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The Lovebug: Escaped Lab Experiment or Nature’s Harmless Decomposer?
The lovebug’s origin isn’t the only misconception about these tiny insects. For starters, lovebugs aren’t actually bugs: they’re flies, more closely related to mosquitoes and gnats. There are, in fact, so many misconceptions about lovebugs that we thought we’d dispel some of the more outlandish claims. If you love learning about fascinating and surprisingly controversial…
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The Return of the Living Cicadas: Brood 10 to Emerge After 17 Years
Seventeen is a big year. It’s a time of emergence after years of self-imposed isolation. No, we’re not talking about teenagers exiting the haze of adolescence. We’re referring to the cicada. Brood 10, a family of periodical cicadas, has been living underground for the last 17 years. With their lifecycle nearing its end, these insects…
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The Founders of Entomology and Nematology
Entomology and nematology are sciences devoted to the study of insects and nematodes: creatures as fascinating as they are impactful on agriculture and natural systems. Although entomology and nematology are now fully formed sciences supporting the $1.053-trillion-dollar agriculture industry, that wasn’t always the case. From a reverend who saw the divine in nature to a housewife…
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Save the Bees: The Importance of Protecting Our Pollinators
Bees have had their furry backs against the wall for well over a decade now. Since beekeepers first reported record declines in honey bee populations in 2006, bees have had to contend with pests, pesticides, herbicides, habitat loss, climate change and American foulbrood, an infectious disease known to destroy entire colonies.
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Three Deadly Insects
Insects are an important part of our world’s ecosystems. Almost all insects serve specific functions, including pollinating our crops, providing food for other animals and recycling nutrients. There are a reported 1.4 billion insects per person on the planet. While most insects aren’t considered dangerous, there are some that can cause significant harm to humans — and even kill them.
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The Rise of Vector-Borne Diseases
Insects were first shown to transmit human disease, or “vector-borne diseases,” in 1877. After their discovery, experts used this newfound knowledge to make global efforts in preventing and controlling the transmission of vector-borne diseases. By the 1960s, vector-borne diseases were considered to be controlled in all areas outside of Africa. However, the past 50 years has seen a…
