Insect Homosexuality: Accident or Foul Play?

Insect Homosexuality: Accident or Foul Play? Yep, you probably already knew that homosexuality existed among animals in the wild, and now I can confirm your suspicions that insects do it too. Homosexual intercourse is actually not that uncommon in the insect world. However, the reasons behind it are rather unusual… Male insects often accidentally have…

Mapping Out the Zika Virus

The time of reckoning is approaching fast. The summer is almost upon us, and experts predict that the warm weather and moisture from the spring rains are going to bring out hordes of mosquitos, including the Aedes aegypti mosquito that carries the Zika virus. In an attempt to better understand the virus and try to…

Bug Predators

Bug Predators Just like people, some of the insect out in the world don’t conform to the usual standards of the bugs we’re familiar with. There our outcast insects out in the world that dance to the beat of a different drum and eschew all normal behavior. However, while they might be different, they’re still…

Female Insect Has Built-In Sperm Donors

Female Insect Has Built-In Sperm Donors The cottony cushion scale insect has developed an interesting way to make the male members of the species obsolete. Some female cottony cushion scales have developed the ability to fertilize their own eggs, removing the need to find a male to mate with. More and more female cottony cushion…

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Help Keep Your Kitchen Pest Free!

Keep counters, floors, pantry shelves, cabinets and sinks clean, as crumbs and spills are obvious pest attractants. Only purchase food in sealed packages that show no sign of damage. Once packages are opened, move ingredients into sealed glass or Tupperware-type containers with secure lids before storing them in the pantry or cabinet. Check expiration dates…

The Zika Virus and Infants

The Zika Virus and Infants Learning that the Zika virus can cause infants to be born with microcephaly was bad enough, but new research has found that it may cause much more damage than we previously thought. The study found that the baby’s brain may suffer even more damage than is initially observed at birth,…

Bed Bugs Getting Thick Skinned

Researchers have been working to try and discover why the life-ruining bed bugs have made a resurgence in this country. In the 1940s and 50s the launch of DTT and other strong insecticides mostly wiped out the country’s bed bug problem. But, in the last ten years there has been a global resurgence, and we’ve…

The Social Insect: Worker vs. Queen

The Social Insect: Worker vs. Queen Scientists have been trying to find out what determines whether a social insect will become a regular worker or be born into the lofty role of queen for decades. The sterile workers perform the tasks that are necessary to keep the colony surviving and typically live mere weeks or…

Possible Cure for Leaf-Cutter Ants

A newly discovered fungus may be the answer to getting rid of those pesky leaf-cutter ants. Leaf-cutter ants, which are a gardener’s nightmare, threaten a number of crops including citrus, plum, peach, and other fruit trees as well as nut, ornamental plants, and some forage crops. These garden pests are difficult to control with normal…