Wolbachia Bacteria Can Control Mosquitoes with Fewer Chemicals
By Erin Weeks Imagine that a strain of bacteria living in your body had the power to protect you from deadly viruses, render you sterile, or even help give rise […]
Researchers Discover Natural Insect Growth Regulators in Plants
Insect growth regulators, or IGRs, are chemicals that are used in some insecticides to control certain insects. Unlike many other insecticides, they are not nerve agents and they generally do […]
Some Facts About Florida’s Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
A new genetic-modification technique known as RIDL (Release of Insects carrying a Dominant Lethal) tinkers with the DNA of male mosquitoes, which do not bite people or other animals. When males mate, they pass on a lethal gene that cause all their offspring to die.
Why Fly When You Can Hitchhike? Mosquitoes Rely on Roads to Disperse
It’s only been about a year since the tropical disease chikungunya was first spotted in the Western Hemisphere. In December 2013, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a travel […]
Researchers Find Gene that Makes Mosquitoes Prefer Humans over Animals
The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is one of the world’s deadliest mosquitoes. Found in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide, it is the principal carrier of yellow fever, dengue fever, […]
Entomology 2014: Portland, Oregon
This post is by Dr. Cameron Webb, a medical entomologist from Australia who is on has already begun the long journey to Portland for Entomology 2014. In it, he lists some cool things to see in the city of Portland and some upcoming highlights from the meeting in the field of medical entomology and public health. Follow him on Twitter at @Mozziebites, and follow his blog at http://cameronwebb.wordpress.com.
Scientists Find Mosquito Receptors that Make DEET Effective as Repellent
Scientists have long known that DEET, the gold standard of insect repellents for more than six decades, effectively repels mosquitoes, but now researchers in the Walter Leal Lab at the […]
Bacterium May Make Mosquitoes Less Susceptible to Dengue and Malaria
Just like those of humans, insect guts are full of microbes, and the microbiota can influence the insect’s ability to transmit diseases. A study published in PLOS Pathogens reports that […]
Mosquitoes “Smell” and “Taste” DEET and other Repellents
Mosquitoes not only have a sense of smell for certain insect repellents, but they also have a sense of taste for these chemicals, according to scientists at the U.S. Department […]
West Nile Virus Enhanced by Wolbachia in Culex tarsalis Mosquito
Wolbachia, a genus of bacteria that infects insects and other arthropods, has been used in the past to control mosquitoes and to hinder their ability to spread diseases such as […]
Mosquitoes Modified to Create Only Male Offspring Could Help Eradicate Malaria
Scientists have modified mosquitoes to produce sperm that will only create males, pioneering a fresh approach to eradicating malaria. In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, scientists from […]
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 […]
For Dogs and Cats, Year-Round Heartworm Prevention Is Best
By Richard Levine A recent news release from the Veterinary Health Center at Kansas State University advises pet owners to give their dogs and cats heartworm pills year-round, even in […]
Multiple Cues Needed for Mosquitoes to Bite
Although it may seem like mosquitoes will bite anything with a pulse, a new study from the Rockefeller University has found that it takes a combination of at least two […]
Panama Considers Sterilizing Mosquitoes to Combat Dengue
Weeks after Panama’s Health Minister, Javier Diaz, declared that the country was experiencing a “dengue epidemic,” Panama approved the evaluation of a novel tool to combat the dengue mosquito. It […]
What if We Fit Thousands of Mosquitoes with Tiny Sensors?
A post from last week called “Australia Fits Thousands of Bees with Sensors to Monitor the Environment” described a project where as many as 5,000 bees were being fitted with […]