Tag Archives: Insect

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Scientists have hailed a “remarkable” discovery concerning a wasp-like insect’s plant-cutting mechanism, suggesting it could revolutionise modern surgical techniques. Researchers at Heriot-Watt University meticulously studied how female sawflies achieve such precise …

Not an accolade anyone wants, but for the Xerces blue butterfly, its extinction is considered the first of any American insect species to have been directly caused by humans. Last seen in 1941, genetic testing proved that the Xerces blue butterfly was a distinct species, and its disappearance was the first human-led insect extinction. Back in 2021, scientists analyzed the DNA …

A giant walking stick insect has stepped out of the treetops in north Queensland, and it is creating a stir for its size. It reaches about 15.75 inches (40 centimeters) in length, and weighs around 1.6 ounces (45 gra,s). Scientists have now given it a formal name, Acrophylla alta. The species was described in the taxonomic journal Zootaxa, in a …

The next time you pop a fig into your mouth and savor its delicate sweetness, beware: behind its delicious allure lies a secret worthy of a thriller. What if every bite you took was, in fact, a taste of one of nature’s most curious forms of collaboration between plant and… yes, an insect! Not a typical fruit: the many layers …

‘Kissing Bug’: An insect bite you won’t even notice could have deadly implications  WKBN.com Chagas disease, or deadly “kissing bug” disease, has spread in the U.S. Here’s what to know.  CBS News ‘Kissing bug’ disease should be treated as endemic in US, scientists say  The Guardian Oklahoma woman’s yard infested by mystery bugs  WGN-TV Experts in Texas warn that potentially deadly ‘kissing bug’ disease …

But Lopez wasn’t about to be upstaged. She swept off the six-legged stage-crasher with a smile, telling the audience, “It was tickling me.” The Instagram poster who shared the footage joked, “Plot twist: @JLo just started rehearsals for Kiss of the Cricket Woman… on stage… in real time.” While the clip could be excruciating for people who suffer from orthopterophobia …

A new hybrid fire ant is marching across the United States, and scientists say it can handle nearly any weather conditions or terrain that it encounters in the country. Dubbed the “Frankenstein ant” by local residents, the invasive species is a cross between the red imported fire ant and the black imported fire ant and has now taken root in …

A downside to hot weather is all the bugs that can feast on or sting us. Is there anything you can do to avoid this? And what should you do if you are attacked? Here’s what pharmacists have to say about the best ways to prevent and treat stings and bites. Know which bugs to be wary of The British …

Blue Featherleg (Damselfly) Marit van Ekelenburg turns “fear into fascination” by revealing the beauty, diversity, and ecological importance of insects and other invertebrates through macro photography. To some, the arthropod kingdom of insects and arachnids has been unjustly vilified. In response, Ekelenburg snaps small portraits with big meaning, showing that a demure weevil, a fuzzy jumping spider, or a furry …