Invasive Insects: The Top 4 “Most Wanted” List
The list of invasive insects in the United States is a long one, but one entomologist offers his list of the top four "most wanted"—plus a note about how entomologists are working to better manage the challenge of invasive insect species.
New and Easy Marking Method Tracks Bees Without Killing Them
A new study published in the Journal of Insect Science outlines a new technique that quickly, simply, and inexpensively marks bees to track their movement—and it's non-lethal, too. It could make for an valuable improvement for mark-and-recapture methods for these pollinators.
Got Spotted Lanternfly Eggs on Your Tree? Send ‘Em Through the Wood Chipper
The invasive spotted lanternfly often lays its eggs on tree limbs and trunks. A new study finds that putting infested wood through a wood chipper effectively destroys spotted lanternfly egg masses, and researchers recommend the practice for reducing the potential spread of the pest.
When the Path Less Traveled Leads to Hissing Cockroaches for a More Inclusive Tomorrow
Get to know Alex Bryant, extension agent and 4-H educator, whose curriculum using Madagascar hissing cockroaches has introduced more than 2,400 Kentucky middle school students to entomology and science.
More Research Needed to Better Balance Honey Bees and Native Bees
A review of existing research on floral resource competition between managed honey bees and wild bees shows gaps in our knowledge about such interactions and calls for further research to better inform decisions on honey bee management and pollinator protection.
New Research Showcases the Best and Brightest Fathers of the Insect World
To celebrate Father's Day, check out some fascinating insights on insect fathers providing exceptional paternal care revealed via recent entomological research.
How Entomology Students With ‘Graduphobia’ Can Face Their Fear of the Unknown
Entomology students face plenty of pressure, from conducting research to getting published to presenting at conferences. And, perhaps most daunting: embarking upon a career after graduation. Ph.D. student Lina Bernaola calls the stress of the final stages of academic coursework "graduphobia."
Donna Leonard: At the Helm of a World-Renowned Forest Insect Management Program
Donna Leonard, forest entomologist at the U.S. Forest Service, has piloted one of the most successful forest insect-management programs in the world for over 20 years running, all while navigating a career in a male-dominated field.
Insect-Based Chicken Feed Can Benefit Farmers and Environment
A new study on insect-based chicken feed, made from black soldier fly larvae, finds an improved cost-benefit ratio and return on investment compared to soybean- or fish-based chicken feed.
Do Managed Burns in Grasslands Benefit Butterflies?
Though under-used, prescribed fire can reinstate natural disturbance regimes in the North American Great Plains. The Range Science program at North Dakota State University is studying how this practice affects the local ecosystem, including its impact on pollinators such as butterflies.
A Day in the Life: Entomology in the Big Apple
For many entomologists, field experiments happen in actual "fields"—croplands or prairies, for instance—but urban ecologist Elsa Youngsteadt, Ph.D., often finds herself in much different spaces, such as the Broadway median in New York City's Upper West Side.
Tastes Like Chicken: Hydrogel Shows Promise as Yellowjacket Bait
Existing baits for yellowjackets require fresh meat as an attractant, but a new study finds that hydrogel makes an adequate substitute, absorbing insecticide and giving a tactile resemblance to meat to effectively bait yellowjackets in the same manner.
What Gives This Butterfly Species the Only Blue Wings in its Subtribe?
Males of the butterfly species Mimeresia neavei feature blue, structurally colored wings, the only species in the Mimacraeina subtribe to do so. Researchers in Hungary credit M. neavei's blue wings to a form of coloration found in several butterfly groups but not experimentally examined within Lycaenidae.
Hessian Fly: New Guide Details Wheat Pest Management
The Hessian fly is a major pest of wheat around the world. A new guide in the open-access Journal of Integrated Pest Management outlines the fly's biology and life cycle and an array of tactics that can be combined to manage the pest.
