New Study Advances Lab Rearing of Endangered Beetle
An endangered species of aquatic beetle, known as the Comal Springs riffle beetle, inhabits just two spring systems in Texas and is at the center of ongoing protection efforts. A new study offers important insight into how to rear the species in captivity for conservation.
Keep on Ticking: Entomologist Tells of Ticks’ 27-Year Lifespan
An entomologist at Binghamton University kept a group of African soft ticks alive in a lab for 27 years—and their offspring are still going at age 26.
Need to Feed Mosquitoes? Head for the Freezer Aisle
In search of a simple, cost-effective way to maintain laboratory mosquito colonies, biologists at a mosquito control district in Florida have turned to food-grade frozen animal blood found at specialty grocery stores. They share the success of their new method for other cash-strapped mosquito-management operations in the open-access Journal of Insect Science.
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.