Satyrization is No Laughing Matter for Aedes Aegypti Mosquitoes, But Pickiness Has a Price
When their ranges overlap, two invasive mosquito species mate but produce no offspring, in an event known as satyrization. They can evolve quickly to learn to avoid each other, but that choosiness may cost the mosquitoes in other ways.
Potential Range for Asian Longhorned Tick Covers Much of Eastern U.S.
The invasive Asian longhorned tick could find plenty of suitable habitat in North America that is similar to its native region, according to new research from the Rutgers University Center for Vector Biology.
Organic Dust Takes a Bite Out of Ticks
Researchers at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service find promising results using clay and silicate dusts to combat lone star ticks. They hope the dusts could be a useful tool against tick species that transmit deadly pathogens to livestock.
In the Southern U.S., Young Blacklegged Ticks’ Habitat is a Mystery
In the southern U.S., blacklegged tick larvae and nymphs can be found on hosts, but they don't otherwise show up in vegetation or—as a new study finds—in leaf litter or soil either. So where are they hiding?
Tick-Repellent Clothing: How Laundry Suds Affect Your Permethrin-Treated Duds
A study on the durability of permethrin-treated clothing found that, after 16 cycles of wearing and washing the clothes, their repellent effect on ticks was indeed reduced, but it was still better than untreated clothing.
After 17 Years and 1,800 Tests, Researchers Find Cat Flea Pesticide Remains Effective
A 17-year study that monitored for resistance among cat fleas to the insecticide imidacloprid finds no evidence of decreased susceptibility. The study involved researchers in 10 countries, who tested more than 1,800 cat flea egg samples.
Kissing Bugs Kiss Their Hiding Spots Goodbye, Thanks to Tiny Radio Transmitters
In a new pilot study, researchers in Texas used miniature radio transmitters to track the secretive movements of kissing bugs, a method that could provide new advances in reducing kissing bugs' impact as a vector of Chagas disease.
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.
Study of Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Finds No Evidence of Natural Wolbachia Infection
A new study of genetic samples from Aedes aegypti mosquitoes from around the world finds no evidence of naturally occurring infection with Wolbachia bacteria, a positive sign for efforts that artificially introduce Wolbachia to mosquito populations to reduce their numbers or interrupt their ability to transmit disease-causing pathogens.
Cold-Season Temperature and Rainfall Drive Climate Suitability for Ticks in California
A new CDC study finds cold-season temperature and rainfall are the two leading factors that determine climate suitability for ticks within California, deeming the state's far northern coast and the western Sierra Nevada foothills as the most likely habitat for the western blacklegged tick.
New CDC Tick Study Adds to Promise of Permethrin-Treated Clothing
Experiments conducted at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed clothing treated with permethrin had strong toxic effects on three primary germ-carrying tick species, interfering with the ticks' ability to move properly and likely interfering with their ability to bite.
Cannibalism in Mosquito Larvae Confounds Egg Counts
New research shows that late-stage Anopheles gambiae larvae will eat eggs and first-instar larvae of their own species, calling into question the common view that females of the mosquito species avoid laying eggs in water where other larvae are already present.
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.
Invasive Tick Persists in New Jersey
Officials in New Jersey report that the invasive tick Haemaphysalis longicornis has successfully overwintered and was found once again on a rural property in mid-April 2018, after an infestation was reported there in 2017, the first such appearance of the species within North American borders.
A Better Picture of Head-Lice Transmission, Aided by Math and a Fine-Toothed Comb
Researchers in Argentina compared mathematical models of head lice transmission with analysis of infestations in school children and found that head lice infestations across a classroom likely require at least one severely infested child serving as a "superspreader."
Landscape Terrain Provides New Angle for Measuring Tick Abundance
A study of lone star ticks in the forested Missouri Ozarks found that nymphs and adults were more abundant in valleys and on north-facing hills than in other areas. Meanwhile, nymphs appeared less often in the areas of greater temperature variability, while adults were less prevalent with increased elevation.