Latest Beetle Stories
A University of Alberta-led research team has determined that the mountain pine beetle has invaded jack pine forests in Alberta, opening up the possibility for an infestation that could stretch across the Prairies and keep moving east towards the Atlantic. A group of U of A tree biologists and geneticists discovered that, as the mountain pine beetle spread eastward from central British Columbia, it successfully jumped species from its main host, the lodgepole pine, to the jack pine. Jack pine...
Using commercially available parts, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and colleagues have developed a new automated system for detecting insects based on the peculiar sounds the insects make while moving.According to entomologist Richard Mankin of USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), one likely application will be to automate routine monitoring of industrial-scale traps, especially those placed in hard-to-reach areas like crawl spaces or near food processing...
A University of Alberta-led research team has discovered that insects that bore into trees as long ago 90 million years, or as recently as last summer, leave a calling card that's rich with information.The information is contained in the resin found within trees and on their bark. Resin is produced in large quantities by a tree when it's under attack by insects.Normally, to assess if a tree is under an attack from boring insects researchers have sometimes had to rip patches of bark from...
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Only hours after the Packers were crowned Super Bowl XLV champions, Hulu users have determined the Super Bowl ad winners as well. Votes have been cast across the 69 Super WHAT Bowl ads on Hulu's AdZone. (www.hulu.com/adzone) The "most liked" category was led by Volkswagen's "The Force," narrowly edging out Bridgestone's "Carma." But this...
The genome of the fungus that helps mountain pine beetles infect and kill lodgepole pines has been decoded in a University of British Columbia study.Also known as blue stain fungus for the stain it leaves in the wood of infected trees, Grosmannia clavigera is carried to the host trees by pine beetles and weakens the trees' natural defense system, allowing pine beetles to feed and reproduce in the tree bark. A successful beetle-fungus attack ultimately causes tree death.Now, researchers from...
Only five species of these so-called 'flea' beetles, out of a global total of 60, had been found to date in New Caledonia, in the western Pacific. A three-year study has now enabled Spanish researchers to discover two new herbivorous beetles "“ Arsipoda geographica and Arsipoda rostrata. These new beetles hold a secret "“ they feed on plants that the scientists have still not found on the archipelago."The study, financed by the National Geographic, went some way beyond merely...
The humble ginger root could be the key to conserving the UK's largest and most spectacular terrestrial beetle "“ the stag beetle. Ecologists from Royal Holloway, University of London and the University of York have developed a series of new methods to monitor stag beetle numbers "“ including ginger lures to trap adult beetles and tiny microphones to detect sounds made by the larvae in their underground nests. Conservation efforts have been hampered until now because ecologists lacked a...
An imported shipment of rice was intercepted at Los Angeles International Airport that contained one of the world's most destructive grain and seed pests, US Customs officials said Wednesday. US Customs and Border Protection said the so-called Khapra beetle was discovered last week in a shipment of Indian rice arriving from Saudi Arabia. The shipment was quarantined and destroyed. Entomologists from the Department of Agriculture identified the pests as Khapra beetles, which are among the most...
A new beetle-kill floor has been installed at Mi Cocina Mexican Restaurant in Littleton, Colorado. It is the first such application of beetle-kill pine flooring in a restaurant in the United States.Littleton, CO (PRWEB) December 1, 2010 A new beetle-kill floor has been installed at Mi Cocina Mexican Restaurant in Littleton, Colorado. It is the first such application of beetle-kill pine flooring in a restaurant in the United States.Information from The Beetle-kill Trade Association says,...
One of the worst pests of corn in the world, the corn rootworm, may owe its worldwide success partly to its larvae's nasty, sticky blood.U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist Jonathan G. Lundgren and his colleagues discovered this recently, working with CABI researchers in Delémont, Switzerland, and Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary. The discovery could lead to development of ways to overcome these defenses as part of sustainable, ecologically based pest management...
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...
