Scientists from the National Centre of Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bengaluru have got fascinating insights into the relations of butterfly caterpillars and their ant hosts using advanced X-ray MicroCT technology. The intriguing caterpillar-ant associations have been a subject of study for decades resulting in the understanding of their evolution and ecology.

Scientists say insects are vital and the losses worrying, with accelerating declines in Europe called ‘shocking’

The soft sound of bees buzzing among flowers signals warm weather throughout the world. But in many places, those sounds are fading. And it’s not just honeybees that are struggling. Native bees, including bumblebees, are also becoming scarce. Factors such as climate change and habitat loss may be partly to blame. But a new study points to the threat posed by a common pesticide. Bumblebees exposed to this chemical had a harder time learning. And it was true even when bees ate pesticide-laced food only as larvae.

First discovered in 2011, the rare species reappeared recently after nearly a decade of eluding scientists' watch

WHEN THE NATURAL History Museum of Los Angeles County shut down due to the pandemic in mid-March, Lisa Gonzalez headed home with the expectation that she would be back in a few weeks. But once it became clear that she wouldn’t get back anytime soon, Gonzalez, the museum’s assistant entomology collection manager, converted her home’s craft room into a makeshift lab. Then she began sifting through thousands of insects the museum had previously collected via a citizen science project.

A new genetic engineering technology could help eliminate malaria and stave off extinctions — if humanity decides to unleash it.

Rising neonicotinoid seed treatments applied to corn and soy in US agricultural landscapes during the past 20 years are the primary driver of the change, the researchers found.

Genetically modified diamondback moths designed to wipe out wild pest populations were released in fields for the first time in New York state. Diamondback moths are migratory pests found in the Americas, Europe, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, but especially in areas where crops can be grown yearround.

New papers detail severe threats facing insects, how their plight is intertwined with humanity's, and the available solutions to address the crisis.

Being inconspicuous might seem the best strategy for spiders to catch potential prey in their webs, but many orb-web spiders, which hunt in this way, are brightly coloured. New research finds their distinct yellow and black pattern is actually essential in luring prey. The findings are published in the British Ecological Society journal: Functional Ecology.

Pollinating insects could thrive if improvements are made to agri-environment schemes across Europe, according to a new collaborative study involving scientists from Trinity. More than 20 pollinator experts from 18 different countries looked at a range of wildlife habitats on farmland– named Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) – to determine how well they support insect pollinators such as bumblebees, solitary bees and hoverflies.

AUSTIN, Texas — Scientists from The University of Texas at Austin report in the journal Science that they have developed a new strategy to protect honey bees from a deadly trend known as colony collapse: genetically engineered strains of bacteria.

A study led by the University of Turku has found that small, fiercely predatory damselflies catch and eat hundreds of thousands of insects during a single summer – in an area surrounding just a sin

There are now more than 50 known species of ‘plastivores,’ or plastic-eating organisms. One of these, the greater wax moth, is offering scientists hope in the fight against plastic pollution.

Food safety agency’s decision could put mealworms, locusts and baby crickets on menus

Report says 400,000 insect species are facing extinction due to heavy use of pesticides

Just when you thought 2020 could not get any worse. Now we have giant hornets with freakish eyes and a venomous sting to add to this year's list of worries. For the first time, Asian giant hornets have been spotted in the United States, specifically in Washington state, scientists say. Beekeepers have reported piles of dead bees with their heads ripped off, an alarming sight in a country with a rapidly declining bee population.

Scientists have discovered a microbe that completely protects mosquitoes from being infected with malaria. The team in Kenya and the UK say the finding has "enormous potential" to control the disease. Malaria is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes, so protecting them could in turn protect people.

Fluttering creatures of the night are also vital pollinators of plants and flowers, say scientists.

Researchers have taken inspiration from a mosquito's ability to fly and land in the dark to develop a new collision-avoidance sensory system that has been tested on a quadcopter.