(Phys.org)—Researchers affiliated with several institutions in France have found that a species of parasitic wasp uses a virus as a bioweapon to stun a host ladybug into serving as a guard for its offspring. In their paper ...
They are the size of a pinhead and don't even pack a sting, but these tiny wasps are cold-blooded killers nonetheless. They work as nature's SWAT team, neutralizing a pest that threatens to destroy one of the developing world's ...
Plants & Animals
Sep 24, 2014
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The smell of cut grass in recent years has been identified as the plant's way of signalling distress, but new research says the aroma also summons beneficial insects to the rescue.
Plants & Animals
Sep 22, 2014
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(Phys.org) —Female parasitic wasps have more reproductive success when working together with other females, which can also explain sex biased reproduction, according to new research.
Plants & Animals
Sep 12, 2014
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Some Ecuadorian tribes were famous for making mummified shrunken heads from the remains of their conquered foes. Field work in the cloud forests of Ecuador by Professor Scott Shaw, University of Wyoming, Laramie, and colleagues, ...
Plants & Animals
May 8, 2014
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Flowering plants attract pollinating insects with scent from their flowers and bright colours. If they have become infested with herbivores like caterpillars, they attract beneficial insects like parasitic wasps with the ...
Ecology
Mar 31, 2014
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A method of investigating whether aphid pests have been targeted by their gruesome enemies could shed new light on how farmland organisms interact, and potentially help protect important food crops.
Ecology
Mar 27, 2014
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Understanding who feeds on whom and how often is the basis for understanding how nature is built and works. A new study now suggests that the methods used to depict food webs may have a strong impact on how we perceive their ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 21, 2014
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A 115-million-year-old fossilized wasp from northeast Brazil presents a baffling puzzle to researchers. The wasp's ovipositor, the organ through which it lays its eggs, looks a lot like those of present-day wasps that lay ...
Archaeology
Dec 5, 2013
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That smaller islands will typically sustain fewer species than large ones is a widespread pattern in nature. Now a team of researchers shows that smaller area will mean not only fewer species, but also shorter food chains. ...
Ecology
Nov 22, 2013
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