Khapra Beetle Can’t Beat the Heat
The khapra beetle does outsize damage to stored grains and is a top target at ports and border crossings. Researchers in Canada have found the threshold temperature that will kill the beetle at all life stages, even diapause.
Invasive Insects: The Top 4 “Most Wanted” List
The list of invasive insects in the United States is a long one, but one entomologist offers his list of the top four "most wanted"—plus a note about how entomologists are working to better manage the challenge of invasive insect species.
Got Spotted Lanternfly Eggs on Your Tree? Send ‘Em Through the Wood Chipper
The invasive spotted lanternfly often lays its eggs on tree limbs and trunks. A new study finds that putting infested wood through a wood chipper effectively destroys spotted lanternfly egg masses, and researchers recommend the practice for reducing the potential spread of the pest.
Fighting Flies With Flies: An In-Depth Look at the 2016 Screwworm Outbreak Response in Florida
The return of the screwworm to Florida in 2016 was a surprise, but entomologists with the USDA and local, state, and international partners were prepared to respond. A new, in-depth report in the Journal of Medical Entomology shares a detailed account of their work re-eradicating the pest via the sterile insect technique—plus new lessons learned along the way.
You’ve Got Ants: New 10-Minute Test Kit Detects Red Imported Fire Ants
The red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) is an invasive species from South America that is damaging to agriculture and wildlife and known for its painful, venomous sting. That venom, […]
Check Your Trees in August for Signs of the Asian Longhorned Beetle
By Robyn Rose August is Tree Check Month for the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis) since this is the time of year when the majority of adults emerge from trees. […]
Customs Agents in Buffalo Intercept Invasive Tortricid Moth
Last week an entomologist from the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed that U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists at the Lewiston Bridge border crossing in Buffalo, NY have intercepted […]