insects

During the last weekend of January, participants in Britain’s Big Garden Birdwatch are asked to keep track of the number of each avian species they see at their location over a one-hour period. The counting and recording is usually done in gardens, but parks and other green spaces work too. Participants in this year’s Birdwatch […]

For water conservationists concerned about keeping pests out of their rain collection barrels, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have some helpful advice. A new study, published in Journal of Medical Entomology, looked into the presence of mosquitoes in rain barrels in the central Illinois region and determined the most effective ways to prevent […]

The Asian hornet, or Vespa velutina, is an invasive species in western Europe that is also known by the name “Asian predatory wasp.” It is a close relative to the Asian giant hornet, or murder hornet, that was first spotted in the U.S. in 2019. Both species have raised immediate concerns for honeybee populations. Now, […]

In a new study, scientists are raising concerns over the ways that flea treatment chemicals for pets can leach into the environment and harm local wildlife. In light of the study, experts are calling on veterinarians to minimize preventative flea treatments to protect songbirds and insects impacted by the chemicals in these treatments. Scientists from […]

While scientists have long known that pesticide use could impact pollinators, a new study reveals how fertilizer could negatively impact these important organisms. Not only that, but the research, which was conducted at the site of the longest ecological experiment in global history, revealed that high fertilizer use could also lead to a decline in […]

Like humans, animals experience complex emotions like empathy, love, grief and joy. They can also hold grudges. In a recent study, a team of biologists found that ants can learn from experience and hold grudges when confronted with competitors from another nest with whom they’ve had previous negative experiences. “We often have the idea that […]

Most spiders have eight legs, no ears and use fine leg hairs connected to nerve cells or their webs to hear sounds in their environment. But how do they smell? A new study by an international team of researchers has found that male spiders “smell” with their legs, using olfactory hairs — wall-pore sensilla — […]

A quarter of all freshwater animals, including crustaceans, fish and insects, face a high risk of extinction from threats like pollution, farming and dams, a new study has found. Rivers, lakes, wetlands and other bodies of freshwater cover a relatively small amount of Earth’s surface — less than one percent — but are home to […]