Where the UK"s wasps have gone and why they need your help
I get twitchy about taking holidays at the end of August, because it's the only time of year when people (and the media) in the UK seem to want to talk about wasps and I have spent my career trying to change people's minds about these fascinating ins.....»»
Where the UK"s wasps have gone and why they need your help
I get twitchy about taking holidays at the end of August, because it's the only time of year when people (and the media) in the UK seem to want to talk about wasps and I have spent my career trying to change people's minds about these fascinating ins.....»»
DNA analysis reveals that there are more species of parasitoid wasps than anticipated
When Charles Darwin first encountered parasitoid wasps, he was horrified. In an 1860 letter to American botanist Asa Gray, he wrote: "I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created parasitic wasps with the.....»»
The wasps that tamed viruses
Some insects have transformed wild viruses into tiny biological weapons. Enlarge / Xorides praecatorius is a parasitoid wasp. (credit: TorriPhoto via Getty) If you puncture the ovary of a wasp called Microplitis demolito.....»»
Scientists agree, the media is biased against wasps
Wasp scientists around the globe agree that media coverage of wasps skews negative and almost entirely overlooks their beneficial attributes, reports a team led by UCL researchers......»»
Behavior of ant queens found to be shaped by their social environments
The queens in colonies of social insects, such as ants, bees, and wasps, are considered the veritable embodiment of specialization in the animal kingdom......»»
Study highlights urgency of parasitic wasp release to save native bird
Researchers with the University of Minnesota hope to release highly specialized parasitic wasps to serve as a biological control method to save Darwin's finches from a dire threat: the invasive avian vampire fly, Philornis downsi......»»
Genomic studies shed light on the origins of bee venom
Bees, wasps and ants belong to the Hymenoptera order and inject a whole cocktail of venomous ingredients when they sting. Despite their tremendous ecological and economic importance, little was previously known about the origins of their venom......»»
"Alien" wasps thriving in tropical forests, study finds
Researchers say they have discovered a high diversity of Darwin wasps in a tropical rainforest in Brazil, wasps which were previously thought to thrive more in cooler habitats......»»
Oldest family of jewel wasps discovered in Cretaceous amber from Lebanon
Jewel wasps (Chalcidoidea) are one of the most diverse groups of insects, with more than 120,000 species described and an estimated true diversity of nearly 1 million. The chalcids are parasitoid wasps, which attack other insects to lay their eggs up.....»»
Prezygotic isolation between sympatric dioecious figs may not yet be established
Cospeciation is generally considered a key process driving the diversity of figs and their pollinating wasps. Ficus squamosa and Ficus heterostyla are two closely related dioecious figs. This pair represents a good system for gaining insights into co.....»»
16 strange new parasitoid wasp species discovered in Vietnam
Researchers at Kyushu University and Vietnam's National Museum of Nature have discovered 16 new species of Loboscelidia, a strange-looking and elusive group of parasitoid wasps. The scientists also reported for the first time the unique parasitic beh.....»»
Bees and wasps use the same architectural solutions to join large hexagons to small hexagons
Bees and wasps have converged on the same architectural solutions to nest-building problems, according to a study by Michael L. Smith in the Department of Biological Sciences at Auburn University, US, and colleagues, published in the open access jour.....»»
Farmer ants and drama-prone wasps in spotlight for their climate adaptation
In the face of environmental challenges, one kind of ant gets better at growing food and an African wasp species may become more cooperative......»»
Wasps harness power of pitcher plants in first-ever observed defense strategy
As the saying goes, "When life gives you lemons, turn that tartness into little translucent balls in which to grow your young." At least, that's how the saying goes for a tiny insect called a cynipid wasp, whose larvae were recently discovered induci.....»»
En garde! Wasps use penis spikes to ward off predators
An accidental sting has helped Japanese scientists prove some male wasps have a rather unusual predator defence weapon: penis spikes......»»
Male wasps use genitalia to sting their predators
Female bees and wasps use modified ovipositors, formerly used in egg laying, to sting their attackers, including people. Now, a study in Current Biology on December 19 shows that male mason wasps use sharp genital spines to attack and sting predatory.....»»
Tracking an invasion: A single Asian hornet may have sparked the ongoing spread across Europe
In Europe, the Asian (or "Yellow-legged") Hornet (Vespa velutina) is a predator of insects such as honeybees, hoverflies, and other wasps, and poses serious risks to apiculture, biodiversity and pollination services. This hornet can measure up to 4 c.....»»
Study discovers microbial communities shift while a coral "sleeps" through the winter
As winter approaches, many species of animals—from bears and squirrels to parasitic wasps and a few lucky humans—hunker down for some needed rest. The northern star coral (Astrangia poculata) also enters a hibernating state of dormancy, or quiesc.....»»
The Big Fight Over 403 Very Small Wasps
Earth is teeming with unknown species, and they’re dying off faster than ever. Now biologists are battling over an old question: how to catalog life?.....»»
Higher temperatures make it difficult for fig tree pollinators
Researchers from Uppsala University and elsewhere have been studying the effect of rising temperatures on the lifespan of pollinating fig wasps. The findings show that the wasps lived much shorter lives at high temperatures, which would make it diffi.....»»