Why bean leaves are an effective bedbug pesticide

Testing five common beliefs about bedbugs

Bedbugs are one of the most stigmatized pest infestations due to their resilience and tendency to dwell where humans are most unconscious for long periods of time: beds. A bedbug problem can lead to horror stories and intensive interventions to...

How bedbugs have evolved immunity against pesticides

Bedbugs, once nearly eradicated in the United States due to the use of pesticides like DDT, have made a resurgence, with New York being declared the most bedbug-infested city. The primary reason for the return is the evolution of resistance in...

Bug-bitten and bedeviled: a delightful dive into the bedbug

Bedbugs can live up to 6 months without food—meaning they can lurk in your bedroom while you try to eradicate them and give you a sense that you've effectively annihilated them. What else do we know about these pesky little pests? This deep, deep...

Bedbug problems have been increasing, and some 2023 research suggests the tiny insects may be capable of spreading 'superbug' MRSA.

Portraits of a pest: a photo gallery of bedbugs

Bedbugs are reemerging as a major urban pest after half a century of relative dormancy. These wingless insects take blood meals at night, hiding during the day in dark crevices. Check out these sophisticated images of the common bedbug, Cimex...

Scientists still don't know why DEET is such an effective bug repellent

This chemical, used to keep ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, and other nuisance bugs away, is used by an estimated one-third of the US population and has been available to consumers since 1957. Researchers theorize that multiple mechanisms may be at work to deter bugs, including perhaps masking or confusing bugs' olfactory receptors.

A day in the life of a bedbug exterminator

Hugh Barrie is a bedbug specialist known as the Bed Bug Doctor, in Sussex, United Kingdom. Barrie employs a unique approach to bedbug extermination using heat treatment. Follow along as one journalist goes through the daily motions of a bedbug...

How to have a bug-free backyard dinner

An entomologist’s advice for bug-free backyard barbecues, including tips on the use of chemicals and how fans are pretty effective at keeping bugs away.

Examining the potential of the emerging field of insect-based bioremediation

Also known as entomoremediation, the novel approach uses larvae and adult insects, including their gut microbiomes and associated enzymes, to extract or degrade pollutants. As of 2025, research has shown that black soldier flies can degrade a wide range of antibiotics, highlighting their potential for bioremediating antibiotic-contaminated organic waste.

Why bacterial bioremediation may help counter the negative effects of past chemical solutions

Molecules such as DDT, a synthetic insecticide, and PFAS—"forever" chemicals used to make products resistant to heat, water, and grease—have historically been used across various industries but are now known to be harmful. Microbes that can convert some of these substances into nontoxic products, such as water and carbon dioxide, have already been identified, with ongoing research to find others.

Dogs smell a lot of stuff we can't, including bed bugs and chemicals in electronic devices

In addition to identifying medical smells and tiny insects like bed bugs, dogs can also detect electronic storage devices. These tools often contain triphenylphosphine oxide, a chemical used to prevent overheating.

More than 2 billion people across the globe include bugs in their diets

Entomophagy is the practice of eating insects. It has been around for millennia. Bugs are nutritious and, in some places, considered a delicacy.

Plants use physical and chemical defenses to protect themselves

Tree bark is difficult to chew and resistant to pathogens, while the waxy cuticle on the surface of leaves deters insects and microbes. Some plants possess thorns, spines, and prickles to discourage predators. Plant cells can also produce antimicrobial toxins or release compounds to alert parasitic wasps to lay eggs in attacking insects.

Distinct plant species evolved to produce caffeine as a pesticide

Although it provides a defense against insects trying to eat caffeine-bearing plants, the molecule is an example of exaptation, where its original function was repurposed over time. Studies show that some plants now produce caffeine-laced nectar to help pollinators move more quickly and pollinate more efficiently.

Identify household beetles with this database

Beetles are the largest order of insects in the world, with over 400,000 described species. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, and in every habitat imaginable, from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains. A small percentage...

Wearing tick repellent, covering up, and performing tick checks are the best Lyme prevention

Spraying repellents onto your clothes—and reapplying them—or donning impregnated bug-repelling clothes can help keep ticks away. Effective sprays include DEET, picaridin, or permethrin. Bug spray applied to the body should be applied on top of sunscreen, and only after the sunscreen has dried.

Wolbachia is a naturally occurring bacterium being employed to fight dengue

Scientists are fighting dengue spread in a roundabout way: injecting bacteria into Aedes aegypti mosquito eggs, which blocks the dengue virus from replicating in the tissue of mosquitoes. Researchers hope the bacterium will be passed to future generations, inoculating them against dengue. Wolbachia is also being investigated to combat other mosquito-borne diseases.

