From Turtle Shell to Poop Umbrella, This Is One Unusual Group of Beetles
By Leslie Mertz Tortoise beetles are a bizarre group. They look somewhat like tiny turtles with a colorful, or in some species translucent, carapace (the upper shell in turtles), and […]
New Knowledge and a New Tool to Help Control Billbugs in Turfgrass
By Leslie Mertz Turfgrass covers three times more land area than any other irrigated crop in the United States, and brings in tens of billions of dollars in annual revenues. […]
A New Resource for Fighting the Mexican Rice Borer
By Leslie Mertz A moth caterpillar called the Mexican rice borer (Eoreuma loftini) that has already taken a heavy toll on sugar cane and rice crops in Texas has now […]
Nanopillars on Rat-tailed Maggots Reduce Bacterial Colonization
By Leslie Mertz If an insect ever needed a little love, it would be the immature stage of the drone fly (Eristalis tenax), which is known as a “rat-tailed maggot.” […]
JIPM Article on Masked Chafer Grubs in Turfgrass Explains Management Techniques
By Leslie Mertz Anyone who has tended a lawn is probably very familiar with white grubs. They are the fat, cream-colored, brown-headed larvae that can grow up to an inch […]
JIPM Article on Mexican Bean Beetles Offers Tips on Controlling These Crop-Damaging Pests
By Leslie Mertz The Mexican bean beetle (Epilachna varivestis) has flown under the research radar too long, despite the fact that it has been ravaging U.S. crops for almost a […]
Squash Bugs Still Making Growers Crazy After All These Years
By Leslie Mertz If there’s one word that describes the squash bug (Anasa tristis), it is frustrating, according to Hélène Doughty, the lead author of a new descriptive article that […]
Open-Access Article Takes a Closer Look at Crop-Damaging Greenbugs
By Leslie Mertz Aptly named for their bright lime color, greenbugs (Schizaphis graminum) have been a major vexation for growers of wheat and sorghum for more than half a century, […]
New Whirligig Beetle Showcases U.S. Biodiversity Hotspot
By Leslie Mertz Back in April, University of New Mexico Ph.D. candidate Grey Gustafson was on the hunt for a particular species of whirligig beetle in Alabama’s Conecuh National Forest, […]
Teach a Man to Fish (and some entomology) and You’ll Feed Him for a Lifetime
By Leslie Mertz On a cold August afternoon, Jay Buchner leads three novice fly fishermen — two men and a woman — through a mountain-ringed meadow and to the quickly […]
Open-access Article Offers Horse Owners Advice on How to Control Flies with Parasitoid Wasps
By Leslie Mertz Horses need help when it comes to insect pests, particularly the house flies and stable flies that can be a near-constant source of annoyance and even disease. […]
Mosquito Hawk? Skeeter Eater? Giant Mosquito? No, No, and No
That big long-legged fly isn't a mosquito; it doesn't eat mosquitoes, and it's harmless. A bit of insect myth-busting.
The Insects Behind the Weird Growths on Plants
Have you seen strange lumpy growths on your plants? They might be galls caused by tiny wasps or flies.
How to Survive a Massive Mayfly Swarm
Late spring and early summer there is a short-lived but massive mayfly invasion. Millions and millions of the fluttering insects rise up from the lake and into the air in thick clouds.