Bee cups 2.0: P-cups as single-use cages for honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) experiments.

Honey bees and other pollinators face threats from pesticides, imperfect nutrition, and a diverse set of parasites and pathogens. Honey bees are also a research model for development, social behavior, microbiology, and aging. Tackling these questions requires a mix of in-hive and controlled laboratory experiments.

Somy evolution in the honey bee infecting trypanosomatid parasite Lotmaria passim.

Lotmaria passim is a ubiquitous trypanosomatid parasite of honey bees nestled within the medically important subfamily Leishmaniinae. Although this parasite is associated with honey bee colony losses, the original draft genome-which was completed before its differentiation from the closely related Crithidia mellificae-has remained the reference for this species despite lacking improvements from newer methodologies. Here, we report the updated sequencing, assembly, and annotation of the BRL-type (Bee Research Laboratory) strain (ATCC PRA-422) of Lotmaria passim.

Active defense strategies for invasive plants may alter the distribution pattern of pests in the invaded area.

Introduction: In the invaded areas, it is believed that invasive species reduce their investment in defense due to the absence of natural enemies.

Methods: By field investigation and a series of laboratory assays, This study explored the defense strategies of invasive plants.

Results: Field investigation indicated that invasive plants have a antifeedant effect on herbivorous pests, and the distribution frequency of wormholes of native plants shows a peak at a distance of 2-3 m from the invasive species.

Insects' essential role in understanding and broadening animal medication.

Like humans, animals use plants and other materials as medication against parasites. Recent decades have shown that the study of insects can greatly advance our understanding of medication behaviors. The ease of rearing insects under laboratory conditions has enabled controlled experiments to test critical hypotheses, while their spectrum of reproductive strategies and living arrangements - ranging from solitary to eusocial communities - has revealed that medication behaviors can evolve to maximize inclusive fitness through both direct and indirect fitness benefits.