Butterflies across the U.S. West are disappearing, and now researchers say the climate crisis is largely to blame. A new study published in Science on Thursday looked at three different data sets that cover the last 40 years of butterfly populations across more than 70 locations in the Western U.S. They found that butterfly populations […]
Fifteen states are in for an unusually noisy spring. Brood X, the largest and most widespread colony of cicadas in the U.S., is due to emerge from their 17-year hibernation, Michigan State University entomologist Gary Parsons explained. The bugs typically emerge as early as mid-May, and the sound of their mating can reach 100 decibels, […]
By Daniel Raichel Industry would have us believe that pesticides help sustain food production — a necessary chemical trade-off for keeping harmful bugs at bay and ensuring we have enough to eat. But the data often tell a different story—particularly in the case of neonicotinoid pesticides, also known as neonics. Despite being the most widely […]
By Jessica Corbett A collection of new scientific papers authored by 56 experts from around the world reiterates rising concerns about bug declines and urges people and governments to take urgent action to address a biodiversity crisis dubbed the “insect apocalypse.” “The Global Decline of Insects in the Anthropocene Special Feature,” which includes an introduction […]
The Trump administration said Tuesday that federal protection for monarch butterflies under the Endangered Species Act is still a few years away. The reason? The administration cited 161 vulnerable species that are already waiting in line ahead of monarchs. Monarchs will likely have to wait until 2023 to be added by the U.S. Fish and […]
Humans aren’t the only animals that get “hangry” when deprived of a meal. A new study published in iScience Thursday found that monarch butterfly caterpillars (Danaus plexippus) will aggressively push each other out of the way when food gets scarce. “The less food that is present, the higher their level of aggression,” study coauthor Elizabeth […]
Just in time for Halloween, scientists at Cornell University have published some frightening research, especially if you’re an insect! The ghoulishly named ogre-faced spider can “hear” with its legs and use that ability to catch insects flying behind it, the study published in Current Biology Thursday concluded. “Spiders are sensitive to airborne sound,” Cornell professor […]
The aptly named diabolical ironclad beetle (Phloeodes diabolicus) has an exoskeleton so strong, it can survive being pecked by birds and even run over by cars. When early entomologists tried to mount them as specimens, BBC News explained, that exoskeleton would snap or bend their pins. “This beetle is super tough,” Purdue University civil engineer […]
By D. André Green II One of nature’s epic events is underway: Monarch butterflies’ fall migration. Departing from all across the United States and Canada, the butterflies travel up to 2,500 miles to cluster at the same locations in Mexico or along the Pacific Coast where their great-grandparents spent the previous winter. Human activities have […]
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