Insects, features and articles | Educational Science

Oct 31, 2018

Roaches Kick Wasps in the Head to Avoid Becoming Zombies

A wasp that preys on cockroaches turns them into mind-controlled zombies by stinging them in the brain, and roaches were thought to be all but defenseless against this zombifying attack. But it turns out that cockroaches have a defensive move that can protect them from becoming members of the walking...

Feb 6, 2019

Bees Can Solve Math Problems That Would Stump the Average Toddler

Bees don't just buzz around and make honey; they also do math problems in their free time that would stump the average 4-year-old. Last year, a group of researchers in Australia reported that bees understand the concept of zero. Now, a new study by the same group suggests that the...

Apr 6, 2020

Rare bee has a body that's half-male, half-female, and split exactly down the middle

In an un-bee-lievable discovery, scientists identified a bee that's male on its left side and female on its right side. The rare condition is known as gynandromorphy. Researchers found the bee inside a nest collected in Panama, in a forest on Barro Colorado Island, describing it in a study published...

May 5, 2020

Monstrous 'murder hornets' have reached the US

Massive, deadly hornets affectionately known as murder hornets hornets from hell and yak-killer hornets, have been spotted in the U.S. for the first time. These Asian giant hornets (Vespa mandarinia) are the size of your thumb; they're orange-headed and orange-striped; and they're extremely pointy at the back end. The hornets,...

May 14, 2020

Here's how to tell a 'murder hornet' from other nasty wasps

So-called murder hornets have arrived in the United States. The Asian giant hornet species (Vespa mandarinia) is a large social wasp about 2 inches long that has recently been spotted in Washington. The hornets sport orange heads, orange stripes and a pointed rear end with a big curved stinger. Native...

May 21, 2020

Pollen-starved bumblebees bite 'half-moons' into plants to make them bloom

When their pollen supply runs short, bumblebees bore tiny half-moon-shaped holes in the leaves of flowering plants, causing blooms to appear weeks ahead of schedule. Bee-bitten plants bear flowers about two weeks to a month sooner than untouched plants, according to a new study, published today (May 21) in the...

Jul 14, 2020

Gorgeous images of Australian 'rainbow' bees will blow your mind

Sick of frightening 'murder hornets'? Then feast your eyes on these beautiful rainbow bees, which are currently buzzing around their homeland of Australia. One of the top plant pollinators in the country, these colorful bees (of the genus Homalictus) have colonized many regions of Australia and the South-West Pacific. These...

Oct 26, 2020

1st 'murder hornet' nest in US found and destroyed

Eleven months after murder hornets were first discovered in the United States, entomologists have tracked down and destroyed the first nest of this invasive, venomous species. The Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) nest was found on private property in Blaine, Washington, on Friday (Oct. 23). On Saturday, state Agriculture Department...

Oct 26, 2020

Photos: Murder hornets will haunt your nightmares

The Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) is dubbed a “murderer” for a reason: These thumb-size insects literally rip off the heads of honeybees … by the thousands. And such murder hornets have reached the U.S., where they are wreaking havoc with their oversized curved stingers and venomous stings. Here’s a...

Nov 13, 2020

Here's all the buzz about honeybees

The domestic honeybee (Apis mellifera), also frequently spelled honey bee and known scientifically as the European or western honeybee, is the most common of the nine species of honey-producing bees. It is native to Africa, Europe and the Middle East, according to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture, but...

Dec 10, 2020

Bees defeat 'murder hornet' relatives with poop

Giant hornets such as the enormous murder hornet and others in the Vespa genus, are highly aggressive and deadly beehive invaders. However, Asian honey bees can defend themselves against these insect predators by smearing animal feces around the hive entrance. When giant hornets target a beehive, they attack as a...

Mar 2, 2021

Rare Australian bee rediscovered after nearly a century

An extremely rare species of bee that hasn't been seen for nearly a century and was thought to be extinct has been rediscovered by a lone researcher in Australia. This rare masked bee, known as Pharohylaeus lactiferus, is native to Australia and is the only species in the genus Pharohylaeus....

May 17, 2021

Male parasitic wasp can sniff out female mates ready to burst from their hosts

Of all the places to find the love of your life, hidden inside the shell of a still-developing fly probably ranks low in most expectations. However, for a male jewel wasp this is the first place to go, according to new research that shows how males of the species can...

May 26, 2021

Honeybee 'Trojan horse' virus relies on bees' habit of cannibalizing their young

A virus that leaves bees with stubby, useless wings, bloated abdomens and sluggish brains before killing them off takes advantage of one of the pollinators' nastier habits — a tendency to cannibalize their young, a new study found. The deformed wing virus (DWV) lurks inside the bellies of mites that...

Jun 25, 2021

Single bee is making an immortal clone army thanks to a genetic fluke

When hives of the African lowland honeybee (Apis mellifera scutella) collapse, they do so because of an invisible inner threat: the growing, immortal clone army of a rival bee subspecies. That army is possible because the female workers of the rival subspecies — the South African Cape honeybee (Apis mellifera...