How the US Department of Energy facilitated bioremediation with emulsified soybean oil

At sites where soil and groundwater were identified as contaminated with volatile organic compounds, scientists and engineers at the Office of Legacy Management used microbes to safely clean them up without more invasive methods, such as pump-and-treat. Treatment zones created at one location by injecting oil to help microbes spread quickly.

Billions of flies are being dropped from the sky

The US is dropping billions of sterile flies to stop a deadly parasite. Screwworm maggots eat animals alive, so scientists are collapsing the population by ensuring females can’t reproduce.

Although many insects are colloquially referred to as bugs, insects are only considered true bugs if they possess a proboscis—a straw-like mouthpart that can pierce surfaces and suck up fluids.

The most effective method of managing invasive species is prevention education

Controlling a spread after a species has become established in an area is much more costly and time-consuming than early detection and rapid response. Control methods include the purposeful introduction of predators, the use of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides, and physical collection and removal.

Bees are crucial for pollination and food security

When animals and insects pick up the pollen of flowers and spread it, they allow plants, including many food crops, to reproduce. The most common pollinator is the bee, but bees are at risk from pollution and pesticides.

What if we killed every mosquito on Earth?

Mosquitoes aren't just annoying, they're deadly. they're also responsible for an estimated 725,000 deaths worldwide, every year. Would it be so bad if we found a way to wipe them out completely? Real scientists have gamed out this hypothetical scenario, concluding it actually wouldn't be that bad. This five-minute video breaks down one way this could happen.

Canine inspectors can help detect potential carriers of invasive insects

At ports of entry in the US, Customs and Border Protection agents use dogs to sniff for forbidden foods and other items that are known to harbor invasive pests. Agents also physically inspect items such as flowers to prevent entry by species that may harm US agriculture.

Beanless 'coffee' is an eco-friendly alternative

As we consider the role of agriculture in climate change, many people are seeking alternatives to the most resource-hungry crops—coffee included. Are new synthetic alternatives the answer? Startups are exploring beanless “coffee” made in a variety of ways.

Adding garden beds with blooming plants to an existing lawn can support bees

Blooming wildflowers, shrubs, and trees can provide the nectar and pollen these pollinators need but do not get from grass. Other tips include leaving patches of bare soil for ground-nesting bees to lay their eggs and filling birdbaths with large pebbles for them to land and drink from safely.

In Amsterdam, planting organic flowers has increased native bee diversity by 45%

The citywide effort is an example of rethinking conventional agricultural methods, which rely on monocropping and heavy chemical use. Cover crops—plants grown to suppress weeds, prevent erosion, and attract pollinators rather than to be harvested—have also shown environmental benefits, despite not being sold for profit.

Anopheles mosquitoes are developing resistance to insecticides.

Watch Cordyceps, a parasitic fungus, turn an ant into a ‘zombie’

This National Geographic TV clip shows how a parasitic Cordyceps species—sometimes colloquially called the “zombie ant fungus”—controls an ant’s behavior and kills its host. The fungus can rapidly wipe out entire insect colonies.

Mosquitoes are the world's deadliest animal, but gene drives could kill them.

A day in the life of a leafcutter ant

Among the fascinating world of insects, leafcutter ants form some of the most complex and dynamic social ecosystems. All part of an effort to keep a colony alive, worker ants toil tirelessly, dragging bits of leaves and vegetation back to their...

View the steps you can take to stop invasive species

Individuals who are outside should make sure to wash any outdoor gear and equipment with appropriate tools to limit the spread of seeds and other microorganism-carrying debris across locations. Pets, horses, and other animals should be similarly brushed, and firewood should be burned where it is purchased.

Bees are more likely to remember a flower if its nectar contains caffeine

Plants want pollinators to keep coming back, so the finding suggests that some plants, such as Citrus and Coffea species, have evolved to include caffeine in their nectar. Researchers suggest the findings could help develop methods to reinvigorate pollinator populations.

Comparing bioremediation with other treatment techniques, at three levels of complexity

Physical manipulation, such as collecting and moving contaminated material to a landfill, or chemical applications, which use strong, expensive substances and produce harmful byproducts, can be costly. While bioremediation leverages naturally occurring degradation processes that can be augmented without disrupting impacted ecosystems, these processes may be less effective in environments that bioremediation organisms are not adapted to.

Mosquitoes stop flying at wind speeds equivalent to the swishing of a horse's tail.

Wolbachia: the bacteria that could eliminate dengue fever

Dengue fever, transmitted by mosquitoes, kills more people annually than all types of natural disasters combined. However, mosquitoes that host Wolbachia bacterium have their ability to transmit the virus naturally suppressed, offering a route to eliminating nearly 25,000 deaths annually.

