An insect’s physical shape and characteristics indicate which species it belongs to, but sometimes species appear remarkably similar. DNA technologies can help identify and discover species.
Australian teddy bear bees are cute and fluffy, but get a look at that massive (unbarbed) stinger!
James Dorey Photography
Mark Wong, The University of Western Australia and Raphael Didham, The University of Western Australia
Sometimes it seems the night is just buzzing with insects. But are there really more insects out at night? We analysed all the evidence on insect activity across the day–night cycle to find out.
Parasitic wasps are body-snatchers — if you’re an insect. But these much-maligned creatures have saved millions of human lives by controlling the spread of the cassava mealybug.
Emerald ash borer larva cut these feeding galleries on the trunk of a dead ash tree in Michigan.
corfoto via Getty Images
Biological control strategies curb pests using other species that attack the invader. A biologist explains why it can take more than a decade to develop an effective biological control program.
Sirex noctilio is an invasive woodwasp that causes huge damage. Understanding what attracts it can help repel it.
Ludwig Eksteen
Inserting electrodes into insects helps scientists understand what attracts these insects – and, stemming from that, how to trap them and protect crops.
As invasive species transform the world, frontline agencies take solace that species needing unique partners can’t invade alone. A new study on figs shows they may find new partners to invade anyway.
Getting the job done. A female Asian water dragon (Physignathus cocincinus) produced a daughter (left) without the assistance of a male.
Skip Brown/Smithsonian’s National Zoo
Mercedes Burns, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Parthenogenesis, a form of reproduction in which an egg develops into an embryo without being fertilized by sperm, might be more common than you realized.
People celebrate outside the New York City courthouse where Donald Trump was convicted on May 30, 2024.
AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson
Trump was the first US president from New York City since Teddy Roosevelt, but he was never a hometown hero. City residents celebrated after Biden’s win and again after Trump’s conviction.
The invasive species was likely brought to Australia unintentionally by ship. Now found in every state and territory, the wasps are decimating our ecosystems.
Some wasps are social insects, meaning they live in groups and have a queen.
umsiedlungen/Pixabay.com)