Edible Plant Oils Show Potential for Management of Aedes aegypti
A new study finds several edible plant oils—such as hempseed, sesame, and pumpkinseed oils—have potential utility as eco-friendly larvicides or egg-laying deterrents against the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Mosquito Management is Key in Creating Popular Urban Wetlands
A study that shows mosquitoes might benefit from wetland-management tactics aimed at protecting frogs illustrates the complicated ecological dynamics present in urban wetlands. Understanding the habitat requirements and ecological interactions of local mosquito species is critical to balancing such wetlands' risks and benefits.
Mesh to Reduce Bycatch: A Simple Solution to a Sticky Problem
Sticky traps used to monitor orchards for the Asian citrus psyllid often catch an array of larger non-target organisms. But a thin layer of mesh fabric—the same kind used in bridal veils and ballet tutus—makes an effective screen to eliminate most bycatch while still catching the target pests.
Trap Modifications Collect Mosquito Waste for Virus Detection
Public health officials could soon be able to detect viruses in mosquitoes in the wild much more quickly and easily—thanks to the insect equivalent of a urine test. A new study in Australia shows that two kinds of commonly used mosquito traps can be readily modified to collect mosquito excreta, or liquid waste droplets, to be tested for signs of viruses.
Assay Array: Entomologists’ Lab Tests Expose Insect Secrets
Entomologists can find out a lot about an insect through some simple chemical reactions in a lab. A new review offers a guide to the wide variety of tests, or assays, that can be conducted to measure the fats, sugars, and other compounds in an insect's body—thereby revealing useful clues about how it stores and uses energy.
Climate Change Could Open Doors, Closes Others for Spread of Japanese Beetle
A new study modeling potential future climate-change scenarios finds the potential for the invasive Japanese beetle to expand its range northward into new regions in North America, though some parts of it southern range could become too warm for it.
Road Trip: How Hive Transportation Puts Stress on Honey Bees
Honey bees are in high demand for pollinating crops, and hives are often trucked thousands of miles a year to serve different crops in different regions and seasons. But researchers say honey bees show signs of stress from all that travel.
Citywide Mosquito Management Effort in Puerto Rico During Zika Outbreak Offers Lessons for Future
An integrated vector management program is no small undertaking, but a program run in Caguas City, Puerto Rico, during the Zika outbreak of 2016 shows such an effort can be successful at the scale of a city of more than 140,000 people.
Black-Orange-Black Color Pattern Found in 23 Families of Wasps, Bees, and Ants
Well-known in Lepidoptera and Coleoptera, the distinct black-orange-black color pattern has never been fully documented in Hymenoptera—until now. A study of more than 1 million wasp, bee, and other hymenopteran specimens finds a wide range of variations of the pattern present in 23 families within the order Hymenoptera.
For Insect Ecologists, Some Rare Species Interactions Are a Sign of Things to Come
In an era of human-driven ecological change, crucial interactions between and among insect species and plants can disappear before their participating species do. A new special collection in Annals of the Entomological Society of America looks at how insect ecologists are studying these rare interactions and what they mean for our efforts to conserve even the rarest links in the rich web of interactions all around us.
Meet the Mosquito With a Big Appetite—for Other Mosquitoes
The mosquito species Toxorhynchites rutilus is harmless to humans but is a voracious predator of other mosquitoes. Researchers in Houston, Texas, are hoping the "mosquito assassin" could be put into action as a tool for controlling mosquitoes that carry human pathogens—if they can find an efficient way to raise the predator mosquitoes in the lab.
New Study Aims to Protect Parasitoids of Spotted-Wing Drosophila
Use of an insecticide can be counterproductive if it also harms natural enemies of a target pest. A new study puts several insecticides currently in use to manage spotted-wing drosophila to the test to see how they do or don't affect parasitoids of the invasive fruit fly.
Show or Tell? Testing Peacock Spiders’ Multi-Modal Mating Display
Famous for their flashy colors, peacock spiders also emit vibrational signals during their mating dance. But why both kinds of courtship cues? And which kind matters more? Researchers have been studying peacock spiders to find out.
To Boost IPM Adoption, Treat It as a Complex Social System
Pest management is more than just matching pests with control methods. A tangled web of societal influences also play a role in growers' decisions and their uptake of integrated pest management, and researchers say the science of "social ecological systems" can inform efforts to increase IPM adoption.
An Invasive-Species Success Story: The Eradication of the European Grapevine Moth in California
The successful eradication of the European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana) in northern California after it was found there in 2009 offers important lessons for invasive species response. Researchers are studying the dynamics of the invasion and eradication effort to prepare future response plans for other potential invasive species both in California and beyond.
Maximizing Mealworms: Research Aims to Improve Rearing Methods
Yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) have long been produced as fish bait and pet food, but their use as animal feed and even food for people is growing. Researchers are working to fine-tune methods to improve the quantity and quality of mass-reared mealworms.