1 September 2022
Pheromones are often used by farmers for controlling pest insects but the chemical process for producing them is expensive. A method for making them using bioengineered oil plants could be cheaper
15 April 2022
Sterile male flies released in fields mate with females that then produce fewer viable offspring, drastically reducing the damage the larvae of spotted wing drosophila do to fruit crops
19 October 2019
Millions of colonies of farmed bees are used to help pollinate crops. It turns out they can escape and mate with local bees, producing offspring that may be vulnerable to climate change
4 September 2019
Scientists are racing to develop weapons against fall armyworms, a devastating pest that is rapidly invading new continents and destroying vital food crops
30 April 2018
Europe's bold ban on bee-harming insecticides is a positive step, but much more is needed if we are to avoid ecological disaster, says Dave Goulson
27 April 2018
European Union member states have voted to ban the outdoor use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which have been linked to declines in pollinating insects
11 December 2017
While buzzing between flowers, bees can solve the maths dilemma called the travelling salesman problem by finding the shortest route that visits every blossom
29 June 2017
Studies in Europe and Canada show that controversial neonicotinoid insecticides have adverse effects on reproduction of honeybees and wild bees
