The Americas May Be Confronted With A New Insect-Borne Disease Brazil has had enough problems with insect-borne diseases. Last year Zika ravaged their population. A record number of newborns were born with microcephaly as a result of the widespread sexually transmitable virus. It must be remembered that when Brazil is at risk for disease outbreaks, then America is also at risk for disease outbreaks. It probably goes without saying that more collaboration between the two countries is a necessity in order to prevent another Zika, or something worse. Hopefully public health experts from both countries have developed better channels of communication. It would be to everyone's benefit if scientific research concerning insect-related diseases could be more accessible to our neighbors in the south, and vice verse. Unfortunately, there is already plenty of evidence to suggest that another insect-borne disease is on its way to Brazil, and quite likely, beyond Brazil as well. The disease is called Oropouche fever

In What Region Of The World Are Termites Most Abundant? Termites are some of the oldest insects on record, and there are over one thousand different species distributed around the world. Although the United States may seem like a hotspot for termite activity, it is the tropical regions of the world that host the greatest diversity of termite life. More specifically, the tropical regions of Africa. Termites are certainly hated insect pests here in the states, but in Africa termites are tremendously important

After Much Research, Mutant Moths Are Released In New York State The idea of releasing genetically modified insects into the wild is met with some controversy. Despite this, one group of researchers feel perfectly comfortable about releasing genetically altered moths into the state of New York's environment. The researchers are hoping that the mutant moths will eventually breed a well known moth-pest out of existence

There Was A Time When Experts Could Not Prevent Termite Damage To Telegraph Poles Termite colonies are so widespread that it is surprising to find that utility poles are still made with wood. One would think that utility poles made from wood would be primary targets for wood-devouring termites. Well, they used to be, but at some point along the way, utility poles underwent chemical treatments that made them resistant to termite infestations. Early telegraph poles across the United States, and the rest of the world, were under heavy attack from termites. In fact, the termite infestations that devastated early telegraph poles were so widespread that the poles needed to be replaced regularly. Not only that, but entomologists and other experts were at a loss as how to prevent termite damage to the telegraph poles that were necessary for long-range communication. A New York Times article written in September of 1927 describes the problems concerning termite damage

Forests That Have Been Burned By Wildfire Attract A Diversity Of Bees Ever since pre-school our teachers, as well as Smokey the Bear, have told us that forest fires are bad. It would certainly be hard to argue that forest fires are, in any way, good. Forest fires not only put human lives at risk, but the damage they do to the environment, and to forest wildlife, is immense. Forest land also reduces air pollution, as forests absorb carbon containing contaminants in the air. The past decade has seen numerous wildfires storming through wooded areas located in the southwest and western United States. In addition to forest fires, declining bee populations have also been a modern environmental and economic concern. So how could these two modern issues be related? It turns out that forest fires ultimately promote a greater diversity in wild bee populations. So if there is anything good to say about forest fires, it would be that they result in an increase in the amount and diversity

A variety of different types of termites are located all over the world. Some termites are more destructive to man made property than others. There are only a few termites located in the US that will damage homes. However, some termites can create mounds that are fascinating to look at. In fact, people from all over the world travel to Brazil in order to visit a national park where sizable termite mounds become illuminated at night

New York City is easily the most populous city in the United States with over eight million residents. If there was any place to gauge America's attitude toward edible-insects, then it would be New York City. New York City is also home to a variety of different people from different cultures. This is probably why many residents of the big apple attended the first ever Brooklyn Bugs Festival. Several entrepreneurs that make up a part of the edible-insect industry brought their products to the Brooklyn festival with the hopes that curious Americans would try tasting the many available products

Giant Sandstone Pillars In New Mexico Have Been Identified As Fossilized Termite Nests For the longest time, geologists have assumed that numerous giant sandstone pillars located in Gallup, New Mexico were fulgurites. Most of you probably have no idea what a "fulgurite" is or what one looks like. Fulgurites are glassy mixtures of sand and rock that form as a result of lighting strikes. However, this assumption was eventually dismissed when an analysis showed that the pillars contain intricate internal tunnels that look like termite tunnels found within a nesting mounds. After further internal examination, scientists quickly concluded that these pillars are ancient termite nests

Hope That Your Body Never Becomes Infested With Botfly Larvae An associate professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology once visited his doctor about a sharp pain that he had experienced in his ankle. The associate professor assumed that a thorn had become embedded within his skin. However, an X-ray revealed nothing. So the doctor recommended squeezing his ankle in order to push out whatever was beneath the associate professor's skin. The associate professor had just returned from a research expedition located in the jungles of Panama. If the researcher had considered this recent trip, then maybe he would have learned sooner that he had botfly larvae infesting his ankle. Botfly larvae, also referred to as Dermatobia hominis,