From Garden Peonies to a Career Studying Ant-Plant Interactions
Kate Mathis, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher at the University of Arizona and soon-to-be assistant professor at Clark University, got hooked on entomology at a young age, when she saw ants swarm peonies in her mother's garden every spring as they bloomed. Today, she carries that fascination into her research on complex species interactions.
Cold-Season Temperature and Rainfall Drive Climate Suitability for Ticks in California
A new CDC study finds cold-season temperature and rainfall are the two leading factors that determine climate suitability for ticks within California, deeming the state's far northern coast and the western Sierra Nevada foothills as the most likely habitat for the western blacklegged tick.
Amazing Insects ›
New Research Showcases the Best and Brightest Fathers of the Insect World
To celebrate Father's Day, check out some fascinating insights on insect fathers providing exceptional paternal care revealed via recent entomological research.
Research Confirms: (Insect) Moms Are the Best
In honor of Mother's Day, catch up on some recent research highlighting insect mothers that go to awe-inspiring lengths to care for their babies.
Fighting Flies With Flies: An In-Depth Look at the 2016 Screwworm Outbreak Response in Florida
The return of the screwworm to Florida in 2016 was a surprise, but entomologists with the USDA and local, state, and international partners were prepared to respond. A new, in-depth report in the Journal of Medical Entomology shares a detailed account of their work re-eradicating the pest via the sterile insect technique—plus new lessons learned along the way.
Gut Microbes Can Help Insects Beat Pesticides
Insects have evolved a variety of mechanisms to try to overcome the effects of insecticides—including, in some cases, help from the bacteria and other microbes living in insects' guts. A growing number of studies indicate a link between symbiotic microbes and insecticide resistance in a diverse range of insects.
Science Policy and Outreach ›
Team Develops New Protocol for Embedding Insects in Resin
Insect and arthropod specimens set in clear resin are a valuable tool for teaching entomology both in the classroom and in public outreach. A team at Texas A&M University has developed an efficient, cost-effective process for resin casting and shares the instructions with the entomological community.
Entomologists Urge Action, Advocacy After 2018 March for Science
Entomologists Ashley Kennedy and Lina Bernaola participated in the 2018 March for Science in Washington, DC, on April 14. Kennedy and Bernaola say that, though the March was smaller than the 2017 edition, it left them inspired to "continue taking steps forward to enhance advocacy for science."
Fighting Flies With Flies: An In-Depth Look at the 2016 Screwworm Outbreak Response in Florida
The return of the screwworm to Florida in 2016 was a surprise, but entomologists with the USDA and local, state, and international partners were prepared to respond. A new, in-depth report in the Journal of Medical Entomology shares a detailed account of their work re-eradicating the pest via the sterile insect technique—plus new lessons learned along the way.
Eastern Larch Beetle Outbreak Just Keeps Going When Winter’s Not So Cold
The current outbreak of eastern larch beetle in northern Minnesota is going into its 18th year, and researchers have found that at least some eastern larch beetles are able to reach maturity without requiring an overwintering period. In short, warmer winters mean eastern larch beetle is killing trees faster than it can be managed.
Research News ›
New and Easy Marking Method Tracks Bees Without Killing Them
A new study published in the Journal of Insect Science outlines a new technique that quickly, simply, and inexpensively marks bees to track their movement—and it's non-lethal, too. It could make for an valuable improvement for mark-and-recapture methods for these pollinators.
Got Spotted Lanternfly Eggs on Your Tree? Send ‘Em Through the Wood Chipper
The invasive spotted lanternfly often lays its eggs on tree limbs and trunks. A new study finds that putting infested wood through a wood chipper effectively destroys spotted lanternfly egg masses, and researchers recommend the practice for reducing the potential spread of the pest.
More Research Needed to Better Balance Honey Bees and Native Bees
A review of existing research on floral resource competition between managed honey bees and wild bees shows gaps in our knowledge about such interactions and calls for further research to better inform decisions on honey bee management and pollinator protection.
