None the less, the study suggests zoos are a valuable resource for monitoring mosquito species diversity, biology, and pathogen presence.