Got Aphids? Call in the Reinforcements With Banker Plants
To manage pest infestations in greenhouses, banker plants draw in different insect species that don’t feed on the main crop but do serve as hosts for predator insects that will also attack the pest on the main crop—a useful (and green) tool for integrated pest management.
Another Natural Enemy of Invasive Kudzu Bug Arrives in North America
A wasp species native to Asia was discovered in North America for the first time and shows promise as a potential biological control for kudzu bug.
Pennies for Parasitoids: Savings Add Up When Rearing Wasps on Alternate Hosts
The parasitic wasp Telenomus remus can be cheaper to raise on a commercial scale on the eggs of an alternate host, rather than those of the fall armyworm, the pest the wasp naturally parasitizes in the field
Sustainable Entomology: How Insect Scientists Can Protect Our Planet
By Ryan C. Gott, Ph.D. “Living in the now” is passé. We have shifted focus onto benefiting our collective future. This mindset is often manifested in the term “sustainability,” broadly […]
Beauveria Endophytes Can Curb Grasshopper Pests
By Andrew Porterfield Grasshopper species, including Dichroplus maculipennis, are common insect pests. They have been known to cause widespread damage to crops such as corn, soybeans, and wheat, by devouring […]
Horn Fly Biocontrol: In Search of Faster Fungus
By Ed Ricciuti Soon after silkworm eggs were smuggled out of China in the 12th Century, northern Italy and France emerged as centers of silk production, an industry almost brought […]
Scientists Use Insects to Control an Invasive Weed
The release of tiny insects to combat an invasive weed is paying off, according to a recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Scientists from the USDA’s Agricultural Research […]
Sulfoxaflor Found to Be Less Harmful to Beneficial Predators of Soybean Aphids
By Andrew Porterfield A new study from the University of Minnesota has found that the selective insecticide sulfoxaflor is just as effective at controlling soybean aphids (Aphis glycines) as broad-spectrum […]
USDA to Release Russian Wasps Against the Emerald Ash Borer
A host-specific parasitoid wasp from Russia -- Spathius galinae -- has been approved for release to help control the invasive emerald ash borer
Biological Control in Brazil is Used on an Area that is Larger than Belgium
By Alexandre Diniz, José Roberto Postali Parra, and Aloisio Coelho Jr. Some biological control programs involve large-scale rearing of millions insect predators that are released near agricultural crops. In Brazil, […]
A New Parasitoid Wasp from Russia May Help the Fight Against Emerald Ash Borer
By Ed Ricciuti Scientists working on environmentally friendly ways to combat insect pests continually quest for biological control’s version of a better mousetrap: natural enemies of a harmful species that […]
Native Predators May Be Having a Larger Impact than Expected on Invasive Stink Bug
By Dr. Rob Morrison Research recently appearing in the journal Biological Control may change how we view native predators of the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB). BMSB is an invasive […]
Natural Born Stink Bug Killer Found in Washington State
Since 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been directing studies of a tiny Asian wasp called Trissolcus japonicus. These wasps are parasitoids of the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha […]
Trichogramma Wasps Used as Biocontrol Agents in the Greater Mekong Region
Wasps in the genus Trichogramma are tiny beneficial wasps that feed on the eggs of several insect pests. To help rice farmers in the Greater Mekong Region, a project was […]
New Device Makes Lady Beetles Better, Easier Biocontrol Agents
The spotted lady beetle (Coleomegilla maculata) preys on aphids, spider mites, and other plant-damaging pests, making it a possible biocontrol agent — an organism that is used to control pest […]
West Coast Flies to the Rescue of East Coast Hemlock Forests
A tiny fly from the Pacific Northwest may provide new hope for towering hemlock forests dying along the East Coast. Deep-green hemlock forests stretch from Georgia to southern Canada — […]