- Author: Dong-Hwan Choe
One of dissertation chapters of Kevin Welzel (former PhD student in Choe Laboratory) is now officially published.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-19435-6
Check out following news article to learn more about the research.
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For Global Invasion, Argentine Ants Use Chemical Weapons
Compounds produced by Argentine ants are used to recruit nestmates and incapacitate opponents
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) — From their native home on the banks of South America's Paraná River, Argentine ants have conquered six continents and many oceanic islands. Their success is explained by several factors: they have more than one queen per colony, making them difficult to eradicate, and they adapt to changes in their environments by living transiently rather than building permanent nests.
Argentine ants are also highly aggressive, out-competing existing ant species for food and other resources. In a paper published today in Scientific Reports, researchers at the University of California, Riverside show how Argentine ants use chemical secretions as weapons in their interactions with harvester ants, which are native to California. The findings could help in the development of new pest control strategies.
To continue read the full article, click here.
- Author: Dong-Hwan Choe
Kevin Welzel in Choe laboratory has successfully defended his PhD today.
It is now official - Dr. Welzel!
Congratulations.
- Author: Dong-Hwan Choe
Our research on the development of biodegradable hydrogel for delivering liquid baits to control Argentine ant was recently published in Pest Management Science.
Also, the journal chose the image from our research, showing Argentine ants feeding on the hydrogel bait, as the cover image for their October 2017 issue.
For additional information on the work, follow the links below:
https://ucrtoday.ucr.edu/47201
http://ucanr.edu/sites/ucrurbanpest/files/266283.pdf
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ps.4616/full
- Author: Dong-Hwan Choe
A new work from our group is about chemical ecology of bed bugs.
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Scents from Bed Bugs' Shed Skin Affect the Pests' Behavior
Researchers find shed skins of bed bugs emit pheromones that could help combat infestations of the insect
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) — Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have discovered the shed skins of bed bugs retain the “obnoxious sweetness” smell often associated with the pests, a finding that could potentially be used to combat infestations of the insects.
Bed bugs shed their skins, known as exuviae, as they grow. Four pheromone compounds known as aldehydes are consistently found in the shed skins.
For the full article, follow the link:
