Mite

Termites feed through good vibrations

Discovery that termites use vibrations to choose the wood they eat may provide opportunities to new methods of reducing infestations in homes and also may provide insights into the "cocktail party effect" of signal processing ?how to ignore most noise but have some signals that trigger attention ?that may prove useful in artificial intelligence. CSIRO entomologist Theo Evans says laborato...

Cousin of Asian super termite invades Florida

Another highly destructive termite -- a close relative of the Formosan "super termite" that's gnawing its way across many Southern states -- has become established in South Florida, according to University of Florida researchers. "The Asian subterranean termite, a major pest in tropical areas such as Brazil and the West Indies, was not considered to be a serious threat to Florida until now...

Bee mites suppress bee immunity, open door for viruses and bacteria

A non-native bee mite is causing the dramatic and sudden collapse of bee colonies across the country, but Penn State researchers believe they have found the combination of factors that triggers colony deaths which includes suppression of the bee immune system by the mites. The Varroa destructor mite is a honey bee parasite that feeds much like a tick on the body of a bee. The mites are ab...

Fungus Effective Against Winged Termites

Most signs of spring, like budding trees, are worth celebrating. But for many in the South, the annual emergence of fertile, winged termites swarming furiously to scatter and search for mates isn't one of them. In New Orleans, as the swirling, airborne masses of termites become more conspicuous, researchers with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are busy developing a biopesticide th...

Fungus-farming termites descend from an African rain forest Eve

Agriculture is not unique to humans: some insect groups have also evolved this way of life. One such group is the fungus-farming termites, which cultivate fungi as food inside their nests. Such termites can be found in both rain forest and savannah habitats in the Old World tropics, from Africa to Asia. But as researchers report this week, a combination of DNA sequence analysis and computer model...

Research suggests fitness of Florida panthers improved by limited breeding with Texas animals

The number of living Florida panthers has grown from a previously estimated 30 to a recently counted 87 as a result of a controversial breeding effort to improve the genetic health of the endangered and inbred animals, according to a new assessment. Hybrid kittens born to panthers brought into the area from Texas have "about a three times higher chance of becoming adults as do purebred one...

Normal chromosome ends elicit a limited DNA damage response

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies discovered that cells co-opted the machinery that usually repairs broken strands of DNA to protect the integrity of chromosomes. This finding solves for the first time an important question that has long puzzled scientists. The natural ends of chromosomes look just like broken strands of DNA that a cell's repair machinery is designed...

Serious adverse reactions to smallpox vaccine appear to be limited

There was a low rate of life-threatening adverse reactions to the smallpox vaccine administered to potential first responders to a bioterrorism incident, possibly attributable to rigorous vaccine safety screening and educational programs, according to a study in the December 7 issue of JAMA. Routine childhood immunization against smallpox in the United States ceased in 1971, according to b...

Termites get the vibe on what tastes good

Researchers from CSIRO and UNSW@ADFA have shown that termites can tell what sort of material their food is made of, without having to actually touch it. The findings may lead to improvements in the control of feeding termites. By offering them a choice between normal wooden blocks and specially designed blocks made of wood and other materials, the researchers found that the termites always...

Blood sugar's manufacture limited by building blocks' supply

Researchers have discovered a factor that controls blood sugar's manufacture in a novel way: by limiting the supply of its building blocks. The findings are reported in the April issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, published by Cell Press. The study found that mice deficient for KLF15, a member of the so-called Krüppel-like family of transcription factors, become severely lacking in the...