Subterranean termites in the genus Reticulitermes are common pests in North America, responsible for significant damage to wooden structures. The scientific literature maintains that the western United States is home to two native species of termites: Reticulitermes hesperus in more coastal regions from British Columbia to Southern California, and Reticulitermes tibialis in more arid inland...
If ever there were not enough reasons for tree nut farmers to be diligent about winter sanitation, they now have one more with the discovery of a new invasive beetle that overwinters in mummy nuts. This new beetle – Carpophilus truncatus (Nitidulidae) – is a known pest of almonds in Australia, where they have been...
France’s top export this year isn’t creamy camembert or moody arthouse cinema. No, people will remember France in 2023 for exporting the only home invader so reviled that many would rather see their belongings go up in flames than deal with them: bed bugs. Right now, French families are tossing their beds onto the streets...
On a brisk morning last month, the deputy mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, stood in front of a French TV camera with a serious look on his face and said: “No one is safe.” He wasn’t talking about the threat of climate change or some frightening new virus. He was talking about bedbugs. For the...
A palm tree on the La Jolla Recreation Center grounds is slated for removal after the city of San Diego confirmed it has been infested with the South American palm weevil. The palm weevil — a type of beetle native to parts of Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean — has killed many...
Across the globe, insect populations have seen a steep decline. According to a meta-analysis of 16 studies, insect populations have declined by about 45% in just the last 40 years. The large-scale death of insects poses huge threats not only to the ecosystems they exist in but also to much of our agriculture. According to...
As Florida health authorities work to respond to an ever-growing cadre of invasive tropical mosquitoes, a research team has sharpened an environmentally friendly tool increasingly deployed against a dangerous species that invaded the state two centuries ago. The mosquito is Aedes aegypti, vector of yellow fever, dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika fever. It is one...
Entomology students at UC Riverside now have a very short commute to a fieldwork site. The Entomology Teaching Garden focusing on attracting native insects and pollinators has opened next to the Entomology Research Museum on the bee-friendly campus, serving as an outdoor classroom and living laboratory for faculty and students. Approximately 1,200 square feet in...
Bluetongue virus, an incurable cattle and sheep-killing disease, is spread by tiny flies once thought to disappear in winter. New research demonstrates that though they are harder to find when it’s cold, they remain active. Bluetongue virus is common in cattle throughout most of the United States, particularly in the southwestern U.S. with nearly 20%...
During his Ph.D. work at the University of California, Riverside, Jake Cecala, Ph.D., conducted a project looking at the effects of irrigation and pesticide use in ornamental plants on solitary bee reproduction. The project comprised 20 mesh flight cages set up in a field at the campus agricultural station. Each cage had 30 potted plants...
Certain crops, like greenhouse tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, and blueberries, rely on bumblebees for a style of pollination that only bumblebees can perform. Among growers, the preference can be for bigger-bodied bumblebees because they’re thought to be more efficient pollinators. Enabled by a $750,000 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the research team...
The Culicoides biting midge, a tiny fly in the order Diptera, transmits several important animal viruses. One of the most significant is the bluetongue virus (BTV), which causes bluetongue disease in cattle, sheep, deer and other ruminants. A new study gets closer to answering how biting midges such as Culicoides sonorensis (shown here) maintain transmission...
UC Riverside has been designated as a bee-friendly campus and become an affiliate of the Bee Campus USA program, joining other institutions in improving the landscape for pollinators. An initiative of the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Bee Campus USA and the associated Bee City USA program provide a framework for communities to work together...
Why do the pill bugs turn bright blue? Brian Federici, Professor of Entomology at the University of California Riverside said the unusual color is likely caused by a lethal iridescent virus that cannot affect humans.
Researchers have been looking into the development of an effective pheromone lure for leaffooted bugs. The effort has been part of a research project funded by the Almond Board of California. Cooperative Extension Specialist based out of the Kearney Agricultural Research and Education Center, Kent Daane said there have been some breakthroughs. A pheromone compound...
Jacqueline Serrano, Ph.D., is a research entomologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) in the Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research Unit, in Wapato, Washington. She earned her B.S. in biology (2012) and Ph.D. in entomology (2019) at the University of California, Riverside. She first joined USDA-ARS as a postdoctoral research...
Video produced and narrated by the late UCR videographer James Brown for a symposium in 2007 honoring Mulla's 50 years of service to the university, the community and the world. Dr. Mir Subhan Mulla PhD passed away peacefully at home January 29, 2023 at age 97. Born February 15, 1925 (his chosen birthday) in Zangawat...
Central California grape-grower Steve McIntyre was familiar with Pierce’s Disease. But that did not prepare him for what he saw when he visited his brother’s Southern California citrus and avocado farm in 1998. The disease, which causes vines to wither and grapes to deflate like old balloons, had long existed in California. But the infection...
Meet the Baers, the sweet married couple who work together, play together, and are quietly saving the world together. They’re helping honey bees survive, which in turn ensures us humans get to keep eating for the foreseeable future. The continuous collapse of honey bee colonies, caused by culprits including parasites, pesticides, and environmental changes, is...
Oblique streaktail hoverflies zip from bloom to bloom wearing a wasp costume to avoid getting eaten. But it’s all for show – they don’t even have stingers! Their fierce maggots, on the other hand, devour hundreds of insect pests. As they gorge, they help keep orange trees safe from disease. Entomologist Nic Irvin, at the...
