The Chikungunya Virus May Be The Next Insect-Borne Disease To Fear In America For the past two years American health officials have been focusing on the spread of the Zika virus within North America. Fortunately, it looks like health officials have Zika under control within the US, as infection rates have dropped to nearly zero. However, Zika is only one of many mosquito-borne diseases that have negatively impacted different regions of the world. Many Americans are well aware of this fact. But many Americans are also under the impression that other mosquito-born diseases are only problematic in far away regions of the world. However, this assumption is not accurate, as America is not far away from certain regions where the chikungunya virus has ravaged certain populations. For example, the Dominican Republic has seen recent outbreaks of a new form of the chikungunya virus. Researchers from the University of Florida have recently assessed the probability of similar outbreaks occurring within the US, especially within the state of Florida. The results of their studies are causing concern among American health officials. There are two mosquitoes that spread the chikungunya virus. One of these mosquitoes is the aedes aegypti

Researchers Have Recently Discovered How Some Bee Eggs Hatch Have you ever wondered how tiny insect larvae are able to hatch from their eggs? This would seem like a difficult task for a powerless newborn insect. Afterall, insect shells are designed to withstand a certain degree of pressure that favors its preservation. In order to crack insect shells, a certain amount of physical strength must be exerted by the insect larvae dwelling within the shell. But some forms of insect larvae are clearly in need of some assistance when it comes to the task of shell-cracking. Researchers have only recently shed some light on this mystery. It turns out that a fifty year old video

Are You Dreaming About Insects? Have you ever had a dream featuring creepy crawlies

Researchers May Have Found A Way To Monitor And Trap An Sneaky Insect Pest Imagine how damaging insect pests used to be back when science had not furnished mankind with pest control methods. Thankfully, in these modern times, insects can be trapped, killed and even monitored in order to keep crops insect-free. The world is full of insect pests that would surely keep fresh produce from ever reaching our local grocery stores if it were not for the decades of agricultural research that has led to a greater understanding of insect pest behavior. It is important to know which insects are pests, and what types of vegetation these insect pests prefer, and are able to access. This is why monitoring insect pests is crucial for determining which plants are at the most risk of incurring damage. Insect pests must also be successfully trapped in order to reduce insect pest populations. Traps also allow researchers to gather large amounts of particular insect pests so that they can be properly studied. For example, by trapping insect pests, researchers can apply various insecticides in order to determine which mixtures are the most effective at killing particular insect pests. Although there are not too many insect pests that can avoid traps and monitoring programs, there are a few that can. The harlequin bug

Chagas Disease Is Being Compared To HIV West Nile virus, Zika and lyme disease are certainly not the only insect-borne diseases that are commonly spread throughout the United States. Chagas disease, which is not as well known as the above three diseases, but still just as common, comes with symptoms that experts say are similar to the symptoms associated with the early stages of HIV. Chagas disease is a parasitic disease, and much like HIV, it is possible for victims to contract the disease and not show any symptoms for a long while afterwards. The disease is hard to detect like HIV

Winston Churchill Tried To Resurrect An Extinct Butterfly Species We have all heard of the legendary British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. He presided over a nation while it was immersed in the most unimaginable horrors of war. However, Churchill was a peculiar man, as he was not always immersed in the business of international politics; instead Churchill was concerned with butterflies

Velvet Worms Kill Their Insect Prey In An Interesting Way There are many creatures within the animal kingdom that kill their prey in brutally creative ways. Velvet worms offer up a great example of such a predator. These worms live among leaf litter, underneath stones and logs. Sometimes velvet worms can even be found dwelling within termite nests. Velvet worms may seem uninteresting at first, but once you learn how they capture and kill their insect and arachnid prey, you will understand why these worms are admired for the inventive manner in which they kill their arthropod prey. Once the velvet worm catches its prey it will spew a liquid slime

Are Termites Attracted To Wooden Garden Mulch? Nobody wants to make their home a haven for termites, but many gardeners are attracted to the idea of using decorative wooden mulch in order to spruce up their gardens. Of course, wooden mulch is not used solely for gardens. Mulch can also be used to obscure unsightly concrete that borders the bottoms of many houses. Since garden mulch is nothing more than wood chips, it is understandable that some homeowners avoid laying wood chips so as to keep termites away from their homes. If termites find their way into the mulch located within many backyards, then what is to stop them from infesting the nearest homes? Even shallow piles of mulch provide for moist environments that are well suited to the survival needs of many insects, and not just termites. If you were to stick your hand within a mulch pile, you would undoubtedly encounter some types of insects. Most of these insects are probably not pests. It has long been rumored that garden mulch does attract termites. However, this rumor is largely a myth

Are Horse Flies Dangerous To Humans? Horseflies are insects that belong to the order known as Tabanidae, and the genus referred to as Tabanus.