National School of Medical Entomology

Defeating dengue with modified mosquitoes Tech to help protect millions of people

Zika is found in common Culex mosquitos, signaling a potentially larger risk Scientists say more studies are needed to determine if there’s a new way to spread Zika

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There are now 234 pregnant women in the US with confirmed Zika virus Officials from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have confirmed that there are now 234 pregnant women in the continental US carrying the Zika virus – an infection spread by mosquito bites that can cause a devastating birth defect...

Researchers Find Gene that Makes Mosquitoes Prefer Humans over Animals The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is one of the world's deadliest mosquitoes. Found in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide, it is the principal carrier of yellow fever, dengue fever, and chikungunya. Yellow fever annually kills tens of thousands of people worldwide, primarily in Africa, while dengue fever infects hundreds of millions. Interestingly, these mosquitoes did not always rely on human blood. [ 566 more words. ]

You can't see me.....

Can you spot the incredibly camouflaged caterpillar in this picture? Native to India and Southeast Asia, the baron caterpillar (Euthalia aconthea) uses its unique appearance to hide from mango farmers as they feed on their delicious crops.

Image by Wohin Auswandern (http://bit.ly/1rutMaq) via Gizmodo

SOME FUN INSECT FACTS !

The Flies are not deaf ! The fly uses its antenna as its ear, which resonates in response to courtship songs generated by wing vibration. The antenna of Drosophila is an asymmetric, flagellar structure composed of three segments [a1 (antennal segment) or scape, a2 or pedicelus, and a3 or funiculus] and a feathery arista extending from the distal-most segment. The arista resonates in the presence of the species-specific courtship song and twists a3 relative to a2. The feather-like arista (antennal segments 4, 5, and 6) extends anterolaterally from a3 and slightly downward. The arista is innervated with three sensilla; these are not physiologically involved in hearing, but rather likely in thermosensation. For hearing, the arista is a component of the mechanical operation of the antenna (Caldwell, 2002). The only known acoustic stimulus to which Drosophila responds is the courtship song, produced by the courting male. The D. melanogaster species-specific 'love song' is composed of pulse and sine components.

Read more about Antenna, auditory apparatus, and sound sensation in Drosophila at http://www.sdbonline.org/sites/fly/aimorph/antennaandhearing.htm http://now.uiowa.edu/2013/08/flys-hearing

COPAL THANK Hector Diaz Albiter , Ranger Roo , Nicola Brannagan , Melissa Glenn AND ALL THE EXPERTS OF ENTOMOLOGY FOR THEIR VALUABLE AND SIGNIFICANT SUGGESTION.

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COPAL

source: www.domyownpestcontrol.com

What's whiter than white? These Cyphochilus beetles from Southeast Asia. Their scales are whiter than paper, and no human technology can replicate their brilliance.

Read more: http://bit.ly/VwbMDO via New Scientist

After being bitten by the lone star tick, people in the US are experiencing severe allergic reactions to red meat - including hives, swelling, trouble breathing and vomiting. So pretty much every meat lover's worst nightmare.

Read more: http://bit.ly/1sBbpGO