Tsetse Flies Are Strange and Dangerous Insects
By Kevin Fitzgerald Tsetse flies are the scourge of Central Africa. The flies are vectors for the disease nagana, also known as African animal trypanosomiasis (AAT), in wild and domestic […]
Burying Beetles Are Part of Nature’s Clean-up Crew
By Kevin Fitzgerald Certain species of insects, along with species of vertebrate scavengers, fungi, and bacteria, are members of nature’s clean-up crew. These entities break down organic matter from complexity […]
How Do Cicadas Know When to Emerge from the Ground?
By Kevin Fitzgerald If you’ve never seen a cicada, you’ve certainly heard them, filling summer days and nights with their loud, raspy love songs. If you’ve seen any, you’re not […]
Vampire Moths Suck the Blood of Vertebrates, Including Humans
Vampire moths? Yes! Some moths that feed on the blood of vertebrates
Stink Bugs’ Tree Host Preferences May Provide Management Clues
By Kevin Fitzgerald Since its discovery in Pennsylvania in 1998, the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys), an invasive species native to eastern Asia, has swept into most U.S. states, […]
Two New Creeping Water Bug Species Found in Belize and Peru
By Kevin Fitzgerald Two new insect species have been added to the 900,000+ species that have previously been described: Ambrysus cayo, which was found in streams in western Belize, and […]
Predatory Wasps and Citizen Scientists are Taking on the Emerald Ash Borer
By Kevin Fitzgerald The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) is a pest species that has killed tens of millions of ash trees and has the potential to kill most of […]