Vampire Moths Suck the Blood of Vertebrates, Including Humans
Vampire moths? Yes! Some moths that feed on the blood of vertebrates
Teach a Man to Fish (and some entomology) and You’ll Feed Him for a Lifetime
By Leslie Mertz On a cold August afternoon, Jay Buchner leads three novice fly fishermen — two men and a woman — through a mountain-ringed meadow and to the quickly […]
My Hero is Norman Borlaug, and Here’s Why
By Richard Levine At last year’s annual meeting of the National Association of Science Writers, the 800 attendees were asked to write the names of their scientific heroes on their […]
Obscure Mealybug Found on Almond Trees for First Time in California
By Jhalendra Rijal Pseudococcus viburni has been found for the first time in almond crops in California. This insect is not just an obscure mealybug, it is THE obscure mealybug […]
Study Describes Three New Species of Fruit Flies and Revises Their Genus
By John P. Roche Acanthiophilus is a genus of fruit flies that infest plants of the tribe Cardueae (thistles) within the family Asteraceae. Members of this genus live in Africa, […]
The Case of the Mysterious Mesosa Longicorn Beetle
By Bekka Brodie It was a beautiful, sleek, black beetle with long antennae. Immediately, I knew it was different than any other longicorn beetle I had seen, but its identity […]
Dirt and Bugs: Four-letter Words that Go Together
By Randall Southard, Edwin Lewis, Daniel Hirmas, and Rufus Isaacs The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has designated 2015 as the International Year of Soils. In addition, […]
New Flea Genus and Species Found in 20-million-year-old Amber
By Harvey Black Dr. George Poinar, Jr., an entomologist from Oregon State University, has found a fossilized flea the like of which he has never seen. Its basic characteristics are […]
Research on Fungus-farming Beetles Reveals a New Wood-decaying Fungus
By Jiri Hulcr Who was the first farmer on Earth, over 60 million years ago? Which insect group includes the most invasive and deadly vectors of tree diseases? And which […]
A Behind-the-scenes Look at a Butterfly Rainforest
By Richard Levine The McGuire Center for Lepidoptera & Biodiversity at the University of Florida in Gainesville is huge, with more than 10 million specimens of moths and butterflies. I […]
Irradiation Can Be an Alternative to Fumigation
By Harvey Black USDA Agricultural Research Service scientist Peter Follett has been working for nearly 20 years to develop and expand the use of ionizing radiation to control insects that […]
The Collophore Helps Put the Spring in Springtails
By Erin Weeks In 2000, a government building in Maryland had a bit of a springtail infestation on its grounds. Whenever it rained during humid months, springtails swarmed the lawn. […]
What Can Insects and Mites Tell Us About Water Quality?
By Hannah Foster If you take a cup of water from a pond, stream, or even a dirty drainage ditch and look at it closely, you’ll find that it is […]
Cereal Systems Conference to Coincide with ESA Annual Meeting
By Sanford Eigenbrode To help Pacific Northwest farmers understand and adapt to the projected impacts of climate change, nearly 200 scientists, students, and educators from the region’s three land-grant universities […]
Mosquito Hawk? Skeeter Eater? Giant Mosquito? No, No, and No
That big long-legged fly isn't a mosquito; it doesn't eat mosquitoes, and it's harmless. A bit of insect myth-busting.
Two New Species of Chewing Lice Discovered on Stealthy Songbird
By Meredith Swett Walker If you’re desperate to discover a new species of louse, looking for one on a bird is a good start. Looking for lice on one of […]