insects

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Even Insects Have Culture
Even Insects Have Culture
NEW STUDY
Mar 9, 2023 1:54 PM CST

Even Insects Have Culture

Social learning among bumblebees suggests animal culture might be 'widespread'

(Newser) - A new study is helping transform the idea that culture is reserved for humans, primates, and birds, offering evidence of "culture-like phenomena" including social learning in bumblebees. Researchers at London's Queen Mary University trained bumblebees to open a puzzle box holding a sugar solution, either by pushing a...

&#39;Super-Rare&#39; Bug Found at Walmart Stuns Experts
'Super-Rare' Bug Found
at Walmart Stuns Experts
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Mar 4, 2023 12:10 PM CST

'Super-Rare' Bug Found at Walmart Stuns Experts

It's the first giant lacewing recorded in eastern North America in half a century

(Newser) - Michael Skvarla, director of Penn State's Insect Identification Laboratory, was examining an insect in front of students over Zoom in the fall of 2020 when he froze. He'd just been explaining that this insect from his personal collection—plucked from the side of an Arkansas Walmart during a...

Border Officials Spot This Bug for the First Time

Insect 'corimelaena palmeri' was in a shipment of flowers from Mexico

(Newser) - US border officials intercepted an unwanted visitor at the border—a bug never before seen in this country. Customs inspectors spotted the insect corimelaena palmeri in a shipment of cut flowers from Mexico, reports CNN . A news release from US Customs and Border Protection says inspectors at the Otay Mesa...

These Wasps Love Planes, Could Bring Them Down

Airports employing insecticide, Pitot tube covers to deter keyhole wasp nests

(Newser) - There are numerous examples of birds colliding with planes in incidents that prove deadly for human passengers, hence why airports use various methods to deter fowl. Now, several airports are working to deter a smaller, airborne pest that also proves a deadly threat: wasps. As the Wall Street Journal reports,...

Spiders to Intentionally Run Wild at Museum

Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum is letting its creepy-crawlies have free reign over venue during exhibit

(Newser) - At one of Europe's most famous museums, life is definitely imitating art until early next year. "The museum is teeming with animals this season!" promises Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum in its promotion for "Clara and Crawly Creatures," its new exhibit focusing on insects and other creeping...

The Number of Ants on Earth Is Basically 'Unimaginable'

Try 20 quadrillion

(Newser) - If you've ever dealt with an ant invasion in your kitchen and bemoaned the number of ants that seem to exist, a new study can bring some specificity to your complaints. As Science reports, there had been no reliable estimate of the number of ants currently on the planet....

Researchers Use Novel Method to Study Moth Migration

Little is actually known about where insects go and how they get there

(Newser) - Trillions of insects migrate across the globe each year, yet little is known about their journeys. So to look for clues, scientists in Germany took to the skies, placing tiny trackers on the backs of giant moths and following them by plane, per the AP . To the researchers’ surprise, the...

Monarch Butterflies Go on Global 'Red List'

Numbers have plummeted in recent decades, due in part to loss of milkweed

(Newser) - North America's migratory monarch butterfly, the beloved orange-and-black insect capable of flying 2,500 miles across the continent, is officially an endangered species in the eyes of the leading global authority. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature added migratory monarchs to its Red List of Threatened Species...

Gypsy Moth Is Being Renamed
Gypsy Moth Gets a New Name
UPDATED
Mar 7, 2022 4:42 PM CST

Gypsy Moth Gets a New Name

The spongy moth's old name was considered a slur

(Newser) - Update: Scientists have settled on a new name for the gypsy moth, a damaging invasive species whose name was considered a slur by Romani people. The Entomological Society of America says a group of more than 50 scientists considered around 200 nominations and settled on "spongy moth," which...

Only Humans Were Known to Do This&mdash;Until Now
Only Humans Were Known
to Do This—Until Now
NEW STUDY
Feb 8, 2022 11:17 AM CST

Only Humans Were Known to Do This—Until Now

Chimpanzees appear to self-medicate with insects: study

(Newser) - Officials with the Ozouga Chimpanzee Project at Loango National Park in Gabon first spotted a female chimp taking a tiny winged insect from her mouth and placing it in a wound on her son's foot in November 2019. She then removed the bug and repeated the process two more...

