The latest news about entomology, brought to you by the Entomological Society of America
A crucial step in management of mosquito-borne diseases is knowing exactly what kind of mosquitoes are present in any given locale. Are they garden-variety species that aren’t carriers of human pathogens, or are they potentially dangerous vectors such as Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus? Identifying and discerning between those two species is important as well, […]
By Andrew Porterfield For more than 50 years, the light trap—an incandescent light source attached to an insect collector—has been the standard for sampling potentially disease-carrying mosquitos. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other insect control agencies and organizations worldwide have used the light-bulb trap apparatus to attract and count a wide […]
Managing mosquito and tick populations and protecting the health of pollinators are growing concerns on a global scale, but success in both requires teamwork on the local level. A coalition of entomologists and other scientists specializing in both disease-vector management and pollinator protection suggest professionals in these disciplines must work closely together in their local […]
Michael Reiskind, Ph.D., found inspiration for entomological research at a gas station. “Several years ago, I noticed an Aedes albopictus adult resting on the water in a windshield wash basin at a gas station,” he says. “Closer inspection revealed that she was just emerging from a pupa, which means that these habitats were capable of […]
In its popular understanding, forensic entomology is the field of science that uses certain insects’ affinity for decomposition as a tool in death investigations. It is, of course, not as simple as TV crime dramas might lead you to believe, and practicing forensic entomologists know first-hand just how complicated the science is. Part of that […]
