Using the “Smell of Fear” To Protect Gardens and Crops From Destructive Insects
For home gardeners and farmers, herbivorous insects present a major threat to their hard work and crop yields. The predator insects that feed on these…
Entomology
The Incredible Secret Science of Ants’ Underground Cities: How Ants Build Amazingly Complex and Stable Structures
Picture an anthill. What do you see? A small mound of sand and crumbly dirt poking up through the lawn? A tiny hole disappearing into…
Blood-Sucking Bugs Find Bats To Bite Thanks to Bacteria
Blood-sucking flies may be following chemicals produced by skin bacteria to locate bats to feed on. We humans aren’t the only animals that have to…
Insects Beware! This New Carnivorous Plant Wants To Eat You
First new carnivorous plant identified by botanists in 20 years. The delicate stalk and pretty white flowers of Triantha occidentalis may seem like the perfect…
Without Evolutionary Genetic Variation, Asexual Invasive Species Find New Methods of Adapting to Their Environment
Research from Wellesley College shows that despite being a clonal insect species, weevils use gene regulation to adapt to new food sources and pass down…
Is It Cheaper To Be Bigger? Evolutionary Lessons From the Extreme Weapons of Giraffe Weevil Warriors
Nepalese craftsman, Chandra Bahadur Dangi, holds the record as the world’s shortest adult, at 54.6 cm (1 ft 9 ½ inches). The tallest human is…
An Invasive Moth Killed Thousands of Acres of Oak Trees, but Some Trees Survived – Here’s Why
For Trees, Carbs Are Key to Surviving Insect Defoliation A recent multi-year outbreak of an invasive moth killed thousands of acres of oak trees across…
First US Case of Human-Led Insect Extinction Confirmed by DNA From 93-Year-Old Butterfly
The Xerces blue butterfly was last seen flapping its iridescent periwinkle wings in San Francisco in the early 1940s. It’s generally accepted to be extinct,…
Research Shows Common Insecticide Is Harmful to Bees in Any Amount
For the average bee, every little bit counts. A new UC Riverside study shows that a type of insecticide made for commercial plant nurseries is…
Researchers Investigate Newly Introduced Butterfly That Could Become Widespread in Canada
This summer, if you see a butterfly with wings that are blue on top with orange spots underneath, you may have crossed paths with a…
Dive Bombing Killer Flies Are So Fast – Over 3g Acceleration – They Lose Steering Control
Killer flies can reach accelerations of over 3g when aerial diving to catch their prey — but at such high speeds they often miss because…
Butterflies Cross the Vast Sahara Desert in Longest-Known Insect Migration
Weather conditions shown to have big influence on migration numbers. A species of butterfly found in Sub-Saharan Africa is able to migrate thousands of miles…
‘Unshackled’ Palm-Destroying Beetles Could Soon Invade Australia – “We Thought We’d Outsmarted Them”
A destructive pest beetle is edging closer to Australia as biological controls fail, destroying home gardens, plantations, and biodiversity as they surge through nearby Pacific…
Male Dragonflies Lose Their “Bling” in Hotter Climates – May Make It Difficult to Find a Mate
Less pigmentation keeps them cool, but could make it difficult to find a mate. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…
New Species of Beetle Discovered in Dinosaur Ancestor’s 230 Million-Year-Old Poop
The tiny beetle Triamyxa coprolithica is the first-ever insect to be described from fossil feces. The animal the researchers have to thank for the excellent…
Mushroom Growing Out of 50-Million-Year-Old Fossilized Ant Reveals New Species of Fungal Parasite
Oregon State University research has identified the oldest known specimen of a fungus parasitizing an ant, and the fossil also represents a new fungal genus…
Strange Biology: The Very Venomous Caterpillar
The venom of a caterpillar, native to South East Queensland, shows promise for use in medicines and pest control, Institute for Molecular Bioscience researchers say….
Scientists See the Invisible: How Butterflies Make Transparent Wings
Many animals have evolved camouflage tactics for self-defense, but some butterflies and moths have taken it even further: They’ve developed transparent wings, making them almost…