Cockroach Courtship and Mating: Sugar Aversion Hampers Cockroach Coupling
New research from North Carolina State University (NC State) shows the behavioral mechanism behind a sweet cockroach mating ritual that takes a bitter turn, resulting…
Entomology
Organic Insecticides More Damaging to Beneficial Insects Than Synthetic Alternatives
Very low concentrations of the popular organic insecticide spinosad have profound effects on beneficial insect species, including vision loss and neurodegeneration, new research led by…
What Do Grasshoppers Eat? Startling Similarities Discovered Between the Mouths of Grasshoppers and Mammal Teeth
What do grasshoppers eat? It’s not just grass! New Leicester research shows similarities with mammal teeth like never before. New research led by paleobiologists at…
Sex Pheromone Could Be Key to Stopping Giant “Murder” Hornet Invasion
Chemicals used as bait to trap and track so-called ‘murder hornets’ as they expand their footprint in the Western United States. The world’s largest hornet…
New Form of Ant Society Evolved in One Species and Spread Into Other Species
Scientists from Queen Mary University of London have discovered that a new form of ant society spread across species. They found that after the new…
The Physics of Creepy-Crawly Fire Ant Rafts Could Help Engineers Design Swarming Robots
Fire ants survive floods by forming rafts made up of thousands of wriggling insects. New research reveals how these creepy-crawly lifeboats change shape over time….
Student’s Invention Enables Researchers To Easily Track Elusive Insects
With some home security software and a little ingenuity, researchers have developed an inexpensive device that will allow them to study the behavior and activity…
Hidden Diversity: Undiscovered Species Are Hiding Right Under Our Noses
Advanced genetic techniques reveal several look-alike parasitoid wasps previously grouped as one species. A common refrain among biologists holds that the majority of Earth’s plant…
Neuroterus Valhalla: Biologists Discover Weird New Wasp Species
Lab waits to see how Houston’s historic 2021 freeze impacted tiny wasp species. Its name sounds legendary, but the newly discovered insect Neuroterus (noo-ROH’-teh-rus) valhalla…
Zoologist Solves the Bizarre 100-Year-Old Mystery of the Floating Phantom Midge
In spring 2018, Dr. Philip Matthews spent a typical afternoon capturing dragonflies in the University of British Columbia’s (UBC) experimental ponds. Little did the zoologist…
New Species Discoveries Grow Earth’s Tree of Life: From the Lowland Forests of Madagascar to Easter Island’s Coral Reefs
California Academy of Sciences Researchers Describe 70 New Species in 2021 In 2021, researchers at the California Academy of Sciences added 70 new plant and…
Human Skin Lipids Repel Bed Bugs – Discovery Could Lead to New Pest Management Strategies
University of Kentucky entomology researchers have found that skin triglycerides, or lipids, keep bed bugs from staying very long on human hosts. Their finding could…
Do Flies Really Throw Up When They Land on Your Food?
Imagine you’re at a picnic and just about to bite into your sandwich. Suddenly you spot a fly headed your way, homing in on your…
Meat-Eating “Vulture Bees” Sport Acidic Guts and an Extra Tooth for Biting Flesh
A little-known species of tropical bee has evolved an extra tooth for biting flesh and a gut that more closely resembles that of vultures rather…
Scientists Discover Gut Bacteria in Bees That Can Improve Memory
An international research team has discovered a specific type of gut bacteria in bees that can improve memory. The study, led by scientists from Jiangnan…
Peeking Into a Chrysalis, Incredible Videos Capture Butterfly Wings Forming During Metamorphosis
The findings could inform the design of new materials such as iridescent windows or waterproof textiles. If you brush against the wings of a butterfly,…
Giant Hornet Attacks Cause Honeybee Alarm Buzz in Hives – “I Literally Could Not Believe What I Was Hearing”
Study is the first to show that invertebrates use differing signals in response to different species of predators. Like setting off alarms in a beehive,…
See and Hear a Giant “Murder” Hornet Attack on a Beehive
New research from Wellesley College finds for the first time that bees use a specific sound to communicate the threat of giant hornets as they…
