Once introduced for biological pest control, Asian lady beetle Harmonia axyridis populations have been increasing uncontrollably in the US and Europe since the turn of the millennium. The species has been p ...

Biology - Ecology

May 16, 2013 4.3 / 5 (3) 0 |

Washington State University researchers have found they can control one of fruit growers' more severe pests, aphids, with a remarkably benign tool: flowers. The discovery is a boon for organic as well as ...

Biology - Ecology

May 14, 2013 5 / 5 (3) 0

Plants use underground fungal networks to warn their neighbours of aphid attack, UK scientists have discovered.

Biology - Ecology

May 10, 2013 4.6 / 5 (5) 0 |

Scientists at The University of Manchester have found evidence of the genetic basis of the evolutionary arms-race between parasitoids and their aphid hosts.

Biology - Plants & Animals

Apr 09, 2013 not rated yet 0 |

Previous studies have shown that carnivores can have indirect positive effects on each other, which means that when one species is lost, others could soon follow. A team from the University of Exeter and the University of ...

Biology - Ecology

Feb 28, 2013 3 / 5 (2) 0 |

You might not think much about pea aphids, but it turns out they've got skills enough to get aerospace engineers excited. A report in the February 4th issue of Current Biology shows that the insects can fr ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Feb 04, 2013 not rated yet 2 |

Researchers from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, have discovered a novel phenomenon that in galls (plant-made nests) formed by some aphid species, the inner gall wall ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Jan 29, 2013 not rated yet 0

By examining what lady beetles eat, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are learning more about the movement of these beneficial insects in farm fields—and whether they'll actively feed on ...

Biology - Ecology

Jan 11, 2013 not rated yet 1

Scientists have discovered an enzyme used in nature to make powerful chemicals from catnip to a cancer drug, vinblastine. The discovery opens up the prospect of producing these chemicals cheaply and efficiently.

Chemistry - Biochemistry

Nov 21, 2012 5 / 5 (2) 0 |

There's good news for fans of black raspberries: A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist and his commercial colleague have found black raspberries that have resistance to a disease-spreading aphid.

Biology - Biotechnology

Oct 31, 2012 5 / 5 (1) 0

As restaurant patrons' diverse food preferences give rise to varied menu offerings, so plant-eating insects' preferences play an important role in maintaining and shaping the genetic variation of their host ...

Biology - Biotechnology

Oct 04, 2012 not rated yet 0 |

(Phys.org) -- In plants, algae and some types of bacteria and fungi, sunlight is converted to chemical energy in a process we all know as photosynthesis; in that process water and carbon dioxide are also converted ...

Biology - Plants & Animals

Aug 21, 2012 5 / 5 (5) 3 |

When a carnivore becomes extinct, other predatory species could soon follow, according to new research. Scientists have previously put forward this theory, but a University of Exeter team has now carried ...

Biology - Ecology

Aug 15, 2012 3.6 / 5 (7) 0 |

In retrospect, introducing the Asian ladybird into Europe was a serious mistake. The insect was introduced some twenty years ago in a conscious attempt to combat aphids. But research carried out at Wageningen ...

Biology - Ecology

Jul 31, 2012 5 / 5 (2) 2

Ladybird larvae that eat prey raised on organically-grown crops are more likely to survive than those eating aphids raised on crops grown with conventional fertiliser, a new experiment shows.

Biology - Plants & Animals

Jul 06, 2012 5 / 5 (3) 3 |