'Femme fatale' emerald ash borer decoy lures and kills males

An international team of researchers has designed decoys that mimic female emerald ash borer beetles and successfully entice male emerald ash borers to land on them in an attempt to mate, only to be electrocuted and killed by high-voltage current.

"Our new decoy and electrocution process may be useful in managing what the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service claims to be the most destructive forest pest ever seen in North America," said Michael Domingue, postdoctoral fellow in entomology, Penn State.

According to the Forest Service, the emerald ash borer was introduced to the United States from China in 2002. Since then, it has spread throughout 24 states and two Canadian provinces, and killed tens of millions of otherwise healthy native ash trees.

"Early detection of the pest in traps such as ours can help in coordinating management strategies to slow its spread and minimize its impact," said Domingue.

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Video: Discovery of the Spider That Builds Spider Decoys

In December, we reported on a new species of spider discovered in Peru. Tiny, and likely a new member of the genus Cyclosa, the spider builds large, spider-shaped decoys — and vibrates its web, acting as a master puppeteer.

Here is a video shot at the moment the spiders were discovered.

“I don’t know of any potential species discovery that has been caught on video to the same level that this one has been,” said the videographer who goes by Destin, who was accompanying biologist Phil Torres in the Peruvian Amazon. “It’s fun to go back and watch the video because it reminds me of how confused and perplexed we were.”

Indeed, the captured moment of discovery includes the following exchange:

“It’s a tiny spider disguised as a big spider!”

“Shut up.”

Video: Destin of Smarter Every Day/YouTube