At around age 10, I spotted a cockroach on the kitchen counter and grabbed the closest thing near me: a coffee pot, which I brought down on the head of the bug and then found myself standing there, holding nothing but the glass handle. “I’m sorry, Mom,” I said about the broken flask. “But at...
You never forget the moment when your path in life becomes clear. For Erin Wilson-Rankin, that moment came in an undergraduate classroom at Georgetown University when she learned about a caterpillar that evades predators by flinging its poop. “It was actually my professor, Martha Weiss, talking about her own research into the silver-spotted skipper butterfly...
The German cockroach (Blattella germanica) is a common pest in buildings throughout the world. It spreads pathogens that can cause diarrheal disease and allergens that can cause lung hypersensitivity in vulnerable people. Insecticide sprays and insecticide-loaded baits have been used to control B. germanica for decades, but there is evidence that some populations have developed...
Meat-eating bees made the news in late 2021, after a study examined the unique gut microbiomes of these unusual species. Trigona hypogea, Trigona necrophaga, and Trigona crassipes are the only three known bee species in the world that feed exclusively on carrion. https://entomologytoday.org/2022/01/19/vulture-bees-gut-microbiomes/
The Japan Academy Medal, widely considered the most prestigious award for young Japanese researchers, only goes to six recipients annually. This year associate entomology professor Naoki Yamanaka has been elected for the honor. Chosen among nominees from all fields of sciences and humanities, Yamanaka was recognized for research into the way that steroid hormones control...
You've probably heard this playground legend: Daddy longlegs are the most venomous spiders in the world, but their fangs are too short to bite you. Is this really true? The short answer: no. But to reach that answer, we're going to have to get a few things straight. "First, what are you calling a daddy...
Researchers have discovered the genetic basis for a quirk of the animal kingdom — how ant queens produce broods that are entirely male or female. “It’s weird to have any parent that’s only producing one sex or the other,” said UC Riverside entomologist and study author Jessica Purcell. Scientists have known for some time that...
Bumblebees pollinate many of our favorite foods, but their own diet is being upset by climate change, according to a new University of California, Riverside study. There’s a sweet spot where the floral nectar bees eat has just the right balance of microbes like bacteria and yeast in it. Hotter weather can upset that balance...
The Entomology Program was awarded a GAANN (Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need) grant by the Department of Education. Funding from this award will be used to recruit and provide fellowships to 6-8 UCR Entomology PhD students per year. PhD applicants for Fall 2022 are strongly encouraged to indicate their interest in being considered...
Bumblebees pollinate many of our favorite foods, but their own diet is being upset by climate change, according to a new UC Riverside study. Bombus impatiens, aka the common eastern bumblebee, served as taste tester for this experiment. There’s a sweet spot where floral nectar that bees eat has just the right balance of microbes...
When I moved to Los Angeles years ago, I was told by native Angeleno friends that the city without humidity also definitely did not have mosquitoes. What is that whizzing sound then? The welts on my ankles? My favorite cafe has taken to selling bottles of insect repellent next to the cash register. Were my...
In less time than it takes to read this sentence, hummingbirds can catch a whiff of potential trouble. That’s the result of new UC Riverside research showing, contrary to popular belief, the tiny birds do have an active sense of smell. Researchers have known for some time that vultures have a highly sensitive sense of...
UC Riverside Professor of Entomology Thomas Perring actively engages the UCCE network in his research and teaching. One example is his work with Area Viticulture/Pest Management Advisor Carmen Gispert to evaluate Pierce’s disease (PD) and sharpshooter vectors in Coachella Valley vineyards. He also exposes undergraduate and graduate students to the work that farm advisors do...
Bumblebee queens start off as solitary insects, looking for a place to nest. After finding a spot, the queen lays eggs and collects food to feed the brood. This continues until the first group of workers hatch and take over the queen’s food gathering and feeding duties. Woodard’s group will do experiments to find out...
If you care about bees... well, let’s be real: If you care about eating (since bees pollinate the plants that produce our food) two new studies underscore two simple things we home gardeners in and around Los Angeles can do to help those busy buzzers live longer, healthier lives: 1. Lace your yard or balcony...
Anew UC Riverside study shows that a type of insecticide made for commercial plant nurseries is harmful to a typical bee even when applied well below the label rate. The study has now been published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences . Chemically similar to nicotine, neonicotinoids are insecticides that...
What can the fruit fly teach us about taste and how chemicals cause our taste buds to recognize sweet, sour, bitter, umami, and salty tastes? Quite a lot, according to University of California, Riverside, researchers who have published a study exploring the insect’s sense of taste. “Insect feeding behavior directly impacts humans in many ways...
The Department of Entomology created a scholarship in response to the Black Lives Matter movement and has named microbiology major Ariana Sanchez its first Inclusivity Scholar. Sanchez became interested in studying bacterial pathogens transmitted by insects because members of her family suffer from chronic illnesses transmitted by fleas and ticks. She will further this interest...
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has awarded grants to two UCR scientists, Kerry Mauck and Chow-Yang Lee, for innovative research projects to reduce overreliance on pesticides. Excessive pesticide use causes widespread environmental contamination. It can be toxic to other living things, including beneficial insects, wildlife and humans. More than 90 percent of water and...
