A Fast, Frassy Way to Detect the Asian Longhorned Beetle
Researchers in Italy have developed a rapid method for detection of the Asian longhorned beetle, an invasive pest in Europe and North America, using a DNA-detection technique known as loop-mediated isothermal amplification.
List of Known Host Plants Grows for Spotted Lanternfly
Two researchers compile existing research and additional observations to update the list of potential host plants for the invasive spotted lanternfly, bringing the worldwide total of plants the insect will feed on to 103—of which 56 are present in North America.
Long-Distance Palm Weevil Flyers Threaten California Date Palms
Lab testing of the flight capability of the weevil Rhynchophorus palmarum shows some "super-flyers" can fly more than 100 kilometers in 24 hours. With the species appearing recently on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, the findings are a concern for California's $100 million date palm industry.
Lab Study Shows Asian Longhorned Tick Can Spread Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that the invasive Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) can, at least under lab conditions, acquire and transmit the bacteria that cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever.