when exposed to perilous situations according to new research from Queen Mary University of London. The study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows that past experience of predation causes bumblebees to join other bees already safely feeding on flowers.
Co-author and Phd student Erika Dawson said: Our experiment shows for the first time that when bees find themselves in these predator-infested environments they locate safe places to eat by joining other bees that are already safely feeding on flowers.
This simulates an attack by a crab spider a predator that lurks on flowers to catch pollinators
In safe environments the bumblebees subsequently chose to feed from flowers at random but in dangerous environments the bees specifically flew to flowers that were occupied by other bees.
Bumblebees face similar danger when foraging for food. Avoiding being eaten can be tricky as predators are disguised often or undetectable.
These results show a remarkable flexibility in pollinators'strategic foraging decisions. Bees normally spread themselves out among flowers to minimise competition
but when danger lurks they dine together to seek safety in numbers commented co-author Professor Lars Chittka from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical sciences.
The above story is provided based on materials by Queen Mary University of London. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
#Insects represent link for antibiotic resistance traitsthose pesky house flies buzzing around your home or invading your springtime picnic could be doing more harm to human health than you realize.
According to a recent study by Kansas State university published in the Applied and Environmental Microbiology journal insects carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria from one point to another including from food animal farms and wastewater treatment
There are a number of insects that are associated commonly with animals such as house flies and cockroaches said Ludek Zurek K-State professor of microbial ecology
and lead author on the published study. House flies are common where animal manure is produced including in cattle poultry and swine operations.
Cockroaches primarily German cockroaches have become a common pest in confined swine operations. Zurek and his colleagues collected house flies and cockroaches from food animal production locations including swine
and poultry farms as well as wastewater treatment facilities that collect waste from multiple sources including hospitals.
The researchers then genetically analyzed the bacteria in the digestive tract of the insects and compared them to the bacteria present in the animal feces and wastewater.
We found these insects carry the same bacteria found in the animal manure Zurek said.
Then we started sampling insects found in surrounding urban areas including fast food restaurants and again we found house flies with multi-drug resistant bacteria.
The house flies collected from the wastewater treatment plants likewise carried the same bacteria found in the waste itself he said.
House flies collected several miles from the wastewater treatment plants in surrounding urban areas had a lower prevalence of the antibiotic-resistant bacteria than those examined from the facilities themselves
but the bacteria still existed in those urban house flies. The study led the researchers to conclude that insects primarily house flies can pick up antibiotic-resistant bacteria
and disseminate them to surrounding areas. How serious that link is still needs to be investigated
but the potential is clearly there Zurek said. Cockroaches and house flies are highly mobile
and they are attracted to residential areas he said. They are attracted to our food and drinks. They have great potential to move multi-drug resistant bacteria to urban areas.
The resistant strains multiply in the fly and can be left behind on food by fly regurgitation or spitting and defecation.
In addition to the insects Zurek and his research team have showed also that wild birds such as ravens
House flies aren't just a nuisance. They can carry antibiotic resistant bacteria so they should be taken seriously as a vector.
#Whitefly confused by cacophony of smellsbombarding pests with smells from many different plants temporarily confuses them
Exposing the whitefly to a heady aroma of cucumber courgette watercress watermelon cabbage and bean the team found the insects became temporarily disorientated.
Like other insect pests whitefly feed by pushing their long mouthpiece--or stylets--into the leaf until it reaches the plant's main source of nutrients travelling through the phloem.
Weaving their way between the plant cells to reach the sap is technically challenging and the team found the whiteflies failed to feed
while they were being bombarded with the different plant chemicals. Publishing their findings this week in the academic journal Agronomy of Sustainable Development research leads Dr Colin Tosh
--or at least not properly or efficiently--and it's the same for the whitefly. Whiteflies use their sense of smell to locate tomato plants.
By bombarding its senses with a range of different smells we create'sensory confusion 'and the result is that the insect becomes disorientated
and is feed unable to. Because the effect is temporary--we saw it last no more than 15 hours--it's unlikely this method alone could be used to control crop pests.
Trialeurodes vaporariorum--or whitefly--is a major worldwide pest of greenhouse crops and is controlled traditionally using chemical pesticides or biological methods such as parasites.
Previous studies have shown that whitefly become'restless 'when a number of plant species are mixed together rather than being exposed to a single crop.
Measuring the time it took from the insect settling on a plant to accessing the plant sap the team showed that hardly any of the whiteflies exposed to a range of smells started feeding from the phloem within 15 hours from the time of exposure.
By comparison the majority of whiteflies exposed to just the single smell released by the tomato plants started feeding within this time.
so if we can confuse the insects long enough to give the plants time to defend themselves this may go someway to reducing crop losses.
#Getting at the root of mountain pine beetles rapid habitat expansionthe mountain pine beetle has wreaked havoc in North america across forests from the American Southwest to British columbia
Because of its importance and impact on forestry the mountain pine beetle's genome has been sequenced recently. Using this new resource authors Janes et al. examined how the pine beetle could undergo such rapid habitat range expansion
and if population genetics and the cataloguing of genome wide mutations could shed any light on possible molecular causes of the outbreak.
From beetles collected at 27 sites in Alberta and British columbia they looked for any patterns amongst their catalog of 1536 mutations (single-nucleotide polymorphisms or SNPS).
and conclude that the mountain pine beetle may have been able to spread by adjusting its cellular and metabolic functions to better withstand cooler climates
Bark beetles change Rocky mountain stream flows, affect water qualityon Earth Week--and in fact every week now--trees in mountains across the western United states are dying thanks to an infestation of bark beetles that reproduce in the trees'inner bark.
Some species of the beetles such as the mountain pine beetle attack and kill live trees. Others live in dead weakened or dying hosts.
In Colorado alone the mountain pine beetle has caused the deaths of more than 3. 4 million acres of pine trees.
Dead trees don't drink waterthe unprecedented tree deaths caused by these beetles provided a new approach to estimating the interaction of trees with the water cycle in mountain headwaters like those of the Colorado
Large-scale tree death due to pine beetles has many negative effects says Tom Torgersen of NSF's Directorate for Geosciences and lead WSC program director.
The new results show that the fraction of late-summer groundwater flows from affected watersheds is about 30 percent higher after beetles have infested an area compared with watersheds with less severe beetle attacks.
In bark beetle-infested watersheds. Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by National Science Foundation.
Olsen studies rice and cassava and is interested currently in rice mimics weeds that look enough like rice that they fly under the radar even
The U s. North has the dubious distinction of having the greatest number of invasive insects
A low propensity or low capacity for forest management reduces options for addressing perceived problems such as low forest diversity invasive species and other insects or disease problems.
#East African honeybees safe from invasive pests...for nowseveral parasites and pathogens that devastate honeybees in Europe Asia
and the United states are spreading across East Africa but do not appear to be impacting native honeybee populations at this time according to an international team of researchers.
The invasive pests include including Nosema microsporidia and Varroa mites. Our East African honeybees appear to be resilient to these invasive pests
which suggests to us that the chemicals used to control pests in Europe Asia and the United states currently are not necessary in East Africa said Elliud Muli senior lecturer in the Department of Biological sciences South Eastern Kenya University and researcher at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology
Kenya. The team first discovered Varroa mites in Kenya in 2009. This new study also provides baseline data for future analyses of possible threats to African honeybee populations.
Kenyan beekeepers believe that bee populations have been experiencing declines in recent years but our results suggest that the common causes for colony losses in the United states
and Europe--parasites pathogens and pesticides--do not seem to be affecting Kenyan bees at least not yet said Christina Grozinger professor of entomology and director of the Center for Pollinator Research Penn State.
According to Harland Patch research scientist in entomology Penn State not only are flowering plants important for honeybees
but the insects are important for plants as well. Honeybees are pollinators of untold numbers of plants in every ecosystem on the African continent Patch said.
They pollinate many food crops as well as those important for economic development and their products like honey
or the elephant but honeybees are more essential and their decline would have profound impacts across the continent.
and sizes of honeybee colonies assess the presence or absence of Varroa and Nosema parasites and viruses identify
and measure pesticide contaminants in hives and determine the genetic composition of the colonies. This is the first comprehensive survey of bee health in East Africa where we have examined diseases genetics
In addition Varroa numbers increased with elevation suggesting that environmental factors may play a role in honeybee host-parasite interactions.
while Varroa infestation dramatically reduces honeybee colony survival in the United states and Europe in Kenya its presence alone does not appear to impact colony size.
Of the seven common honeybee viruses in the United states and Europe the team only identified three species
The Africanized bees--the so-called'killer bees'--in The americas seem to be having no problem with Varroa or diseases so
Given their findings that African honeybees currently appear to be resilient to the effects of parasites
These newly introduced pests to Africa might have long-term implications for the honeybee populations.
We are seeing more and more evidence of climate events weakening trees making them more likely to succumb to insects pathogens
and support economically valuable pollinators such as bees and bats and provide ecosystem services such as filtering water
Climate change is expected also to intensify several stresses that forests already face such as damaging insect pests and diseases drought and wildfire.
the bombardier beetle is approximately one centimetre long and common to Central europe. At first glance it appears harmless
When threatened the bombardier beetle releases a caustic spray accompanied by a popping sound. This spray can kill ants or scare off frogs.
The beetle produces the explosive agent itself when needed. Two separately stored chemicals are mixed in a reaction chamber in the beetle's abdomen.
An explosion is triggered with the help of catalytic enzymes. When you see how elegantly nature solves problems you realise how deadlocked the world of technology often is says Wendelin Jan Stark a professor from the ETH Department of chemistry and Applied Biosciences.
He and his team therefore looked to the bombardier beetle for inspiration and developed a chemical defence mechanism designed to prevent vandalism--a self-defending surface composed of several sandwich-like layers of plastic.
If the surface is damaged hot foam is sprayed in the face of the attacker. This technology could be used to prevent vandalism
Whereas enzymes act as catalysts in the bombardier beetle manganese dioxide has proven to be a less expensive alternative for performing this function in the lab. The researchers report that the product of the reaction in the film is more of a foam than a spray
when compared to the beetle as can be seen in slow motion video footage. Infrared images show that the temperature of the foam reaches 80 degrees.
With 420 species of wild bees in Michigan alone it makes sense to attract as many free pollinators as possible.
Improving peanut varieties to be more drought-insect -and disease-resistant can help farmers in developed nations produce more peanuts with fewer pesticides
and limits photosynthesis. Particular types of bacteria consume methane creating food for grazing insects and consequently the rest of the food web including trout.
The above story is provided based on materials by Queen Mary University of London. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
The scientists looked at the genes'response to five abiotic stresses--drought heavy metal contamination salt cold and nutrient deprivation--and five biotic stresses--bacteria fungus insect predation weed
Forest harvest creates a temporary opening that is needed by forest species such as butterflies and some birds and deer before it regrows to large trees.
West Nile virus is spread by infected mosquitoes and targets the central nervous system. It can be a serious life-altering
A bacterium called Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLAS) vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid is presumed the causal agent of the disease.
and use it for studies of insects or even small fish. One day he hopes to have a commercial instrument that can be used by biological researchers around the world.
#Stink bug traps may increase damage to tomato fruitsthe invasive brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) is an important pest of fruits and vegetables.
Both groups experienced nearly the same amount of stink bugs on the tomato plants themselves but the the abundance of stink bugs on the tomato fruits was marginally greater in the gardens with traps
and the fruits sustained significantly more injury than tomato fruits grown in gardens without traps.
Furthermore tomato fruits on plants near the traps housed more stink bugs than tomato fruits on plants that were away from the traps.
-and-kill stink bug trap near a plant may actually result in greater abundance of stink bugs on the fruit the researchers wrote.
#Secret of multiple insecticide resistance in mosquitoesresearchers at LSTM have discovered how unprecedented multiple and extreme-level resistance is generated in mosquitoes found in the rice fields of Tiassalã in southern CÃ'te d'Ivoire.
The paper CYP6 P450 enzymes and ACE-1 duplication produce extreme and multiple insecticide resistance in the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae published in PLOS Genetics today highlights the combination of stringently-replicated whole genome transcription
when the Anopheles gambiae larvae sampled from the rice paddies of Tiassalã were raised to adults and tested using WHO tube bioassays.
They proved to be resistant to all four of the insecticide classes available for mosquito control (Edi et al.
This is the first wild Anopheles population to display such complete multiple resistance which is a serious concern
In addition to many of the mosquitoes surviving a standard one-hour insecticide exposure (used as THE WHO standard to monitor the prevalence of resistance) the levels of resistance displayed in Tiassalã were very high with 50%of mosquitoes tested surviving for longer
The new work reveals that two members of the P450 gene superfamily in particular are expressed highly in resistant Tiassalã mosquitoes:
When these genes were transplanted into Drosophila resistance to pyrethroids and carbamates was generated in otherwise susceptible fly strains..
These genes are familiar candidates to LSTM researchers who have documented previously their links with pyrethroid and DDT resistance.
whereas carbamates and organophosphates target the neurotransmitter Acetylcholinesterase encoded by the gene ACE-1. This is where Tiassalã mosquitoes yielded another surprise contributing to their exceptionally high carbamate resistance.
This combination of distinct mechanisms provides the Anopheles population of Tiassalã with high levels of resistance and resistance across insecticides.
which mosquitoes can become resistant to the available arsenal of insecticides. Controlling populations like Tiassalã will be particularly challenging
The study provides a first glimpse at the diet of this mysterious spider revealing that it primarily preys upon species of scarab beetles common to the scrub habitat.
Our research suggests that red widows have evolved to specialize on scarab beetles because they are reliable food sources.
The scientists identified 43 species of insects among the 98 specimens collected. The study revealed that the primary prey of the spider especially in early spring are five species of scarab beetles endemic to the Florida scrub habitat.
The scarab beetles which often are larger and stronger than the spiders themselves fly just above the tops of scrub vegetation said Mark Deyrup senior research biologist for the Archbold Biological Station who co-authored the study.
Sometimes beetles hit the web strands between tips of palmetto fronds and tumble into the denser tangle of threads below catching them in the red widows'webs.
Carrel has monitored red widow spider populations at the Station since 1987 but has found enough webs to study red widows'dietary habits only twice.
During both time periods Carrel worked alongside Deyrup to collect and identify prey from spiders'webs.
Carrel's study entitled Red widow spiders prey extensively on scarab beetles endemic in Florida scrub appeared in the March issue of the Florida Entomologist.
#Ants plant tomorrows rainforesttropical montane rain forests are threatened highly and their remnants are surrounded often by deforested landscapes.
Most tree species are dispersed by birds and mammals but also by ants. A study published today in the Journal of Ecology by a team from the LOEWE Biodiversity
Ants promote the regeneration of these forests by dispersing seeds to safe sites for tree establishment.
In this context the team conducted experiments to find out to what extent ants contribute to the dispersal of a widespread primarily bird-dispersed tree (Clusia trochiformis)
Ants haul seeds which have fallen to the ground to their nests or leave them intact on their way.
The study reveals that ants reduce seed predation by rodents and increase germination success --which confirms the importance of this ecosystem function for forest regeneration.
in addition to the impact of ants half of the depots where equipped with wire exclusion cages.
ants reduce predation and increase germinationants readily approached and hauled away about 60 percent of all seeds says Silvia Gallegos lead author of the study
In most cases the ants removed the aril which is a benefit for the plants due to a lower risk of fungal infestation and a higher germination rate.
But there are more positive effects of ants: Especially in the degraded habitats we found that seeds which had been removed by ants were predated less often
and germinated more frequently than the unmoved seeds explains Dr. Matthias Schleuning co-author and scientist at Bik-F. Quite often the ants removed the seed aril only in their nests
or on the way there--often leaving the seeds protected by the litter layer. Under the leaf litter the seeds were less likely to be detected by rodents
The farther the ants had transported the seeds the higher was the chance that Clusia seedlings had established.
Even more important services by ants in the futureants have a clearly positive impact on the dispersal
Due to the ecosystem service provided by ants in the degraded areas a faster and sustainable establishment of tree seedlings like Clusia may be expected.
Under this scenario the dispersal function of ants may further increase in importance for the restoration of tropical mountain forests.
They are one of the most important pollinators visiting many types of plants including some 700 species of orchids that are pollinated exclusively by these bees.
They showed a smaller effect for small invertebrates such as termites that also contribute to decomposition of plant biomass.
#Diversity in UK gardens aiding fight to save threatened bumblebees, study suggestsecologists at Plymouth University in a study published this week have shown the most common species of bumblebee are not fussy about a plant's origin when searching for nectar and pollen among the nation's urban gardens.
But other species--and in particular long-tongued bees--do concentrate their feeding upon plants from the UK and Europe for
In particular the presence of large densities and varieties of flowering plants supports a number of pollinating insects
By growing a variety of plants from around the world gardeners ensure that a range of food sources is available for many different pollinators.
But until now we have had very little idea about how the origins of garden plants actually affect their use by our native pollinators.
whether bumblebees preferentially visited plants with which they share a common biogeographical heritage with researchers conducting summer-long surveys along a typical residential street.
Among individual species however there were distinct preferences with the long-tongued'garden bumblebee'(Bombus hortorum) showing a strong preference for'native'Palaearctic-origin garden plants choosing them for 78%of its flower visits.
Meanwhile the UK's most common species--the'buff-tailed bumblebee'(Bombus terrestris)--favoured non-Palaearctic garden plants over species with
and cities the long-term survival of some of our common pollinators--like the'garden bumblebee'--could be in jeopardy.
In addition to growing truly native plants like foxgloves where possible gardeners can help native pollinators by setting aside a small area to allow native brambles vetches dead nettles
or other green spaces a combination of commonly-grown garden plants from all around the globe will help support our urban bumblebees for future generations.
After the fireit is the first time that a study compares different responses of a set of animal organisms to fire (snails spiders beetles ants grasshoppers bugs birds and reptiles.
but bumblebees are capable of some remarkable learning feats especially when they might get a tasty reward according to two studies by University of Guelph researchers.
In a final test Mirwan placed experienced bees in a hive with naive bees. When the naive bees were allowed to forage on the artificial flowers they gained the syrup in just 3. 5 minutes.
but social insects such as bees can also transmit information through touch vibration and smell. The researchers said the communication method used by the bees is still a mystery.
but clearly some in-hive communication took place said Kevan. It suggests that social learning in bumblebees is even more complex than we first expected.
Story Source: The above story is provided based on materials by University of Guelph. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Insect pests in the makingof thousands of known species of Drosophila fruit flies just one is known as a crop pest depositing eggs inside ripening fruit
Drosophila flies found worldwide lay their eggs in rotting fruit. Drosophila suzukii also referred to as spotted-wing Drosophila
because the male has large black blotches on his wings (as do males of several other closely related species) is able to penetrate the skins of ripening fruit
Previously it was thought that Drosophila would just lay eggs on rotting fruit. D. suzukii apparently originated in Asia
They also offered lab-raised flies different fruits and observed whether they were able to lay eggs in them.
while the other flies have much smaller ovipositors similar to those of other Drosophila. They do have the same pattern of bristles
In the lab both D. suzukii and D. subpulchrella flies could penetrate the skins of cherries and raspberries and deposit eggs in them.
D. suzukii flies but not D. subpulchrella made holes in grape skins although they laid relatively few eggs there.
when the Drosophila flies could penetrate fruit they were not very good at it taking several minutes and multiple attempts.
Laying eggs inside ripening fruit is probably a recent development for Drosophila. Kopp speculated that as flies compete for good food sources in
which to lay their eggs there would be an advantage in being able to colonize fresher and firmer fruit.
Controlling the flies will be said challenging Kopp. Unlike the notorious Mediterranean fruit fly or Medfly Drosophila flies are generalists with a wide range of food sources and breeding sites and a generation time of less than two weeks.
We want to identify which flies are dangerous and which are said not Atallah. D. subpulchrella has not yet been identified as a pest in the western world
but it may have the potential to become one. The work was published Feb 26 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Story Source:
#Nineteen new speedy praying mantis species discovered that hide and play dead to avoid capturea scientist has discovered 19 new species of praying mantis from Central and South america.
The new species of bark mantises were discovered in tropical forests and also found among existing museum collections.
Dr. Gavin Svenson curator of invertebrate zoology at The Cleveland Museum of Natural history described the new species
Svenson collected the insects from eight countries in Central and South america as well as gathered hundreds of specimens from 25 international museums in North america South america and Europe.
This group the Neotropical bark mantises are incredibly fast runners that live on the trunks and branches of trees said Svenson of The Cleveland Museum of Natural history.
This violates the common perception of praying mantises being slow and methodical hunters. Like most praying mantises they are highly camouflage.
However this group is flattened in appearance and is very difficult to locate because of their adept mimicry of bark moss and lichen.
This is an amazing behavior for an insect because it shows that they are not only relying on camouflage like most insects
but are constantly monitoring their environment and taking action to run and hide said Svenson.
As highly visual predators the bark mantis species appear to be active hunters that pursue prey as opposed to ambush hunters that wait for prey to come close.
Also like a similar bark mantis group from Australia (Ciulfina) this Neotropical group does not appear to exhibit cannibalism
which is an often misunderstood characteristic exhibited by some praying mantis species. The research brings to light a previously unknown diversity of bark mantises.
Based on this study we can predict that mantis groups with similar habitat specialization in Africa Asia
This is exciting because enormous potential exists for advancing our understanding of praying mantis diversity just by looking within our existing museum collections and conducting a few field expeditions.
The conservation status of some of the new mantises found in museum collections is known not
Svenson's research is focused on the evolutionary patterns of relationship distribution and complex features of praying mantises.
and other features to create a new and accurate classification system for praying mantises that reflects true evolutionary relationships.
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