So Many Shot Hole Borers: New Research Charts Four Nearly Identical Species
Tiny beetles once known as tea shot hole borers are actually a group of four distinct species that appear almost exactly the same to even the trained eye. In a new study, researchers combine both physical measurements and molecular genetics to better define the members of the Euwallacea fornicatus cryptic species complex.
How Insects Inspire the Look of Sci-Fi and Fantasy Films
Some insects look like science-fiction stars precisely because the creative minds behind popular entertainment look to insects to spark their imagination.
Need to Mail Mosquitoes? Pack Them Up Nice and Snug
Several emerging mosquito-management methods require the transport of mosquitoes to precise locations. There, lab-reared mosquitoes—for instance, sterilized males—mix with wild mosquitoes and hinder the population's ability to reproduce or transmit disease. But, getting mosquitoes from lab to wild presents logistical challenges. A team led by researchers at New Mexico State University are tackling this problem and have made a surprising discovery about just how tightly live mosquitoes can be packed up.
Tabloid Sensationalism Aside, Lady Bugs Are Still Fascinating
Despite headlines to the contrary in British tabloids this fall, harlequin ladybird beetles are not killing off native species by giving them a sexually transmitted fungal infection. "There have been stories mixing up various research findings into quite sensational headlines, which is a shame because these fungi and the ladybirds are fascinating in their own right," says ecological entomologist Helen Roy, Ph.D., of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology in Wallingford, England.
Cuckoo Bumble Bees: What We Can Learn From Their Cheating Ways (If They Don’t Go Extinct First)
Learning how cuckoo bumble bees cheat the eusocial system can tell scientists a lot about how insect sociality evolves and how hosts and parasites coevolve. But, as other bees face declines, cuckoo bees will only get more difficult to study.
The Best Look Yet at the Tiny Fungus Storage Units Inside Ambrosia Beetles
Advances in microscopic imaging techniques are revealing, in unprecedented detail, the structure of mycangia—the internal organs that ambrosia beetles use to store and transport the symbiotic fungi they farm.
Bees Stopped Buzzing During the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse
A study conducted during the 2017 total solar eclipse in North America found that bees remained active during partial-eclipse phases, but they essentially ceased flying during totality.
Busy Bees: An Up-Close Look at One Bee Species’ Scramble to Mate
With high-speed, high-definition cameras, researchers at the University of Arizona got an unprecedented look at the mating habits of the solitary bee species Diadasia rinconis and gained new insights into their courtship behaviors and the selective pressures those behaviors produce.
Butterfly Pupae Make Sounds In Never-Before-Known Ways
New research explores how pupae of certain butterfly species make a "twittering" noise—via a wiggling movement that triggers sound from tiny structures in the membranes between their abdominal segments.
A Night With the Synchronous Fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains
Pest management pro Pamela Blauvelt recounts a trip with colleagues to witness the annual synchronous fireflies phenomenon at night in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Watch the Five Finalist Videos in the 2018 YouTube Your Entomology Contest
Check out the five finalist videos in the Entomological Society of America's 2018 YouTube Your Entomology Contest. Winner, runner-up, and honorable mentions will be announced at Entomology 2018.
Meddling in the Mutualism: Fly Larva Uses Nectar to Lure Ants for Lunch
In the Brazilian savanna, the larvae of a fruit-fly species exploits an ant-plant mutualism by trapping and preying on ants atop the plant's nectar deposits.
Swim Lessons: How Two Land-Dwelling Ant Species Paddle Through Water
A new study in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America examines how two ant species swim and concludes that bigger is indeed better when it comes to which of them swims fastest.
Hungry, Hungry Larvae: How Entomologists Design the Diet for Mass-Reared Screwworm Flies
Ever wondered how one might feed 20 million fly larvae every week? Get a glimpse into the work of entomologists who fine-tune the diet for mass-reared screwworm flies at the Panama – United States Commission for the Eradication and Prevention of Screwworm.
The Sting of Defeat: A Brief History of Insects in Warfare
In the course of history, entomology has at times intersected with humanity's militaristic motives. From deploying harmful insects against enemies to modeling technological advances on insect biomechanics, explore some of the ways insects have been used in human warfare.
Is This Caterpillar Trying to Look Like a Velvet Worm?
A team of researchers from Western University in Ontario reports the discovery of velvet worms living in tree mosses in Amazonian cloud forest in Ecuador as well as a caterpillar of unknown species that they propose to be a Batesian mimic of the velvet worm.