Field Tour Offers Close-Up Look at Invasive Species Security
In August 2018, a diverse group of stakeholders gathered for the Entomological Society of America Plant-Insect Ecosystem Section's Science Policy Field Tour, "Invasive Species Security: Protecting Our National Health, Food Supply, and Environment."
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.
Harlequin Bug Coloration Influenced by Temperature During Nymphal Stages
A new study shows that harlequin bugs can adapt their pigmentation (or melanin levels) during their developmental stages based on outside temperatures. Such thermal melanism enhances the pest species' potential to invade new regions and environments.
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.
Stinking Here and There: The Painted Bug Bagrada hilaris Goes From Crops to Homes
The sting bug species Bagrada hilaris, sometimes known as the painted bug or bagrada bug, arrived in Chile in 2016 and has quickly become a pest of crops—but, for the first time, it has also begun to infest homes, as reported this month in the Journal of Medical Entomology.
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.
Donna Leonard: At the Helm of a World-Renowned Forest Insect Management Program
Donna Leonard, forest entomologist at the U.S. Forest Service, has piloted one of the most successful forest insect-management programs in the world for over 20 years running, all while navigating a career in a male-dominated field.
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.
Fruit DNA in Invasive Flies’ Guts Could Help Track Their Dispersal
A recent study at North Carolina State University shows that DNA analysis of spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) flies can detect whether they fed on strawberries as much as seven days prior. Researchers hope the proof of concept will lead to more accurate analysis of the invasive pest's dispersal in the field.
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.
Study Shines a (Fluorescent) Light on Invasive Fruit Fly Trapping
To estimate the catch rate of traps for invasive spotted-wing drosophila fruit flies in tart cherry orchards, researchers at Michigan State University first marked thousands of flies with fluorescent dust and released them. Then they counted the recaptured flies under ultraviolet light.
Invasive Fly Targets North American Onions, Leeks, Related Crops
The allium leafminer damages crops such as onions, garlic, shallots, and leeks through larval feeding and adult egg-laying in plant tissue. Native to Europe, the invasive species was first discovered in North America in December 2015 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Spotted Lanternfly: States Urge Citizens to Report Sightings of Invasive Insect Hitchhiker
First encountered in the United States in Pennsylvania in 2014, the spotted lanternfly had spread to New York, Delaware, and Virginia by early 2018. The invasive insect threatens Tree of Heaven as well as grapes, hops, and fruit trees, and it has a penchant for hitchhiking. Anyone sighting spotted lanternfly is urged to report it to their state agriculture department or local extension office.
Flower Pots in Southwestern U.S. a Common Breeding Site for Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes
The Aedes aegypti mosquito typically prefers humid climates, but it has gained a foothold in the arid southwestern U.S. by using manmade containers for breeding sites—in particular, flower pots and the saucers underneath them.
Native to Asia, Found in New Jersey: The Curious Case of an Invasive Tick
In 2017, specimens of an "unusual-looking" tick were discovered in New Jersey and determined to be a species, Haemaphysalis longicornis, native to Asia. No established population of the species has ever been previously documented in the United States.