Meet the Mosquito With a Big Appetite—for Other Mosquitoes
The mosquito species Toxorhynchites rutilus is harmless to humans but is a voracious predator of other mosquitoes. Researchers in Houston, Texas, are hoping the "mosquito assassin" could be put into action as a tool for controlling mosquitoes that carry human pathogens—if they can find an efficient way to raise the predator mosquitoes in the lab.
New Study Aims to Protect Parasitoids of Spotted-Wing Drosophila
Use of an insecticide can be counterproductive if it also harms natural enemies of a target pest. A new study puts several insecticides currently in use to manage spotted-wing drosophila to the test to see how they do or don't affect parasitoids of the invasive fruit fly.
In Search for Better Stink Bug Management, Scientists Look Up
A parasitoid wasp from Asia offers promise for biological control of the brown marmorated stink bug in North America, but new research suggests that monitoring efforts using primarily ground-level traps may be looking in the wrong place.
Why Taxonomic Preparedness is Critical for Invasive Species Response
The story of "Team Trissolcus," insect taxonomists who sprang into action to identify the parasitoid wasps that might help us fight the invasive brown marmorated stink bug.
How the Mighty Mite Conquered the Heart of One Entomologist
Meet Rebecca Schmidt-Jeffris, Ph.D., assistant professor at Clemson University, expert in biological control in fruit crops, a big fan of mites, and the subject of the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
Fighting Nature With Nature: Scientists Mobilize Biological Control Against Devastating Fall Armyworm
Researchers at Virginia Tech's Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Integrated Pest Management are looking to biological control for the fall armyworm, with plans to deploy native, mass-reared parasitoid wasps in Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia in the coming year.
Water Mites Discovered Parasitizing Two Mosquito Species in Pennsylvania
A survey of mosquitoes in Pennsylvania discovered 12 mosquitoes parasitized by larval mites. Water mites can reduce the survival and reproductive success of mosquitoes, and entomologists are investigating such parasitism to evaluate its potential as a method for biological control efforts.
American Underdog Wasp Fights for Foothold on Exotic Hosts
When a foreign parasitoid wasp was introduced to North America to control invasive pea aphids, it outcompeted most native wasps, except for one: Praon pequodorum. Its secret weapon: a resistance to pea aphids' natural defenses.
Oregon Researchers Find a Native Wasp With a Taste for Stink Bugs
A recent study in Oregon details the predatory habits of the wasp Astata unicolor—its preferred prey is the invasive brown marmorated stink bug—and notes its potential as a native natural enemy of the invasive pest.
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 […]