Study Shines Light on ID’ing Males, Females of Endangered Beetles
In two endangered beetle species that live in the Edwards Aquifer in Texas, males and females are nearly indiscernible. A new study suggests the quickest way to ID males versus females is to shine a light through them, illuminating internal organs that reveal the difference.
The Eyes Have It: How Butterflies Navigate to Suitable Habitat
Do butterflies find suitable habitat through vision or via other senses? The results of a new study were easy to see: Butterflies with flash-induced blindness consistently failed to navigate to target habitat that unaffected butterflies could readily find.
Building-Wide Pest Management Program Stops Cockroaches From Moving Nextdoor
A study of the spatial distribution of German cockroaches in a high-rise apartment building found infestations were clustered in groups of adjacent units. But a building-wide integrated pest management program can be successful in eliminating most infestations and, importantly, stopping the cockroaches from migrating from one apartment to the next.
New Guide Offers IPM Tips for Japanese Beetles in Soy and Corn
An invasive species established in the eastern United States for more than a century, the Japanese beetle is making its way into Midwestern soybean and corn fields. A new review in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management offers a guide to the pest's biology and behavior and methods to fend it off.
Climate Change Could Open Doors, Close 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.
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.
Propolis Power-Up: How Beekeepers Can Encourage Resin Deposits for Better Hive Health
When honey bees produce more propolis, a waxy resin they use for sealing up their hives, overall health benefits to the colony ensue. A new study tests a few simple methods beekeepers can use to encourage more propolis production in their hives.
Boric Acid Kills Bed Bugs, But Only When They Eat It
Boric acid dust is a common tool in urban pest management, but a new study shows external exposure is minimally effective against bed bugs. When bed bugs ingest boric acid, though, few survive.
Array of Management Methods Needed to Curb the Pesky Squash Vine Borer
The larva of the squash vine borer burrows into the stems and crowns of squash, zucchini, and pumpkin plants, causing wilting damage. A new guide in the open-access Journal of Integrated Pest Management outlines a variety of management methods to combat the squash vine borer.
Harlequin Bug Coloration Influenced by Temperature During Nymphal Stages
A new study shows that harlequin bugs can adapt their pigmentation (or melanin levels) during their developmental stages based on outside temperatures. Such thermal melanism enhances the pest species' potential to invade new regions and environments.
More Research Needed to Better Balance Honey Bees and Native Bees
A review of existing research on floral resource competition between managed honey bees and wild bees shows gaps in our knowledge about such interactions and calls for further research to better inform decisions on honey bee management and pollinator protection.
Cold-Season Temperature and Rainfall Drive Climate Suitability for Ticks in California
A new CDC study finds cold-season temperature and rainfall are the two leading factors that determine climate suitability for ticks within California, deeming the state's far northern coast and the western Sierra Nevada foothills as the most likely habitat for the western blacklegged tick.
Landscape Terrain Provides New Angle for Measuring Tick Abundance
A study of lone star ticks in the forested Missouri Ozarks found that nymphs and adults were more abundant in valleys and on north-facing hills than in other areas. Meanwhile, nymphs appeared less often in the areas of greater temperature variability, while adults were less prevalent with increased elevation.
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.
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.
Domestic Sea Trade Aids Wood-Boring Beetles’ Range Expansion
A study by entomologists in Italy found that the abundance of bark- and wood-boring beetles outside their native range but still within the same country is correlated with levels of trade at nearby sea ports, suggesting domestic sea transportation plays a role in insects' intra-country range expansion.