How Scratch-Off Cards Can Boost Learning in Entomology Extension
Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique scratch-off cards offer a low-tech (and low-budget) option for evaluation of participant knowledge and learning in entomology extension programs.
Bt Corn Adoption Benefits Other Crops, Too
A new study of 40 years' worth of data from the mid-Atlantic region of the United States finds that widespread adoption of insect-resistant Bt corn has reduced pest damage and the need for insecticide applications in offsite, non-Bt crops such as pepper, green beans, and sweet corn, as well.
After a Flood, How Do Insects and Other Invertebrates Recover?
After a 100-year flood struck south central Oklahoma in 2015, a study of the insects, arthropods, and other invertebrates in the area revealed striking declines of most invertebrates in the local ecosystem, a result that researchers say illustrates the hidden impacts of natural disasters.
Got Aphids? Call in the Reinforcements With Banker Plants
To manage pest infestations in greenhouses, banker plants draw in different insect species that don’t feed on the main crop but do serve as hosts for predator insects that will also attack the pest on the main crop—a useful (and green) tool for integrated pest management.
Bait-Stricken Termites Still Heed Call to Molt in Their Central Nest
A recent study at the University of Florida found that termites baited with an insecticide known as a chitin synthesis inhibitor will still follow their natural compulsion to return to their central nest to molt, an important factor in the efficacy of such baits.
Invasive Fly Targets North American Onions, Leeks, Related Crops
The allium leafminer damages crops such as onions, garlic, shallots, and leeks through larval feeding and adult egg-laying in plant tissue. Native to Europe, the invasive species was first discovered in North America in December 2015 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Reporting Tick Bites to Public Health Agencies Helps ID Risk Areas for Lyme Disease
A study in Quebec highlights the value of reporting tick bites and submitting tick specimens to public health agencies. Such "passive surveillance" outpaces field collection of ticks in identifying areas of emerging risk for Lyme disease.
Curious Wasp Specimen Leads Entomologist to Find a First
When Michael Skvarla, Ph.D., joined Penn State University's entomology extension program in 2017, it wasn't long before he had a mystery on his hands: A wasp specimen from an infestation of a residence that appeared to be of a genus not previously known to invade homes in North America.
Study Shows Rapid Evolution in Lab-Reared Insects
A wide variety of insects (such as mosquitoes, shown here) are raised in the laboratory. A new review of research on lab-reared insects shows that they evolve rapidly as they progress through generations raised in artificial environments.
Tick Bites Tick: A Rare Case of Hard-Tick Hyperparasitism
A scanning electron micrograph shows an engorged female Ixodes angustus tick with a male I. angustus attached to its underside in typical feeding mode—a case of hyperparasitism presumed uncommon in the species.
Flower Pots in Southwestern U.S. a Common Breeding Site for Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes
The Aedes aegypti mosquito typically prefers humid climates, but it has gained a foothold in the arid southwestern U.S. by using manmade containers for breeding sites—in particular, flower pots and the saucers underneath them.
How Butterflies Pattern Top and Bottom Wing Surfaces Differently
Researchers at the National University of Singapore have identified the gene transcription factors in butterflies that give rise to their different color patterns on the top and bottom sides of their wings.
Native to Asia, Found in New Jersey: The Curious Case of an Invasive Tick
In 2017, specimens of an "unusual-looking" tick were discovered in New Jersey and determined to be a species, Haemaphysalis longicornis, native to Asia. No established population of the species has ever been previously documented in the United States.
Naming a Bug After a Droid: The Case of Kaytuesso flavolateralis
A newly described genus of true bug from Papua New Guinea has been dubbed "Kaytuesso," so named for a perceived resemblance to K-2SO, a droid character from the movie "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
Explorer or Wallflower? Study Shines Light on Cockroach Personalities
American cockroaches show different individual "personalities" that relate to their fleeing behavior and preference for venturing into open spaces or remaining close to walls or other objects. A new study suggests these differences could be an evolutionary benefit for their collective fleeing response.
Study ID’s Several Bed Bug Repellents That Could Keep Your Luggage Pest-Free
Travelers' luggage is an attractive harbor for bed bugs, which then hitch a ride to new locations. In the search for effective bed bug repellents, researchers at Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and Bedoukian Research, Inc., have found that DEET as well as several naturally derived compounds could protect luggage from attracting stowaway bed bugs.