1. Dynamic conditions in nature have led to the evolution of behavioural traits that allow animals to use information on local circumstances and adjust their behaviour accordingly, for example through learning. Although learning can improve foraging efficiency, the learned information can become unreliable …

‘Chemische gewasbescherming of landbouwgif?’ Boeren spreken van gewasbescherming, anderen gebruiken vaak de term landbouwgif. De maatschappelijke discussie over het gebruik van chemische middelen in de agrarische sector wordt steeds sterker en de toelating van chemische middelen wordt steeds strenger. …

Many species of parasitoid wasps use plant volatiles to locate their herbivorous hosts. These volatiles are reliable indicators of host presence when their emission in plants is induced by herbivory. Hyperparasitoids may also use information from lower trophic levels to locate their parasitoid hosts …

Global climate change is resulting in a wide range of biotic responses, including changes in diel activity and seasonal phenology patterns, range shifts polewards in each hemisphere and/or to higher elevations, and altered intensity and frequency of interactions between species in ecosystems.Oak (Thaumetopoea …

De overlast van de eikenprocessierups (EPR) voor de gezondheid van mens en dier vraagt om aandacht en aanpakken. Op veel plekken gebeurt dat al. In de praktijk zijn verschillende middelen en maatregelen in zwang. Daarbij ontstaan vragen over de werkzaamheid, effectiviteit, (schadelijke) neveneffecten …

Most endogenous viruses, an important proportion of eukaryote genomes, are doomed to slowly decay. Little is known, however, on how they evolve when they confer a benefit to their host. Bracoviruses are essential for the parasitism success of parasitoid wasps, whose genomes they integrated ~103 million …

To locate mating partners and essential resources such as food, oviposition sites and shelter, insects rely to a large extent on chemical cues. While most research has focused on cues derived from plants and insects, there is mounting evidence that indicates that micro‐organisms emit volatile compounds …

Insect hyperparasitoids are fourth trophic level organisms that commonly occur in terrestrial food webs, yet they are relatively understudied. These top-carnivores can disrupt biological pest control by suppressing the populations of their parasitoid hosts, leading to pest outbreaks, especially in confined …

1. Diets that maximise life span often differ from diets that maximise reproduction. Animals have therefore evolved advanced foraging strategies to acquire optimal nutrition and maximise their fitness. The free-living adult females of parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera) need to balance their search for hosts …

De Europese Unie heeft in 2018 besloten om drie werkzame stoffen, clothianidin, imidacloprid en thiamethoxam, te verbieden in buitenteelten. Deze middelen zijn neonicotinoïden, die na diverse onderzoeken als gevaarlijk voor bijen en hommels zijn aangemerkt. Suikerbietentelers moeten het gewas met gewasbespuitingen …