Mosquito Egg Hunt: Many Culex Species Prefer Alternatives to Standing Water
The conventional wisdom about where many Culex mosquitoes lay their eggs—in standing water—is not always wise. Research into the diverse subgenus Melanoconion shows that many, if not most, mosquito species […]
Cimicid Remains Found in Oregon Caves are Oldest Ever Found
A cave in southern Oregon that is the site of some the oldest preserved evidence of human activity in North America was also once home to not-too-distant cousins of the […]
House Fly Death by Artificial Sweetener: Starvation, Not Toxicity
While recent headlines have noted the potential insecticidal properties of common artificial sweeteners, don’t go sprinkling Truvia around your home just yet. A new study on house flies suggests they […]
Fossilized Tick Carrying Pathogens in Mammalian Blood Cells Discovered in 15-Million-Year-Old Amber
Ticks have been pathogen-carrying parasites for a very, very long time. A new discovery in a specimen of fossilized amber, roughly 15 million to 20 million years old, reveals a […]
Tick Tock: Fat Reserves in Blacklegged Ticks Provide a Life-Expectancy Clock
The winter of 2011-2012 was a mild one in the New York City area, and the following summer saw the lowest population density of nymphal blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) in […]
Ticks: If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Dab Their Animal Hosts With Insecticide
An emerging tool in the fight against tick-borne disease, host-targeted bait boxes employ a sneaky trick: turning some of ticks’ favorite carriers —small mammals like mice and chipmunks —against them. […]
A Chance Encounter: The Case of a Western Conifer-Seed Bug Biting a Human
Bed bugs, mosquitoes, ticks—and the western conifer-seed bug? Well, if you’re making a list of insects that have been recorded having bitten a human at least once, ever, then yes. […]
Setting a Baseline: A Clearer View of Mosquito Resistance to Insecticides
By Andrew Porterfield Mosquito control professionals have made significant gains toward managing malaria worldwide, as well as defending against West Nile virus, chikungunya, dengue, St. Louis encephalitis, and, more recently, […]
Counting Horn Flies: No Easy Task, Whether In Person or In a Photo
By Ed Ricciuti If your job is counting horn flies, a twitch of a cow’s hide can go a long way toward ruining your day. OK, perhaps that is a […]
Why Are There So Many Mosquito-Borne Virus Outbreaks in the Americas?
By Josh Lancette In the past few decades, outbreaks of multiple mosquito-borne viruses have been popping up throughout North and South America. Some of these viruses are well known to […]
Could a Large-Scale Zika Outbreak Occur in the United States?
By Josh Lancette While recent news cycles in the United States largely have been dominated by election coverage, the threat of Zika remains a concern both locally and globally, with […]
Reduced Numbers of Deer can Lead to Fewer Lyme Disease Cases
Since white-tailed deer serve as the primary host for the adult blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) — the vector for Lyme disease — scientists have wondered whether reducing the number of […]
X-rays Can be Used to Sterilize Mosquitoes
Since the 1950s, scientists have used radiation to sterilize insects, which are then released into the wild to mate, but no offspring are produced. Known as the sterile insect technique […]
Removing Head Lice Eggs with Ordinary Conditioner is Just as Effective as Using Special Products
Eggs from head lice, also called nits, are incredibly difficult to remove. Female lice lay eggs directly onto strands of hair, and they cement them in place with a glue-like […]
Bed Bugs Grow Faster in Groups
Researchers have previously observed that certain insects — especially crickets, cockroaches, and grasshoppers — tend to grow faster when they live in groups. However, no research has ever been done […]