Insect-Based Chicken Feed Can Benefit Farmers and Environment
A new study on insect-based chicken feed, made from black soldier fly larvae, finds an improved cost-benefit ratio and return on investment compared to soybean- or fish-based chicken feed.
The Entomology Profession ›
When the Path Less Traveled Leads to Hissing Cockroaches for a More Inclusive Tomorrow
Get to know Alex Bryant, extension agent and 4-H educator, whose curriculum using Madagascar hissing cockroaches has introduced more than 2,400 Kentucky middle school students to entomology and science.
How Entomology Students With ‘Graduphobia’ Can Face Their Fear of the Unknown
Entomology students face plenty of pressure, from conducting research to getting published to presenting at conferences. And, perhaps most daunting: embarking upon a career after graduation. Ph.D. student Lina Bernaola calls the stress of the final stages of academic coursework "graduphobia."
Donna Leonard: At the Helm of a World-Renowned Forest Insect Management Program
Donna Leonard, forest entomologist at the U.S. Forest Service, has piloted one of the most successful forest insect-management programs in the world for over 20 years running, all while navigating a career in a male-dominated field.
A Day in the Life: Entomology in the Big Apple
For many entomologists, field experiments happen in actual "fields"—croplands or prairies, for instance—but urban ecologist Elsa Youngsteadt, Ph.D., often finds herself in much different spaces, such as the Broadway median in New York City's Upper West Side.
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New CDC Tick Study Adds to Promise of Permethrin-Treated Clothing
Experiments conducted at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed clothing treated with permethrin had strong toxic effects on three primary germ-carrying tick species, interfering with the ticks’ ability to move properly and likely interfering with their ability to bite.
Fighting Flies With Flies: An In-Depth Look at the 2016 Screwworm Outbreak Response in Florida
The return of the screwworm to Florida in 2016 was a surprise, but entomologists with the USDA and local, state, and international partners were prepared to respond. A new, in-depth report in the Journal of Medical Entomology shares a detailed account of their work re-eradicating the pest via the sterile insect technique—plus new lessons learned along the way.
Research Confirms: (Insect) Moms Are the Best
In honor of Mother's Day, catch up on some recent research highlighting insect mothers that go to awe-inspiring lengths to care for their babies.
How Bee Hotels Support Urban Pollinators and Educate Locals on One College Campus
Bee hotels provide nesting habitat for a range of native, solitary, cavity-nesting bees. At North Carolina State University, several bee hotels installed on campus support local pollinators and are accompanied with information for campus residents about native bees and the important role they play.
More Research Needed to Better Balance Honey Bees and Native Bees
A review of existing research on floral resource competition between managed honey bees and wild bees shows gaps in our knowledge about such interactions and calls for further research to better inform decisions on honey bee management and pollinator protection.
Cannibalism in Mosquito Larvae Confounds Egg Counts
New research shows that late-stage Anopheles gambiae larvae will eat eggs and first-instar larvae of their own species, calling into question the common view that females of the mosquito species avoid laying eggs in water where other larvae are already present.
New Research Showcases the Best and Brightest Fathers of the Insect World
To celebrate Father's Day, check out some fascinating insights on insect fathers providing exceptional paternal care revealed via recent entomological research.
Tastes Like Chicken: Hydrogel Shows Promise as Yellowjacket Bait
Existing baits for yellowjackets require fresh meat as an attractant, but a new study finds that hydrogel makes an adequate substitute, absorbing insecticide and giving a tactile resemblance to meat to effectively bait yellowjackets in the same manner.
Mites Emerge as Key Vector in Encephalitis Outbreaks in India
Larval mites, known as "chiggers," from the family Trombiculidae are vectors of the bacteria that causes scrub typhus. The infection has been implicated as a common cause of acute encephalitis syndrome in India, where public health professionals are looking to better understand the variety of mite species present on rodents and their rates of infection.