How freeze-drying leaves food with less than 4% of its original water content

In specialized equipment, foods are brought down to temperatures below freezing before a vacuum pump removes the air from the container, lowering the pressure around the food and the boiling temperature of water. Heaters beneath the food slowly raise its temperature above the now-reduced boiling point, causing the water to go from a frozen to a gaseous state.

How Disney World keeps out mosquitos

Disney World may have been built on a swamp, but it's nearly free from the annoyance of mosquitos. That hasn't been an easy task; Disney has worked with engineers and pest specialists on minimizing the invasive bugs through a variety of different methods. This Reader's Digest article breaks down how they've successfully kept the park free from these unwanted guests.

Protecting yourself from West Nile involves avoiding getting bites and clearing standing water.

Explore inside a mosquito factory where millions of mosquitoes are bred weekly

In Medellin, Colombia, scientists are infecting Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with Wolbachia, a bacterium that wouldn't otherwise infect the species, but does block its ability to transmit dengue, Zika, yellow fever, and chikungunya. In the wild, infected mosquitoes would breed with wild mosquitoes, pass down Wolbachia, and thus reduce disease transmission.

Learn about unconventional ways to clean up crude oil, including using moss and chickens

Studies show that microorganisms in chicken manure can break down the hydrocarbons in crude oil without producing toxic by-products. Scientists have also explored avoiding the environmental risks of chemical dispersants and synthetic adsorbents by using human hair and peat moss to adsorb crude oil, which can be taken up by their cuticles and porous structures, respectively.

More than half of the 7,000 'kissing bugs' locals sent to Texas A&M University had parasites

Texas A&M University scientists began a community science program in 2012 asking people to send in kissing bugs (any of the 11 species of bugs potentially infected with Trypanosoma cruzi parasites). About 1,500 people sent in over 7,000 bugs for scientific research, and about 55% of the bugs were infected with the parasite that causes Chagas disease.

While invasive species typically harm ecosystems by outcompeting native organisms for resources, some provide unexpected benefits, including new shelters, nesting habitats, and reduced environmental heat stress.

Why scientists are making robot insects

Insects have much to teach us about flying, jumping, moving quickly, and more. So, roboticists are studying how insects do the ridiculous things they do, like walk on water or jump fifty times their body height, to inform their design and engineering of a new slate of robots: tiny ones. Learn the future of this type of robot with this fascinating video with insights into both insects and robots.

Wolbachia is also being used to slash mosquito numbers

The naturally occurring bacterium does not naturally infect Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, but communities in locations including California and Texas have released male mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia and reported a significant drop in subsequent mosquitoes: When infected males mate with uninfected wild females, the eggs don't hatch.

Mosquito necroprinting uses an insect's mouthpart as the printer nozzle

Mosquitoes are abundant, and their nozzles are 32-100 times cheaper to harvest than to create from scratch out of metal or glass. By coating the organic nozzle to increase its strength, researchers are employing necroprinting to create tiny structures at better resolutions than commercial alternatives.

What llama beans can tell us about the Inca Empire

Fun fact: Llama bean is just another term for llama poop. Another fun fact: Scientists are using these beans and related microorganisms to learn more about the Inca Empire. Read this article to learn how.

The 'kissing bug disease' occurs when a bug's parasite-laden poop gets into your blood

Chagas disease transmission can occur when triatomine bugs bite someone infected with a Trypanosoma cruzi parasite and then bite someone else, passing on the pathogen, though the parasite can also be transmitted in other ways, including via food, congenitally, and through blood transfusions. The bugs tend to feed at night and can bite anywhere on the body, but their reputation for biting people around the mouth and eyes created the idea that the bugs were "kissing" humans. Recent research suggests the disease may be endemic in the US.

Genetic engineering mice is one idea to reduce Lyme disease transmission

Wild white-footed mice are the main carriers of Lyme. A research team is hoping to genetically engineer mice, using CRISPR, to make the animals immune to Lyme. They're proposing a field trial where they would insert a gene with an antibody to Lyme infection to break the disease transmission cycle on a private island and then try it in Nantucket if that goes well. Simply killing the mice isn't an option because it would upend food webs. Unlike traditional vaccines, this "heritable immunization" would pass from one generation of mice to the next.

Cordyceps: the fungi that turn ants into zombies

The hit show (and video game) "Last of Us" was inspired partly by real-life species of fungi that have been known to turn ants into zombies. Spores of the Cordyceps fungi are capable of penetrating the exoskeletons of arthropods, after which they break into enzymes and proliferate within the body. The fungal cells then hack the ant's nervous system and trigger compulsive climbing.