Mosquito Management is Key in Creating Popular Urban Wetlands
A study that shows mosquitoes might benefit from wetland-management tactics aimed at protecting frogs illustrates the complicated ecological dynamics present in urban wetlands. Understanding the habitat requirements and ecological interactions of local mosquito species is critical to balancing such wetlands' risks and benefits.
Stink Bugs Stay Out: Study Measures Gaps Needed for Invasion
If a structure has a gap or entrance large enough for brown marmorated stink bugs to fit through, they will find it. But a new study shows that slits less than 3 millimeters wide and holes less than 7 millimeters wide should successfully exclude the vast majority of the bugs. A related study examines how overwintering stink bugs react to corpses of their fellow bugs remaining from previous winters.
Boric Acid Kills Bed Bugs, But Only When They Eat It
Boric acid dust is a common tool in urban pest management, but a new study shows external exposure is minimally effective against bed bugs. When bed bugs ingest boric acid, though, few survive.
A Day in the Life: Entomology in the Big Apple
For many entomologists, field experiments happen in actual "fields"—croplands or prairies, for instance—but urban ecologist Elsa Youngsteadt, Ph.D., often finds herself in much different spaces, such as the Broadway median in New York City's Upper West Side.
A Day in the Life of an Urban Insect Ecologist
Meet Sarah Parsons, urban insect ecologist and Ph.D. candidate at NC State University. Parsons offers a glimpse into her work studying the mechanisms that drive urban ecosystems.
Spring Cleaning: Tips for Preventing Pest Infestations
By Robin Mountjoy Now that we’ve set our clocks forward for the year, spring is officially on the minds of many homeowners. Spring is also a time when insects and […]
Studying Insects in Vacant Lots Reveals Changes in Environment
Mary Gardiner, an assistant professor at Ohio State University’s Department of Entomology, has been studying 64 empty lots in eight Cleveland neighborhoods since 2009. She believes that insects can help […]