Department of Entomology

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...