Latest Beetle Stories
By Karl Puckett Amy Gannon, hatchet in hand, sliced a slab of bark from a lodgepole pine tree near Wolf Creek, Mont., and quickly spotted a mountain pine beetle larva no bigger than her pinkie fingernail. "This tree's done for," said Gannon, an entomologist with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. As wildfires roar through tinder-dry forests in California, the mountain pine beetle is silently killing even more trees -- hundreds of thousands of acres of towering...
By Chris Kick Q: My trees are getting eaten up by Japanese beetles. What should I do? A: Japanese beetles have definitely made themselves known this past week. But do not put out beetle traps. Research has shown that, despite the number of beetles the traps catch, they actually bring more of them into the area where they are placed. If you do want to use traps, place them away from any plants you want to protect. If the trees are not too big, hand picking them and putting them into soapy...
By Christine Weeber Pesticides often have larger effects than we intend. Some of those used in responding to the mountain pine beetle infestation are no different. Carbaryl, the active ingredient in the most common sprays used to protect trees against beetles, is one of these. It is a neurotoxin that is dangerous to humans and pets through skin contact, inhalation and ingestion through food or water. And it is highly toxic to bees, stoneflies and some fish. In 2005, 12 groups representing...
By Cramer, John Scientists, economists, land managers and others will gather Thursday in Missoula to discuss the worsening infestation of bark beetles across the West. "Red Tree," a one-day public symposium, is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the University of Montana's University Center Ballroom. The symposium is free, but registration is required at 542-4300. Mountain pine beetles and other bark beetles have killed millions of acres of trees from Alaska to the Southwest in recent...
An international research consortium with the participation of a research team led by Professor Cornelis Grimmelikhuijzen from the University of Copenhagen's Department of Biology, has sequenced the genome from the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. Tribolium is the first beetle and the first insect pest, whose genome has been sequenced. This research may have a big impact on agriculture and has been published today in the renowned journal Nature. 75% of all animal species in the world are...
The strongest creature in the world, the Hercules Beetle, has a color-changing trick that scientists have long sought to understand. Research published today, Tuesday, 11 March, in the New Journal of Physics, details an investigation into the structure of the specie's peculiar protective shell which could aid design of "˜intelligent materials'.The Hercules Beetle is remarkable, not only for its strength, able to carry up to 850 times its own weight, the protective outgrowth of the insects'...
ASU scientist names new beetle species Orectochilus orbisonorum to honor Roy and Barbara OrbisonAn unusual new species of whirligig beetle from India is being named Orectochilus orbisonorum in honor of the late rock "˜n' roll legend Roy Orbison and his widow Barbara.Arizona State University entomologist Quentin Wheeler announced the description and discovery of the beetle species Jan. 25 during a Roy Orbison Tribute Concert, part of a weekend of tribute events hosted by ASU's Center for...
Most of Colorado's lodgepole pine trees stand to be dead within the next 5 years. In 1996, a bark beetle infestation was detected, and last year it spread over 500,000 acres more than previous years. Federal forestry officials say that this brings the total count of affected acres to 1.5 million. This infestation mainly affects five northern counties which straddle the Continental Divide, and has recently spread to part of southern Wyoming and the Front Range. Those effected counties are...
Most parents would hotly deny favouring one child over another but new research suggests they may have little choice in the matter.Biologists studying a unique species of beetle that raises and cares for its young have found that parents instinctively favour the oldest offspring.The University of Manchester research "“ published in Ecology this month "“ supports the findings of studies carried out on human families but is significant in that it suggests a wholly natural tendency towards...
By SHANNON MONTGOMERY EDMONTON (CP) - Alberta wants forestry companies to step up the cutting of pine trees to help deal with a massive outbreak of destructive mountain pine beetles. Millions of the tiny insects have made their first major advance into Alberta's northern forest, settling in for the winter in up to 1.5 million trees - up from only 19,000 trees last year. The infestation has the government and industry scrambling to try and contain a scourge that has already ruined huge...
Latest Beetle Reference Libraries
The Scarlet Lily Beetle (Lilioceris lilii) is native to Europe but is now widely found in North America. Larvae damage cultivated lily and Fritillaria plants. Photo by Keith Edkins The beetle family Chrysomelidae, or leaf beetles is a family of over 35,000 species in more than 2,500 genera. Leaf beetles are recognizable by their tarsal formula and distinguished from long-horned beetles (family Cerambycidae) by their short, filiform antennae. Adult and larval leaf beetles feed on all...
PHOTO CAPTION: The common asparagus beetle Crioceris asparagi is an important pest of asparagus crops. Photo by Keith Edkins 2003 The Common Asparagus Beetle (Crioceris asparagi) is an chief pest of Asparagus crops both in Europe and in North America; asparagus is its only food plant. The adult beetles and the larvae strip the needle-like leaves off the asparagus fronds which deprives the plants of the ability to build food reserves for future years. They also damage the shoots, thereby...
Ladybirds, also known as ladybugs or lady beetles are a family, Coccinellidae ("little sphere"), of beetles. The name is thought to allude to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Catholic faith. Ladybirds are found worldwide, with over 4,500 species described - more than 450 native to North America alone. Ladybirds are small insects, ranging from 1 mm to 10 mm (0.04 to 0.4 inches), and are usually yellow, orange, or red with small black spots on their carapace, and black legs, head and feelers. As...
The longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae) are a family of beetles notable for their extremely long antennae. These antennae are often as long as or longer than the beetle's body in fact. The family is large, with over 20,000 species described. Several are serious pests, with the larvae boring into wood, where they can cause extensive damage to either living trees or to wood in buildings; the house longhorn Hylotrupes bajulus being a particular problem indoors. A number of species mimic ants and...
The beetle family Chrysomelidae, or leaf beetles, is a family of over 35,000 species in more than 2,500 genera. Leaf beetles are recognizable by their tarsal formula and distinguished from long-horned beetles (family Cerambycidae) by their short, filiform antennae. Adult and larval leaf beetles feed on all sorts of plant tissue. Many are economically important pests of agriculture, for example the colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), the asparagus beetle (Crioceris...