He Thought He Had Water In His Ear. It Was a Roach
Man's 3-Day Ear Clog
Has a Most Unpleasant Source
in case you missed it
Jan 16, 2022 3:42 PM CST

Man's 3-Day Ear Clog Has a Most Unpleasant Source

New Zealand's Zane Wedding had a cockroach in his ear

(Newser) - A New Zealand man who thought his ear was clogged with water for three days found out the actual, more unpleasant truth after visiting a specialist on Monday: A cockroach had burrowed its way into his ear canal. CNN reports that Zane Wedding had started feeling like his ear was...

The Butterfly 'Apocalypse' May Not Be Upon Us After All

After monarchs' migration numbers plummeted drastically last year, we may be seeing a 'comeback'

(Newser) - California's Pacific Grove Monarch Sanctuary didn't have a single sighting of its namesake black-and-orange butterfly last year, so no one knew what to expect for this year's migration. The pleasant surprise, per SFGate : "The butterflies are back in town." More than 13,700 of them,...

Boy&#39;s Bug Collection Sparks Federal Investigation
Boy's State Fair Bug Display
Spurs a Federal Investigation
in case you missed it
Sep 19, 2021 8:00 AM CDT

Boy's State Fair Bug Display Spurs a Federal Investigation

Kansas student's collection included invasive spotted lanternfly

(Newser) - A Kansas student's display at the state fair earned him a blue ribbon—and spurred an investigation by state and federal authorities. The 4-H participant's insect collection included a spotted lanternfly, an invasive species that poses a major risk to agriculture in eastern states, the Washington Post reports....

Relentless 'Murder Hornets' Keep Building Nests

Wildlife officials in Washington state have destroyed 2 this year, and found a third one

(Newser) - Murder hornets—more formally known as Asian giant hornets —seem bent on putting down roots in North America. Wildlife officials in Washington state already have destroyed two nests this year and say they'll soon wipe out a newly discovered third one, reports the Guardian . The invasive species first...

Official Advice on This Bug: 'Squash It, Smash It'

Spotted lanternfly threatens Pennsylvania agriculture

(Newser) - "Kill it! Squash it, smash it ... just get rid of it," is the official advice from the government of Pennsylvania for residents who encounter the spotted lanternfly. The insect, an invasive plant-hopping species from Asia first detected in the US in 2014, is considered a major threat to...

People&#39;s Feet Turn Black From Walking Through Beach&#39;s Dead Bugs
Beachgoers Find Out
What's Been Staining
Their Feet and Ew, No
in case you missed it
Jun 13, 2021 8:00 AM CDT

Beachgoers Find Out What's Been Staining Their Feet and Ew, No

Millions of dead bugs make up black mystery substance at Maine's Wells Beach, scientists say

(Newser) - People who've recently visited Wells Beach in Maine have often gone home to find their feet stained black—and scientists say they've figured out the gross reason. State officials say it's millions of dead bugs, washed ashore to form a black, slimy substance that resembles tar. Local...

After 17 Years, 'Brood X' Is Emerging. Grab a Fork

Cicadas are a low-fat, protein-rich sustainable food source, advocates say

(Newser) - Brood X is about to arrive . That's the name for the group of cicadas that have been nestled underground for the past 17 years, waiting to emerge this month and next month and overrun our yards and parks. Some people enjoy their summer interludes , while others fear them , but...

Billions of Cicadas to Swarm Eastern US

Have earplugs ready as 17-year cicadas 'may amass in millions'

(Newser) - Residents of 15 eastern states and the District of Columbia can experience "a rare wonder of the natural world" this spring—if they can get over the noise. Billions of cicadas are expected to emerge from the ground for the first time in 17 years in Delaware, Georgia, Illinois,...

Monarch Butterfly Count Suggests Extinction Is Near

Only 2K western monarch butterflies were counted in California this winter

(Newser) - The number of western monarch butterflies wintering along the California coast has plummeted precipitously to a record low, putting the insects closer to extinction, researchers announced Tuesday. An annual winter count by the Xerces Society recorded fewer than 2,000 butterflies, a massive decline from the millions that clustered in...

How to Fight Back Against the &#39;Insect Apocalypse&#39;
Earth Is Facing an
'Insect Apocalypse'
NEW STUDY
Jan 13, 2021 2:35 PM CST

Earth Is Facing an 'Insect Apocalypse'

1% to 2% of insects disappear annually, but new habitats could help

(Newser) - Insects, considered vital to the food chain, are slowly disappearing, at a rate of 1% to 2% each year in some parts of the world, according to researchers, who are urging the general public to lend a helping hand. We're already seeing "death by a thousand cuts,"...

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