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Tag: USDA-ARS

Closeup of a stink bug, nearly uniformly bright green in color, crawling along a horizontal plant stem.

Stink Bug Saliva: A Potent Mix to Bypass Plant Defenses

The biochemical conflict between plants and the insects that eat them is vastly complex, as illustrated by new research identifying nearly 700 proteins in the saliva of just five stink bug species, many of which play potential roles in suppressing or deactivating plants' own chemical defenses.

closeup view of corner of a hivetop incubator on top of a honey bee hive box. the incubator is a wide, shallow box about two inches tall, topped with a wood panel. in the picture, near the corner of the incubator is a hole about a half-inch in diameter, and several Osmia lignaria bees are gathered on the outside of the box near the hole.

Honey Bee Heat Warms Up Fellow Pollinators for Early-Season Blooms

An incubator that draws excess heat from a honey bee hive warms up managed Osmia lignaria bees so they can pollinate early-blooming fruit trees such as cherry, apple, and almond. A new study shows the hivetop incubators are effective, with little effect on the honey bee hive temps below.