A New Look at the Dynamics of Human–Mosquito Contact
It's not enough to know mosquito abundance in a given area. Rather, the rate at which mosquitoes and humans actually come into contact is critical, a group of researchers say, to better understanding and modeling mosquito-borne disease transmission.
Mystery Growths on Termites Lead to Major Review of Ectoparasitic Fungi
A new report in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America details 34 species of fungi that specialize in parasitizing termites—an effort spurred by researchers puzzling over mysterious growths on the underside of termites collected in South America.
Brood’s Clues: New Mapping Approach Puts Cicadas in Focus
More than 20 broods of periodical cicadas inhabit the eastern United States, and researchers are refining their mapping of brood ranges with increasing precision at every new emergence. A new report in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America details new advances in mapping cicadas from researchers who studied Brood VI in 2000 and 2017.
Where Dung Beetles Perch Says a Lot About Community Evolution
Research on dung beetle behavior shows many species, especially smaller ones, choose a "sit and wait" strategy for finding food, while only larger ones actively search for food by following animals. A pair of biologists suggest this behavior is a resource-partitioning strategy to reduce competition for scarce food.