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.

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.