and pests like the filbert weevil and filbert moth harbored by the duff and litter on the ground.
Insects may for instance be affected. They are an important source of food for many inhabitants of the woods
and one of the first conducted within the United states. Effective in killing a broad range of insect pests use of neonicotinoid insecticides has increased dramatically over the last decade across the United states particularly in the Midwest.
and other stress factors in the environment possibly associated with honeybee dieoffs. said USGS scientist Kathryn Kuivila the research team leader.
#Vasculature of the hive: How honey bees stay coolhoney bees especially the young are highly sensitive to temperature
and Sciences is the first to show that worker bees dissipate excess heat within a hive in process similar to how humans
This discovery also supports the theoretical construct of the bee hive as a superorganism--an entity in
or 122 degrees Fahrenheitprevious research has shown that workers bees among other duties control the thermostat essential to the hive's survival.
When temperatures dip worker bees create heat by contracting their thoracic muscles similar to shivering in mammals.
Bonoan and Goldman collected data on seven active honeybee hives that were framed by clear Plexiglas walls.
An eighth hive empty of bees was used as a control. Using a theater light the researchers raised the internal temperature of all eight hives for 15 minutes.
Temperature probes recorded internal temperature throughout the heating portion of the experiment. As anticipated the worker bees pressed their bodies against the heated surfaces near the brood.
Like insect sponges they absorbed the heat which lowered temperatures. After 15 minutes a time brief enough to prevent serious harm to the bees the theater light was turned off.
Immediately following heat movement within the hive and external hive temperatures were tracked via thermal imaging.
Within 10 minutes of cooling temperatures in the active hives were down to safe levels.
Meanwhile the control hive remained at 40 degrees Celsius. Since the control hive did not have bees the differences in temperature were caused likely by worker behavior Starks says.
Using thermal imaging the scientists observed that temperatures increased peripheral to the heated regions of the hive as the brood nest began to cool.
The thermal images clearly showed that the bees had moved physically the absorbed heat in their bodies to previously cooler areas of the hive.
of young produced by the gloomy scale insect--a significant tree pest--by 300 percent which in turn leads to 200 times more adult gloomy scales on urban trees.
We'd been seeing higher numbers of plant-eating insects like the gloomy scale in cities
Temperature was the most important predictor of gloomy scale abundance--the warmer it was the more scale insects we found Dale says.
That supports the differences we saw in scale insect abundance on the trees. Populations at the warmest sites were over 200 times more abundant than those at the coolest sites.
and other pest species. The research on scale insect abundance is published in Urban warming trumps natural enemy regulation of herbivorous pests which is forthcoming from the journal Ecological Applications.
The Ecological Applications study's findings are also consistent with an earlier study from Frank's lab that found another scale insect species is more abundant at warmer temperatures due to increased survival rates.
and rising temperatures associated with global climate change could lead to increases in scale insect populations which could have correspondingly negative effects on trees like the red maple Dale says.
Tagging the bees revealed that about 20 percent of the foraging bees in a hive brought home more than half of the nectar
and pollen gathered to feed the hive. We found that some bees are working very very hard--as we would have expected said University of Illinois Institute for Genomic Biology director Gene E. Robinson who led the research.
He and Neuroscience Program graduate student Claudia Lutz measured the foraging activities of bees in several locations including some in hives in a controlled foraging environment.
Previous studies primarily in ants have found that some social insects work much harder than others in the same colony Robinson said.
This demonstrates that other individuals within the hive also have the capacity to become elites
A cross-disciplinary research team studied the impacts of groundcover management systems and nutrient source on soil characteristics tree health and productivity and insect disease and weed management.
or high-fructose corn syrup when times are lean inside the hive. This practice has come under scrutiny
and less energy reserves (in the form of lipids stored in the fat body) than their hive-bound nest mates--making the foragers much more dependent on a carbohydrate-rich diet Robinson said.
These differences remained even in an experimental hive that the researchers discovered was infected with deformed wing virus one of the many maladies that afflict honey bees around the world.
Although just a nuisance to homeowners the insects feed on and damage fruits and vegetables causing significant economic losses for farmers.
Now scientists report in ACS'Journal of Natural Products that they've discovered certain stink bug pheromone components
These flat shield-shaped insects flap around noisily in homes especially in the fall as they seek places to hibernate during the winter.
Scientists could potentially use the substances to lure brown marmorated stink bugs to a specific spot
and determine better ways to manage their expanding numbers as they do for other insects.
When used out in field tests the two components attracted adult and juvenile brown marmorated stink bugs.
Because these compounds didn't have to be pure the researchers could use relatively inexpensive mixtures to trap this stink bug.
if the worm's egg cocoons survived a particularly harsh Wisconsin winter. That appears to be the case according to Brad Herrick arboretum ecologist
and is constantly dropping cocoons. Where the cocoons hatch at the soil surface you'll see what looks like small filament hairs moving on the soil surface in large numbers.
The grayish Amynthas is darker in color than pale pinker European earthworms grows to eight inches long
Fighting invasive species--like buckthorn and gypsy moths and garlic mustard--is a big part of our work here Herrick says
which folds under the body when the bee flies. Perched at the mouth of a flower the bee unfolds the beaky maxilla
Long-tongued bees are often specialists favoring a few deep-throated flower species. In the bumblebee-sparse southern tip of Argentina for example Bombus dahlbomii the native long-tongued giant of Patagonia has lost ground
to a new bumblebee from Europe the short-tongued generalist Bombus terrestris imported to help pollinate tomatoes.
Although disease has played likely a role in the retreat of the long-tongued giant B. terrestris also appears to be out-competing an earlier European immigrant the long-tongued Bombus ruderatus.
Many beekeepers believe that it is best to buy queens from outside instead of using the queens they have in their own beehives.
Local or exotic queen? Productivity in beehives is measured typically by how much honey the bees produce.
The desire to maximize earnings by importing bees changes the natural genetic diversity. The question is
The beehives were set up in 11 countries in Europe. There was one local strain and two foreign strains of honey bees at each of the locations.
The factors that had the greatest influence on the survival of the bees were infection with varroa mites problems with the queen and infection with the disease nosema.
Colonies with queens from the local environment managed on average 83 days more than colonies with queens from foreign areas.
Our results indicate that the way forward is to strengthen the breeding programmes with local honey bees instead of imported queens.
and when used in combination with horticultural gauze and insect nets. Using this cover domestic products can be produced for consumers using less or even no pesticides.
#Invasion of yellow crazy ant in a Seychelles UNESCO palm forest: Threats and solutionsthe yellow crazy ant Anoplolepis gracilipes is ranked amongst the top 100 worst global invasive species
and dangers of the introduction of the yellow crazy ant to the uniqueendemic ecosystem of the mature palm forest of the Vallã e de Mai a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Seychelles.
Impacts of invasive ants can include direct effects such as displaced local species and indirect effects on key ecological functions such as frugivory pollination and seed dispersal.
Although the impacts and ecology of A. gracilipes have been documented well in degraded habitats in the Seychelles little is known about this ant's invasion potential in endemic palm forest ecosystems.
Chemical control poses a considerable risk to non-target species such as endemic ants. The study therefore advises promoting
which host high numbers of introduced hemipterans and targeted control of ant nests in the most disturbed habitats.
These microchips were able to check on the return to the hive of individuals thanks to a series of electronic sensors.
The bees were released then 1 km from their hive into landscapes with different structures (a bocage landscape (with enclosures)
Bocage which becomes a mazeto return to the hive bees navigate according to the position of the sun
#New recreational travel model to help states stop firewood assisted insect travelthe spread of damaging invasive forest pests is powered only partially by the insects'own wings.
and widen the insects'spread and resulting forest destruction. A new U s. Forest Service study gives state planners a tool for anticipating the most likely route of human-assisted spread they can use to enhance survey and public education efforts.
 The role of humans in the spread of invasive insects such as the emerald ash borer and Asian longhorned beetle is established well according to the study's lead author Frank Koch a research ecologist with the Forest Service
or dying trees that may be infested the dispersal of invasive insects via recreational travel has not been studied well.
Research has demonstrated that firewood harbors many bark-and wood-boring insects. In 2008 co-author Robert Haack of the Forest Service's Northern Research Station found that nearly 25 percent of firewood intercepted at the Mackinac bridge between Michigan's Upper
-and wood-boring insects and an additional 41 percent displayed evidence of prior borer infestation.
Damaging nonnative forest insects are a serious issue for public and private land managers said SRS Director Rob Doudrick Forest Service research is providing tools
and slowing the spread of invasive insects. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by USDA Forest Service â#Southern Research Station.
Studya study co-authored by a University of Guelph scientist that involved fitting bumblebees with tiny radio frequency tags shows long-term exposure to a neonicotinoid pesticide hampers bees'ability
which flowers worker bees chose to visit. Bees have to learn many things about their environment including how to collect pollen from flowers said Raine who holds the Rebanks Family Chair in Pollinator Conservation a Canadian first.
Exposure to this neonicotinoid pesticide seems to prevent bees from being able to learn these essential skills.
and pyrethroid (lambda cyhalothrin)--used alone or together on the behaviour of individual bumblebees from 40 colonies over four weeks.
The researchers suggest reform of pesticide regulations including adding bumblebees and solitary bees to risk assessments that currently cover only honeybees.
Bumblebees may be much more sensitive to pesticide impacts as their colonies contain a few hundred workers at most compared to tens of thousands in a honeybee colony Raine said.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by University of Guelph. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
and are well-known for their exceptionally well-preserved leaves insects and fishes. But no fossils of mammals had ever before been identified at the site.
and the insects included a mixture of Canadian and Australian species. Discovering mammals allows us to paint a more complete picture of this lost world said Dr. David Greenwood of Brandon University a co-author of the study.
In the case of bees and other pollinators he says a network of signals and cues shapes pollination informing animals about where
but have lost their ability to produce certain defense chemicals making them vulnerable to attack by insects and pathogens.
These protect maize against a range of insects bacteria and fungi pests yet some species have developed resistance against these toxins
#Researchers study flight pattern of red palm weevil in order to set more efficient control measureswhat is the average distance that the red palm weevil covers?
Does the insect's sex age and body size have an influence on its flight potential?
Researchers of the Universitat Politã cnica de Valã ncia have released a study that answers these and other questions.
The results allow them to learn more about the flight pattern of this insect which is threatening palm trees all over the world in order to set new preventive and curative measures against the pest.
The work team analysed the insect behaviour with a camera fitted with a flight mill connected to a computer.
Among their conclusions the study states that most of analysed insects-54%-covered a short distance less than 100 metres;
when an insect is detected all the palm trees within 500 metres run the risk of being infested weevil says Antonia Soto researcher at the Mediterranean Agroforestal Institute of the UPV.
With regard to the sex they determined that it does not affect the flight potential of the insect.
While in the case of age they noticed that the average of flying individuals is larger in insects between 8 and 23 days-old than in the newly hatched insects.
and they give significant clues about insect mobility. This information helps to improve the management of this pest
For example in a newly detected source of palm trees with red palm weevil now we know up to what distance we must apply control measures
Or we know the safety perimeter that must be applied in an area with red palm weevil presence adds Juan Antonio à valos researcher at the Mediterranean Agroforestal Institute of the UPV.
They are docked usually tail without analgesia as a preventative measure to reduce the chances of flies laying eggs on dirty tails
Dr Fiona Clissold who led the study explains why temperature has such a large influence on insect diets.
Whilst an insect's metabolic rate increases exponentially with temperature the rate at which locusts absorb protein
Dr Clissold adds Being small insects can take advantage of the multitude of microclimates available. As mammals are warm-blooded animals that maintain a constant body temperature it is unlikely that temperature overtly affects the nutrient quality of their diets.
It is hoped that the results from this study could be used to develop methods to control agricultural insect pests
and how climate change may affect dietary preferences of herbivorous insects. This research was presented at the Society for Experimental Biology Annual Meeting 2014 held at Manchester University UK from the 1st--4th of July.
#Dairy farmers keep flies guessing by alternating pesticidesold-fashioned fly swatters may be the most foolproof housefly killer
Flies spread disease and a host of pathogens that cost farms hundreds of millions of dollars in annual losses.
Unfortunately with the repeated use of the same insecticides flies develop resistance through genetic mutations that make these products less effective.
Cornell entomologist Jeff Scott and colleagues analyzed levels of resistance to six insecticides in flies and they have identified the mutations that led to resistance in houseflies and from cattle farms in nine states around the country.
or each month and using biological control agents such as tiny parasitoid wasps. Genetic mutations are random
and one mutation lets a fly survive then that mutation is carried forward in the population.
and Physiology and are working to understand three main mutations that confer pesticide resistance in houseflies.
We think it is due to fitness costs where a mutation allows the fly to survive insecticides
This rather changes our view of the biology of this nasty little bug says Paul Wigley of Institute for Infection and Global Health at the University of Liverpool an author on the study.
Bother Youno one wants to get stung by an insect but for some people it can be very serious
because they are at risk of suffering life-threatening reactions to insect venom. If you experience facial swelling difficulty breathing
or another unusual reaction after insect stings call 911 and receive immediate emergency care. Follow up with an allergist who will prescribe epinephrine
Hives can be treated with an antihistamine. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by American College of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI.
#Get insects to bug off this summersummer means an increase in bug and insect activity.
How do you know which insects are harmful what diseases they carry and how to safely avoid them?
Mosquitoes and ticks are the two pests you primarily want to avoid because they potentially carry infectious diseases says Jennifer Layden MD infectious disease specialist at Loyola University Health System.
and Rocky mountain spotted fever and mosquitoes can spread West Nile Virus. Insect repellents are used to avoid exposure to pests that can bite attach
DEET is the most effective ingredient to protect against biting insects. Common insect repellent products contain up to 30%DEET for maximum protection says Christina Hantsch MD toxicologist at Loyola.
Tips from Dr. Layden on how to avoid bugs this summer are: â#¢Dusk and dawn are the prime hours for insectsâ#¢Wear long sleeves and long pants to cover skinâ#¢Wear light colors
and cattle and is spread by biting midges. In sheep the bluetongue virus can cause abortion congenital abnormalities
If the disease reproduction number for the cattle-midge-bluetongue system with or without sheep is greater than one bluetongue persists in cattle
and midges even though it may eradicate the sheep relying on cattle as a reservoir. In the second situation where the reproduction number of all host and vector species coexisting is greater than one
while the reproduction number for the cattle-midge-bluetongue system (without sheep) is less than one bluetongue
because it cannot persist on midges and cattle alone. The authors use different approaches of dynamical systems persistence theory to analyze the two situations.
#Moth invasions cause widespread damage in the subarctic birch forestin just seven years as much as one-third of the mountain-birch forest in the North Calotte region was defoliated severely by two moth species
and North Finland was damaged severely by moth outbreaks. Attacked over centuriesthe autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata) has been in Northern Fennoscandia for centuries.
In roughly ten-year cycles the larvae of this moth occur in high densities occasionally so high that it results in widespread defoliation growth reduction and sometimes death of the birch forest.
A century ago an additional species the winter moth (Operophtera brumata) began to appear in the north.
Since then both these species have increased their outbreak ranges to include even the coldest and most continental regions.
During the last 15 years a third moth species the rare umber moth (Agriopis aurantiaria) has invaded the coastal regions of North Norway and established itself as a serious pest in the coastal birch forest.
During the major outbreak of the 2000s researchers know that all three moth species attacked the mountain-birch forest.
Longer-term invasion intensifies forest destructionclimate has an impact on the geometrid moth system in the north--we see clear indications that the system is changing says Senior Research Scientist Jane U. Jepsen of the Norwegian Institute for Nature
and provided a deeper understanding of the extent and duration of the moth outbreaks and
During the most recent major outbreak the autumnal moth struck first continues Dr Jepsen. In the most severely defoliated areas an outbreak of the winter moth occurred a year or two later.
So the forest was defoliated twice in effect an unusually long-lasting attack which resulted in more pressure on the forest compared to previous outbreaks.
Changing vegetationthe researchers have studied also the impact of these moth invasions on the northern birch forest ecosystem.
Moth attacks in sparse woods cause extensive changes in ground vegetation--the dwarf shrub heath disappears
Moth outbreaks cause large amounts of larvae excrement and dead larvae to fall to the ground which fertilises the soil and promotes the growth of grass.
and less from reindeer Insect outbreaks mean browner sub-arcticseveral studies in recent years have pointed to the greening of the Arctic due to a warming climate.
More intense insect infestation more forest fires and increased drought pressure are probably the three largest factors causing this subarctic browning.
and fruits were more likely to be eaten by insects rather than dik-diks or rodents.
#Testing biological treatment for pathogens that are killing honeybees and batsa researcher at Georgia State university is studying a new biological treatment for bacterial and fungal pathogens that are killing honeybees and bats in record numbers.
Dr. Christopher Cornelison a postdoctoral researcher is testing how effective Rhodococcus rhodochrous a species of bacteria is in fighting pathogens affecting honeybees and bats.
In honeybees Chalkbrood disease has contributed to the number of managed honeybee colonies in the U s. being cut in half a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder.
