Harpoon Heads, Sweeping Tails: How Predatory Mosquito Larvae Capture Prey
With striking high-speed video footage, scientists have for the first time detailed how predatory mosquito larvae attack and capture prey in aquatic habitats. Published this week in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America, this new research sheds light on behavior that has long proven too small and too fast to study, until now.
Bed Bugs Produce Potentially Dangerous Amounts of Histamine, Study Shows
Researchers find that, in a hypothetical infestation of 1,000 bed bugs (Cimex lectularius), they could produce up to 40 milligrams of histamine in a week. Excess histamine exposure can cause health effects ranging from rashes to headaches to respiratory problems.
How Insect Interactions Vary by Height in Turfgrass
Much like the different environments of a forest floor and treetops, interactions among insects and related arthropods vary within the much smaller-scale vertical zones of a turfgrass "canopy." Researchers using clay models of caterpillars to lure predatory arthropods are revealing what a difference a few centimeters can make.
Artificial Intelligence Performs Key Step in Fruit Fly Management
Determining the precise age of mass-reared fruit flies is a critical step in managing them in the wild via the sterile insect technique. Researchers in Mexico have applied machine-learning algorithms that can accurately measure the age of fruit fly pupae to properly time irradiation.