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.
Stink Bugs Stay Out: Study Measures Gaps Needed for Invasion
If a structure has a gap or entrance large enough for brown marmorated stink bugs to fit through, they will find it. But a new study shows that slits less than 3 millimeters wide and holes less than 7 millimeters wide should successfully exclude the vast majority of the bugs. A related study examines how overwintering stink bugs react to corpses of their fellow bugs remaining from previous winters.
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.
Colony Size Drives Honey Bees’ Overwinter Survival
Research in Pennsylvania shows that overall colony weight and the number of worker bees to be the leading factors in determining overwintering survival of honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies. For colonies in which the combined weight of adult bees, brood, and food stores exceeded 30 kilograms, overwinter survival rates were about 94 percent.
Propolis Power-Up: How Beekeepers Can Encourage Resin Deposits for Better Hive Health
When honey bees produce more propolis, a waxy resin they use for sealing up their hives, overall health benefits to the colony ensue. A new study tests a few simple methods beekeepers can use to encourage more propolis production in their hives.
Beer Brewers’ Spent Yeast Could Be Next Bait for Fruit Fly Pest
Researchers in China say a protein bait derived from leftover brewer's yeast attracted more spotted-wing drosophila flies than existing attractants in a lab test.
So, You Want to Study Termite Control? Step 1: Raise a Few Million Termites
Subterranean termite colonies can be as large as 1 million individuals with a foraging territory and underground galleries stretching up to 100 meters long. How does an entomologist study something that large? Here's a behind-the-scenes look at how researchers at the University of Florida have raised entire termite colonies from scratch and devised experimental setups that mimic large foraging and nesting areas while still fitting inside a lab.
Boric Acid Kills Bed Bugs, But Only When They Eat It
Boric acid dust is a common tool in urban pest management, but a new study shows external exposure is minimally effective against bed bugs. When bed bugs ingest boric acid, though, few survive.
For Good of the Colony, Sick Honey Bee Brood Sounds the Alarm
Honey bees detect and remove brood afflicted with parasites or pathogens. A new study shows that part of this "hygienic behavior" relies on chemical signals emitted by unhealthy brood, and brood coming from colonies bred to be more hygienic are more effective in signaling for their own removal.
Study Explores How Flower-Eating Katydids Pick Their Meals
Research in Singapore on katydid florivory could have applications in agriculture or even weed control.
Fluid Termite Bait Aims to Combine Best of Both Management Methods
A new termite-control method currently in development looks to combine the advantages of a liquid insecticide application with the comprehensive impact of existing solid termite bait systems.
Insecticide Netting Could Keep Beetles Out of Your Breakfast Cereal
A new study shows that long-lasting insecticide netting could have promising applications in stored-product facilities to protect foods like wheat, corn, and soybeans from insect pests.
Insect-Based Chicken Feed Can Benefit Farmers and Environment
A new study on insect-based chicken feed, made from black soldier fly larvae, finds an improved cost-benefit ratio and return on investment compared to soybean- or fish-based chicken feed.
Tastes Like Chicken: Hydrogel Shows Promise as Yellowjacket Bait
Existing baits for yellowjackets require fresh meat as an attractant, but a new study finds that hydrogel makes an adequate substitute, absorbing insecticide and giving a tactile resemblance to meat to effectively bait yellowjackets in the same manner.
Testing Shows Dry, Red Sticky Traps Improve Spotted-Wing Drosophila Monitoring
A new study finds spotted-wing drosophila prefer red, glue-covered monitoring traps made of plastic rectangles or spheres compared to the most commonly used clear deli-cup traps. The findings will advance the pursuit of more efficient and effective monitoring techniques for the pest.
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.