Since 2006 White-Nose Syndrome has killed an estimated 7 million bats in North america the steepest wildlife decline in the past century.
Honeybees and bats are key to the ecosystem. One of every three bites of food in America is related to honeybee pollination according to the United states Department of agriculture.
Many crops such as almonds and other tree nuts berries fruits and vegetables depend on pollination by honeybees.
Bats play a crucial role in pest control. A single brown bat will eat its body mass equivalent in insects in one summer night Cornelison said.
If these species go extinct we're losing something that we don't even comprehend the value of right now he said.
In honeybees no negative effects were found in toxicity trials exposing bees to the bacteria in the air or in their honey.
and New zealand--by making female flies dependent upon a common antibiotic to survive. Dr. Max Scott professor of entomology at NC State and his research team genetically modified lines of female Australian sheep blowflies (Lucilia cuprina) so that they required doses of tetracycline in order to live.
Female blowflies that did not receive the antibiotic died in the late larval or pupal stages before reaching adulthood.
Several genetically modified lines lacking tetracycline showed 100 percent female deaths. Scott says that the gene construct responsible for lethality in antibiotic-free diets is female-specific Interestingly
This is essential for a male-only genetic control program to reduce blowfly populations Scott says as fertile males would pass the lethality construct on to female offspring
In the study the researchers showed that the tetracycline gene construct also works in Drosophila the fruit fly lab rat of the insect world that is a distant cousin of the sheep blowfly.
and Old world screwworm two major livestock pests that are close relatives of the sheep blowfly.
and Central america by releasing sterilized male and female flies Scott says. However a male-only strain offers several advantages including potentially more efficient population suppression for the ongoing program.
and the activities of birds insect and other animals and therefore must be factored into climate-change model predictions.
but it also has implications for insect survival and for carbon dioxide absorption by forests. Leaf-out phenology affects a wide variety of ecosystem processes
'and an increased exposure to disease-carrying insects as a result. Through crop raiding a form of human-wildlife conflict hundreds of thousands of marginalized farmers are losing edible crops to damage from these troublesome animals each year.
In addition by guarding their existing crops during the night farmers are exposed increasingly to malaria carried by mosquitos and soil-based worms
and insects and it stores many antioxidants the study said. Grape phenolics serve as anti-inflammatory agents can reduce the risk of certain cancers
These insect-eating mammals'name comes from their noses'resemblance to the trunk of an elephant.
After Kasson successfully isolated the fungus in pure culture from infected plants a DNA analysis revealed that the fungus--Colletotrichum fioriniae--is also widely known as an insect pathogen that kills an invasive bug that infests
For example this method is used to play a trick on grape phylloxera a notorious pest of commercial grapevines that attacks the roots of the plants.
and other wild insects to pollinate crop plants can reduce harvest yields more drastically than a lack of fertilizer
and other research projects on the importance of insects for the pollination of crop plants.
According to the ACAAI pollen mold and insect stings are common allergy culprits during the summer months.
#Mosquito control pesticide use in coastal areas poses low risk to juvenile oysters, hard clamsfour of the most common mosquito pesticides used along the east and Gulf coasts show little risk to juvenile hard clams and oysters according to a NOAA study.
However the study published in the on-line journal Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology also determined that lower oxygen levels in the water known as hypoxia
and environmental resource agencies as they manage the use of mosquito control pesticides near their coastal ecosystems.
This is compounded by a lack of data on the toxicity of mosquito insecticides for these shellfish.
and food sources for other estuarine species. Approximately 200 mosquito species live in the United states . In addition to causing painful itchy bumps to people mosquito bites can transmit serious diseases such as malaria dengue fever
and West Nile virus. One approach to controlling mosquitoes is to apply pesticides by spraying from planes or trucks over a large area.
However to effectively control mosquitoes the pesticides must target species which live in aquatic habitats that are also home to sensitive estuarine species This may pose a risk to coastal environments.
The study sought to address a lack of toxicity data for mosquito control pesticide effects on shellfish early life stages.
The research team examined the toxicity of four mosquito control pesticides (naled resmethrin permethrin and methoprene) to larval and juvenile life stages of hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria) and Eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica.
Overall clams were more susceptible to mosquito control pesticides than oysters. Naled an organophosphate chemical was the most toxic compound in oyster larvae
which compared the toxicity thresholds to concentrations expected in the environment the researchers calculated a low-level of risk to clams and oysters from application of these pesticides for mosquito control.
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