Mosquitoes Add Bacteria to Water to Help Larvae Grow: Preprint
Mosquitoes Add Bacteria to Water to Help Larvae Grow: Preprint
Pregnant mosquito females deploy the microbe Elizabethkingia to speed larval growth; the larvae, in turn, help the bacteria outcompete other strains.
Pregnant mosquito females deploy the microbe Elizabethkingia to speed larval growth; the larvae, in turn, help the bacteria outcompete other strains.
insect pest
Mosquito Memory: Pest Management’s New Hurdle
Sophie Fessl, PhD | Feb 21, 2022 | 3 min read
Mosquitoes avoid pesticides that they’ve had close encounters with, a fact that may complicate pest management.
Eavesdropping on Soil Insects Could Aid Pest Management
Michael Graw | Nov 1, 2019 | 5 min read
Insects in the soil are difficult to monitor, but listening in on the noises they make could help farmers detect pest infestations and improve estimates of biodiversity.
Image of the Day: White Stripes
Carolyn Wilke | Jan 23, 2019 | 1 min read
Black-and-white painted skin can help protect from insect bites.
Questions Raised About DARPA-Funded Crop Program
Abby Olena, PhD | Oct 4, 2018 | 4 min read
Critics of an agricultural research initiative cite concerns about possible weaponization of the resulting technology, which would use infected insects to deliver genetically modified viruses to plants.
Bt Corn Associated with Higher Yields, Less Insecticide Use in Neighboring Fields
Shawna Williams | Mar 13, 2018 | 1 min read
An analysis of 40 years of data also finds declines in pest populations after the introduction of the GM crop.
Zika-Carrying Mosquitoes May Be More Constrained in U.S.
Bob Grant | Jun 14, 2016 | 2 min read
The CDC has released a new map that shows US counties where scientists have reported the presence of Aedes aegypti over the past 20 years.
Researchers Accused of Spreading Disease
Bob Grant | Dec 21, 2015 | 2 min read
Italian scientists are under investigation for allegedly worsening the transmission of a pathogen that is decimating olive groves in Puglia.
Sleep Tight
Emily Monosson | Oct 1, 2014 | 3 min read
Bed bugs are but one example of a species whose populations have evolved in response to human behavior.
Book Excerpt from Unnatural Selection
Emily Monosson | Sep 30, 2014 | 4 min read
In chapter 5, “Resurgence: Bedbugs Bite Back,” author Emily Monosson chronicles the rise of the pesky pests in the face of humanity’s best chemical efforts.
Stopping Invasive Insects With Sex Appeal
Bob Grant | Sep 17, 2014 | 2 min read
Researchers find a way to zap emerald ash borers using female decoys.
Week in Review: May 27–30
Jef Akst | May 31, 2013 | 4 min read
The mosquito’s role in malaria virulence; the value of grant review; Europe must embrace GM crops; why roaches avoid sugary bait
Roach Motel Vacancies Explained
Ruth Williams | May 23, 2013 | 3 min read
Scientists discover why certain cockroaches avoid eating insecticide-containing sugary bait.
Plants Communicate with Help of Fungi
Dan Cossins | May 14, 2013 | 1 min read
Symbiotic fungi on the roots of bean plants can act as an underground signaling network, transmitting early warnings of impending aphid attacks.
Genome Digest
Dan Cossins | Mar 6, 2013 | 5 min read
What researchers are learning as they sequence, map, and decode species’ genomes
GM Crops Offer Natural Pest Control
Hayley Dunning | Jun 13, 2012 | 2 min read
Transgenic cotton plants that produce their own insecticide bolster local insect predator populations, which could serve as better long-term solutions to crop pests.
Bacterial Insecticide Resistance
Ed Yong | Apr 23, 2012 | 3 min read
By cultivating detoxifying bacteria in its gut, a pest called the bean bug can become instantly resistant to a common insecticide.
Insect Battles, Big and Small
Megan Scudellari | Apr 10, 2012 | 3 min read
Social insect soldiers not only protect the colony from insect invasions; some also secrete strong antifungal compounds to kill microscopic enemies.
Coffee Pest Gene Transfer
Hannah Waters | Feb 27, 2012 | 3 min read
An insect that plagues coffee plants likely got its bean-digesting gene from a bacterium.