Skip to content
Trending Topics: Research News•The Entomology Profession•Amazing Insects•Science Policy and Outreach
Three-part image. At left, a woman in a white lab coat and black sterile gloves sits at a lab bench looking at a piece of paper and a set of small clear vials. In the middle, the same woman sits in a chair at the corner of a table and inserts a needle into the arm of a person seated out of frame. At right, the woman walks in a wild grassy field near a fence and drags a large white cloth along the ground.

One Health: Where Entomology and a Host of Scientific Fields Intersect

For students and researchers in a variety of biological sciences, One Health is where many may first encounter entomology. And, conversely, entomologists working in One Health find their work intersects with a host of other fields within public health. One recent Ph.D. graduate shares her experience discovering entomology through her work in vector-borne and zoonotic diseases.

Green Light: New ID Test Ready for Invasive Mealybug Pest

Identifying mealybug species is often a challenge, but the hibiscus mealybug (Nipaecoccus viridis) turns green in an alkaline solution—a unique indicator among mealybug species in Florida. Researchers have turned this discovery into a safe, accessible field diagnostic kit to aid growers and IPM pros in slowing the spread of this invasive pest.

Approximately two dozen spotted lanternflies amass in a sunny spot on the side of a tree in a shady forest.

Does Multiple Mating Help Spotted Lanternflies Spread?  

Producing offspring from multiple fathers can add much-needed genetic diversity to populations of invasive insects, which often arise from a small number of individuals. New research confirms such multiple paternity occurs in spotted lanternflies, though to what degree it aids their spread needs further study.

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 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.

Overhead view of a table with various contents of a tick-collection kit neatly laid out. Items include a bottle of bug repellent spray, tall white socks, a white cloth, two white plastic tubes, a roll of masking tape, a black Sharpie marker, small plastic vials, an empty plastic zip-lock bag, a magnifying glass, a zip-lock bag with cotton balls and blue rubber gloves inside, two large nails, white string, a "tick blitz data collection sheet," a pamphlet titled "Insect Repellent Essentials: A Brief Guide," and a card titled "Life Cycle of the Blacklegged Tick."

Tick Blitz: How Community Science is Helping New York State Monitor Ticks

With a little bit of training, 59 citizen scientists in New York collected more than 3,700 ticks across 15 counties in a two-week period in the summer of 2021, greatly expanding the reach of professional tick researchers at the Northeast Regional Center for Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases. The "New York State Tick Blitz" is now an annual project and a model that tick-surveillance programs elsewhere can follow.

Why Entomology Students Should Get Active in Education and Outreach

Getting people excited about insect science and inspiring the next generation of entomologists are worthy goals on their own, but leading education and outreach programs can be a valuable professional experience for any entomology student, as well. One entomology master's student shares her experience and advice on getting involved in community education and outreach.

Research News ›

Green Light: New ID Test Ready for Invasive Mealybug Pest

Identifying mealybug species is often a challenge, but the hibiscus mealybug (Nipaecoccus viridis) turns green in an alkaline solution—a unique indicator among mealybug species in Florida. Researchers have turned this discovery into a safe, accessible field diagnostic kit to aid growers and IPM pros in slowing the spread of this invasive pest.

Approximately two dozen spotted lanternflies amass in a sunny spot on the side of a tree in a shady forest.

Does Multiple Mating Help Spotted Lanternflies Spread?  

Producing offspring from multiple fathers can add much-needed genetic diversity to populations of invasive insects, which often arise from a small number of individuals. New research confirms such multiple paternity occurs in spotted lanternflies, though to what degree it aids their spread needs further study.

Closeup of a goldenrod stem on which a large round gall has formed. The stem and gall are purplish-red in color. The gall is several times wider than the narrow stem extending below and above the gall. Two narrow leaves grow out from the gall. Yellow goldenrod flowers can be seen, out of focus, in the background.

How Some Insects Turn Plants Into Pollution Detectors

A wide variety of insects cause their host plants to form protective galls. These abnormal growths are rich in nutrients—as well as contaminants the plant might absorb from the soil. New research shows these insect-induced galls can double as highly sensitive pollution detectors.

The Entomology Profession ›

Closeup of two beetles on yellow goldenrod flowers. The beetles have long bodies with narrow wing covers, which are yellow-orange in color except for a dark oval covering the bottom third of each wing cover.

Pixelated Entomology: Analyzing Beetles’ Flower Use Through Digital Samples

With the continuing growth of community-driven, digital nature observations on platforms like iNaturalist, entomologists and other scientists are tapping into that store of knowledge to make new discoveries. A new study shows the potential for photo observations to answer species-specific behavior and ecological questions.

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.

Overhead view looking into a cylindrical container with thousands of newly emerged mosquitoes.

New Study Improves Sterile Insect Technique for Mosquitoes

Researchers in Florida find that male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes live longer when irradiated as adults rather than pupae, an important advance in protocols for deploying the sterile insect technique to manage wild populations of disease-transmitting mosquitoes.

Closeup of a elm zigzag sawfly larva, light green and slightly translucent in color, feeding on a green leaf. The larva has eaten a gap into the leaf from the edge that is roughly the shape of the larva but wider. The leaf and sawfly are photographed against a white background.

Here We Go Again: Meet the Elm Zigzag Sawfly, Another Non-Native Forest Pest

The elm zigzag sawfly (Aproceros leucopoda) is now established in several places in North America. This non-native forest pest can be a threat to elm species and hybrids and is capable of large defoliation events. Will it turn into a full-blown invasive species, or simply co-exist with native herbivores in natural and urban forests? At this point, we don't know. A new review highlights elm zigzag sawfly biology, ecology, and management strategies in the U.S.

Closeup of a purple milkweed flower with two bumble bees visiting it. One bee, with a yellow fuzzy thorax and a mostly black abdomen is viewed from its left side, at center in the image. The other bee is just barely visible over the top of the flower as it visits the far side of the flower.

Joining Efforts in Support of Healthy Pollinator Practices

Sponsored post: Biodiversity plays a critical role in both the productivity of crop production and the preservation of natural resources. Syngenta recognizes the mutual relationship between agriculture and nature and continues to build a rich network of sustainability partnerships to make a positive impact on local landscapes.