Scientists discover how to send insects off the scent of crops
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)-funded research, published this week in Chemical Communication, describes how scientists have discovered molecules that could confuse insects' ability to detect plants by interfering with their sense of smell. This could reduce damage to crops by insect pests and contribute to food... view more... (2009-09-24)
ISU researchers study insecticide-free method for control of soybean aphids
Two Iowa State University researchers are examining a new method of controlling soybean aphids without the use of chemical pesticides. view more (2009-09-16)
Discovering soybean plants resistant to aphids and a new aphid
This year farmers in the Midwest are growing a new variety of soybeans developed by University of Illinois researchers that has resistance to soybean aphids. view more (2009-08-11)
Gene developed through conventional breeding to improve cowpea aphid resistance
The cowpea or black-eyed pea, as it is more commonly known, is a New Year's tradition for good luck. But disease and particularly aphids, which can wreck a crop within a few a days, are especially bad luck for the cowpea, according to scientists. view more (2009-07-30)
How social insects recognize dead nestmates
When an ant dies in an ant nest or near one, its body is quickly picked up by living ants and removed from the colony, thus limiting the risk of colony infection by pathogens from the corpse. view more (2009-05-06)
'Natural' nitrogen-fixing bacteria protect soybeans from aphids
An invasion of soybean aphids poses a problem for soybean farmers requiring application of pesticides, but a team of Penn State entomologists thinks a careful choice of nitrogen-fixing bacteria may provide protection against the sucking insects. view more (2009-04-15)
Small investments to battle soybean pest paying off big, says MSU researcher
The small amount of money put toward fighting the tiny, yet destructive soybean aphid will pay big dividends in the coming years, said a Michigan State University economist, thanks to a research and outreach system developed during the last 50 years. view more (2009-03-24)
Grazing animals help spread plant disease
Researchers have discovered that grazing animals such as deer and rabbits are actually helping to spread plant disease - quadrupling its prevalence in some cases - and encouraging an invasion of annual grasses that threaten more than 20 million acres of native grasslands in California. view more (2008-12-30)
Aphids are sentinels of climate change
Aphids are emerging as sentinels of climate change, researchers at BBSRC-supported Rothamsted Research have shown. One of the UK's most damaging aphids - the peach-potato aphid (Myzus persicae) - has been found to be flying two weeks earlier for every 1 degree C rise in mean temperature for January and February combined. view more (2008-08-07)
'Jekyll and Hyde' bacteria offer pest control hope
New research at York has revealed so-called 'Jekyll and Hyde' bacteria, suggesting a novel way to control insect pests without using insecticides. view more (2007-12-20)
Plant viruses from past provide ecological clues
Taking the medical history of a grassland may seem a bit esoteric - after all, how sick can grass be? However, scientists have discovered plant viruses from as early as 1917 containing information crucial not only for plant scientists, but for those in ecology, human health and bioterrorism. view more (2007-10-09)
Transgenic maize is more susceptible to aphids
The environmental consequences of transgenic crops are the focus of numerous investigations, such as the one published in the journal PloS ONE. view more (2007-08-30)
Chickadee, nutchatch presence in conifers increases tree growth, says CU-Boulder study
Chickadees, nuthatches and warblers foraging their way through forests have been shown to spur the growth of pine trees in the West by as much as one-third, according to a new University of Colorado at Boulder study. view more (2007-08-02)
In a bug-eat-bug world, researchers are using a unique Chinese import to battle soybean aphids
University of Minnesota scientists are field testing a beneficial insect, a stingless wasp from China also known as Binodoxys communis, that kills soybean aphids. A successful field test would be a major breakthrough in controlling a damaging crop pest. view more (2007-07-25)
Aphids make 'chemical weapons' to fight off killer ladybirds
Cabbage aphids have developed an internal chemical defence system which enables them to disable attacking predators by setting off a mustard oil 'bomb'. view more (2007-07-11)
Thale cress goes on the defensive
Thale cress has a complicated defence technique against insects and microorganisms that use the plant as a source of food. view more (2007-05-15)
Why some aphids can't stand the heat
For pea aphids, the ability to go forth and multiply can depend on a single gene, according to new research. view more (2007-04-20)
Evolution of symbiosis
The aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum depends on a bacterial symbiont, Buchnera aphidicola, for amino acids it can't get from plants. The aphid, in turn, provides the bacterium with energy and carbon as well as shelter inside specialized cells. view more (2007-04-10)
New genetic analysis forces re-draw of insect family tree
The family tree covering almost half the animal species on the planet has been re-drawn following a genetic analysis which has revealed new relationships between four major groups of insects. view more (2006-10-27)
Biodiversity controls ecological 'services,' report scientists in comprehenisive analysis
Accelerating rates of species extinction pose problems for humanity, according to a comprehensive study headed by a biologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara and published in the journal Nature this week. view more (2006-10-26)
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