entomology – Sivu 3

2023-11-06 @ 20.33.58 ∈ In English

Dengue rates plunged after release of lab-altered mosquitoes – DW – 10/31/2023

Mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria may be associated with a 97% drop in dengue infections in three cities in Colombia's Aburra Valley. Researchers for the non-profit World Mosquito Program released the results at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in late October.

2023-11-06 @ 18.59.28 ∈ In English

Millions of sterile fruit flies are being dropped on LA to fight an infestation

[Last month, employees stripped dozens of citrus trees in Baldwin Hills of their fruits] as part of an all-out quarantine effort aimed at eradicating one of the most destructive pests in the world: the Mediterranean fruit fly.

2023-10-29 @ 20.06.41 ∈ Suomeksi

Näin ritariperhosen toukka vaihtaa talvipukuun – katso hämmästyttävä video!

Luontoiltaan soittanut Erkki Alasaarela seurasi läheltä mooseksenpalavapensaaseen munineen ritariperhosen toukan koteloitumista. Hän halusi nopeutetun videon avulla selvittää, miten perhonen synnyttää vyörihman, jonka varaan se nojaa yli talven ja miten toukka riisuu toukkapukunsa.

2023-10-27 @ 18.01.18 ∈ In English

Bed bugs are a global problem, yet we still know little about how they spread

[A statistical model shows a significant peak in bed bug cases around August and September each year.] People assume they travel on luggage, but it's never been proven. My previous work in 2017 [proved] that they aggregate in dirty clothes in the absence of humans.

2023-10-19 @ 12.27.55 ∈ In English

This Predatory Mite is a Rising Star in Pest Management

The mite Amblyseius swirskii feeds on various insect and mite species, including many notorious pests of vegetable crops.

2023-10-12 @ 18.59.11 ∈ In English

Bed Bugs Aren’t Just a Problem In Paris. Here’s Why

A number of factors keep bed bugs surviving and thriving, say entomologists, many of which are directly related to human behavior. Part of the problem may be the way we manage the pests. Unlike mosquitos and ticks, which government groups address with wide-scale, community-wide spraying and eradication efforts, bed bugs are seen more as an individual, rather than a societal, problem.

2023-10-08 @ 20.11.11 ∈ In English

‘Like butter for bears’: the grizzlies who dine on 40,000 moths a day

Full of fat – some biologists call them “bear butter” – they’ve proved to be an important source of food for the region’s grizzlies. Biologists estimate about 200 bears each year feast on moths in the eastern portion of the carnivores’ range. Each gram of moth offers bears about eight calories, which means some bears will eat up to 40,000 a day.

2023-10-05 @ 15.06.49 ∈ In English

(The paper has video.)

Bumble bees drop to shake off Asian hornets

Bumble bees have a remarkably successful method for fighting off Asian hornets, new research shows. When attacked, buff-tailed bumble bees drop to the ground—taking the hornets down with them. This either causes the hornet to lose its grip, or the bee raises its sting and tussles until the hornet gives up.

2023-10-05 @ 15.01.04 ∈ In English

Meadow spittlebug’s record-breaking diet also makes it a top disease carrier for plants

New research fueled in part by citizen scientists reveals that the meadow spittlebug—known for the foamy, spit-like urine released by its nymphs—can feed on at least 1,300 species of host plants, more than twice the number of any other insect.

2023-09-27 @ 18.30.48 ∈ In English

The Secret to Beetles’ Unfathomable Diversity

The evolution of a chemical defense gland allowed the most diverse group of beetles to repel predators and go on to conquer wholly new environments