How One Scientist’s Interest in Biosecurity Led Her to Entomology
Meet Laura Nixon, Ph.D., postdoctoral researcher at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, chemical ecology expert, world traveler, and subject of the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
New, Fast DNA Method Spots Pesticide-Resistant Ticks
In its effort to keep cattle fever ticks from escaping quarantine in five counties along the southern Texas border, researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have developed an overnight DNA test that can detect ticks' genetic indicators of resistance to permethrin, a common pesticide used to manage ticks.
Study Details Mechanics of Flea Beetles’ Big Jumps
The tribe of leaf beetles known for their incredible jumping strength use a powerful catapult-like mechanism to spring away from looming predators. A team of Chinese and U.S. scientists illustrate the biomechanics of these beetles' jumps in a new study and say the findings could hold lessons for bio-inspired robotics.
Spotted Lanternfly: Large Potential Range in U.S. and Beyond
A new study published today in the Journal of Economic Entomology models potential suitable habitat for the invasive spotted lanternfly and shows large swaths of the United States and beyond are likely to be vulnerable should the spotted lanternfly continue to spread.
How Ticks Hide in Plain Sight From Predatory Fire Ants
Though tick populations tend to decrease in areas where predatory ants are present, a new study reveals that it's not because the ants prey on the ticks. In fact, predatory ants such as fire ants ignore ticks completely.
Large-Scale Study Points to Simpler Trap for Monitoring Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs
Tested in more than 100 locations across the U.S., a clear sticky-panel trap proves effective in attracting brown marmorated stink bugs, putting an easier-to-use tool in the hands of growers and IPM professionals for monitoring populations of the invasive pest.
Researchers Share New Method for Detecting Insect Egg Predators
A proof-of-concept study shows insect eggs can be marked with protein that can be later detected in a gut-content analysis of arthropod predators that fed on the eggs. Researchers say the method has applications in biological control and beyond.
Assay Array: Entomologists’ Lab Tests Expose Insect Secrets
Entomologists can find out a lot about an insect through some simple chemical reactions in a lab. A new review offers a guide to the wide variety of tests, or assays, that can be conducted to measure the fats, sugars, and other compounds in an insect's body—thereby revealing useful clues about how it stores and uses energy.
Road Trip: How Hive Transportation Puts Stress on Honey Bees
Honey bees are in high demand for pollinating crops, and hives are often trucked thousands of miles a year to serve different crops in different regions and seasons. But researchers say honey bees show signs of stress from all that travel.
Why Researchers are Re-Creating an Infamous Hitchhiker’s Month-Long Journey Around the Globe
New Zealand is working hard to keep the invasive brown marmorated stink bug from reaching its shores, and researchers there are working with colleagues at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to understand the dynamics of the pest's ocean voyage aboard cargo ships bound for the island nation, in hopes of finding new ways to detect and prevent its arrival.
An Inside Look at How the Varroa Mite’s True Diet Was Discovered
Some researchers willing to question conventional wisdom, some crafty experimentation, and some high-tech microscopic imagery all add up to a discovery about the Varroa destructor mite that upends years of understanding about how it parasitizes honey bees.
Organic Dust Takes a Bite Out of Ticks
Researchers at the USDA-Agricultural Research Service find promising results using clay and silicate dusts to combat lone star ticks. They hope the dusts could be a useful tool against tick species that transmit deadly pathogens to livestock.
Insecticide Netting Could Keep Beetles Out of Your Breakfast Cereal
A new study shows that long-lasting insecticide netting could have promising applications in stored-product facilities to protect foods like wheat, corn, and soybeans from insect pests.
Researchers Aim to Cut Through the Complexity of Managing Early-Season Crop Pests
Assessing the potential risk of minor, sporadic early-season pests is challenging. A new collection of profiles in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management aims to help growers and IPM professionals make more-informed decisions about whether methods such as preventative insecticide seed treatments are warranted.
New and Easy Marking Method Tracks Bees Without Killing Them
A new study published in the Journal of Insect Science outlines a new technique that quickly, simply, and inexpensively marks bees to track their movement—and it's non-lethal, too. It could make for an valuable improvement for mark-and-recapture methods for these pollinators.
Fighting Flies With Flies: An In-Depth Look at the 2016 Screwworm Outbreak Response in Florida
The return of the screwworm to Florida in 2016 was a surprise, but entomologists with the USDA and local, state, and international partners were prepared to respond. A new, in-depth report in the Journal of Medical Entomology shares a detailed account of their work re-eradicating the pest via the sterile insect technique—plus new lessons learned along the way.