Lesser mealworm beetles (Alphitobius diaperinus) evolved to live in bird nests, and in broiler chicken houses their populations explode. A new pest profile in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management outlines why lesser mealworms are exceptionally challenging to manage in chicken houses and identifies key research needs for future progress.
Mosquito researchers in Florida report the presence in the state of Culex lactator, a species previously known from Central and South America. The arrival adds to the growing list of non-native mosquito species finding their way into Florida—a worrying trend for public-health entomologists.
A study evaluating one of the first insecticides developed to use RNA interference as a mode of action finds significant effects on mobility, pupation, and reproduction of the target insect, the Colorado potato beetle.
Entomologist Emily Sandall, Ph.D., reports her perspectives from attending the most recent meeting of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity. It's a critical international effort to preserve Earth's biodiversity, but insects at times take a backseat to other fauna in the negotiations.
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.