Don’t Poop Where You Eat: Bee Defecation on Flowers May Explain Disease Transmission
In a recent study, flower shape played a role in defecation patterns for common eastern bumble bees (Bombus impatiens). Researchers say this could reveal a disease transmission route affecting bee populations.
Study Shines Light on ID’ing Males, Females of Endangered Beetles
In two endangered beetle species that live in the Edwards Aquifer in Texas, males and females are nearly indiscernible. A new study suggests the quickest way to ID males versus females is to shine a light through them, illuminating internal organs that reveal the difference.
As a Watershed is Urbanized, Damselflies Show Declines
A study along a river in Central Mexico finds Hetaerina americana damselflies in reduced numbers after a decline in vegetation the addition of wastewater outlets. Researchers say the decline illustrates the impact of human land use on natural ecosystems.
The Eyes Have It: How Butterflies Navigate to Suitable Habitat
Do butterflies find suitable habitat through vision or via other senses? The results of a new study were easy to see: Butterflies with flash-induced blindness consistently failed to navigate to target habitat that unaffected butterflies could readily find.
Researchers Share New Method for Detecting Insect Egg Predators
A proof-of-concept study shows insect eggs can be marked with protein that can be later detected in a gut-content analysis of arthropod predators that fed on the eggs. Researchers say the method has applications in biological control and beyond.
Virus Helps Onion Thrips Live Longer, Do More Damage
Iris yellow spot virus is bad for onions, but it's good for the thrips species that carry the virus and spread it to onion plants. In a recent study, infected onion thrips lived about 20 percent longer than uninfected thrips, giving them more time to damage onion plants and transmit the virus.
How a Honey Bee’s Waggle is Inspiring Aerospace Design
Engineers may recognize the internal muscle structure of a honey bee abdomen for its resemblance to a Stewart platform, a mechanical device that enables six degrees of freedom in movement. Researchers who have found its natural equivalent in bees say the discovery is already informing their work in designing articulating nose cones for rockets.
Climate Change Could Open Doors, Close Others for Spread of Japanese Beetle
A new study modeling potential future climate-change scenarios finds the potential for the invasive Japanese beetle to expand its range northward into new regions in North America, though some parts of it southern range could become too warm for it.
Black-Orange-Black Color Pattern Found in 23 Families of Wasps, Bees, and Ants
Well-known in Lepidoptera and Coleoptera, the distinct black-orange-black color pattern has never been fully documented in Hymenoptera—until now. A study of more than 1 million wasp, bee, and other hymenopteran specimens finds a wide range of variations of the pattern present in 23 families within the order Hymenoptera.
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.
Maximizing Mealworms: Research Aims to Improve Rearing Methods
Yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) have long been produced as fish bait and pet food, but their use as animal feed and even food for people is growing. Researchers are working to fine-tune methods to improve the quantity and quality of mass-reared mealworms.
Hidden Eyespot Reveals New Facets of Sexual Selection in Bicyclus Butterflies
A new study illustrates how ventral forewing patterns in Bicyclus anynana butterflies are used in sexual communication. Though the patterns are often hidden by hindwings when at rest, the study found the white, UV-reflecting eyespots to be a signal used by females to attract males.
Putting Bumble Bees in a Box Might Help Scientists Study Their Nesting Ecology
Bumble bee nests can be hard to find and study, so researchers hope they can create artificial nest boxes for them to use and be observed more easily. But will bumble bees use such boxes? New research offers some clues about optimal design and placement of bumble bee "domiciles."
When Cicada-Killer Wasps Become Cicada-Stealer Wasps
Hunting cicadas and lugging them back to a nest is hard work for a cicada-killer wasp. But sometimes all that hard work goes to waste, when a fellow wasp swoops in and lays her egg on the other wasp's prey. And that's if the cicada isn't stolen by a bird first.
The Hole Story: How Mosquitoes Seek Out Gaps in Nets or Screens
A new study suggests mosquitoes actually aren't all that good at finding holes in netting, doing so mostly by chance.
Need to Mail Mosquitoes? Pack Them Up Nice and Snug
Several emerging mosquito-management methods require the transport of mosquitoes to precise locations. There, lab-reared mosquitoes—for instance, sterilized males—mix with wild mosquitoes and hinder the population's ability to reproduce or transmit disease. But, getting mosquitoes from lab to wild presents logistical challenges. A team led by researchers at New Mexico State University are tackling this problem and have made a surprising discovery about just how tightly live mosquitoes can be packed up.