Caterpillar

Thundering footsteps warn caterpillars of lethal ladybeetle attacks

Thundering footsteps warn caterpillars of lethal ladybeetle attacks Sadie Harley Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor Diminutive warty birch caterpillars (Falcaria bilineata), less than 1.5mm long, ardently defend their leaf tip homes from invading caterpillars by scraping and pounding the leaf to warn off potential invaders. But how might the day-old caterpillars defend themselves when voracious ladybeetles (known as ladybugs in the US) are on the prowl? Listening for danger on...

Alert as dangerous caterpillar that could put you in hospital spreading rapidly

Alert as dangerous caterpillar that could put you in hospital spreading rapidly Multiple outbreaks have been spotted in teh Ukl kwith recent weather accelerating growth People across the UK are being warned about a caterpillar that can 'send you to A&E'. The Oak Processionary Moth is a species whose adult form is harmless, but whose caterpillar stage is one of the most significant health hazards currently breeding in British gardens. As Britain’s record-breaking May heatwave gives way to...

Beans use an immune receptor to call in airstrikes on caterpillars

For decades, scientists have understood that plants can release volatile organic compounds—essentially airborne chemical signals—to attract the natural enemies of the things that eat them, like caterpillars. What we didn’t know was exactly how a plant translates the physical act of being eaten into a specific, predator-summoning distress signal. “[One] thing we didn’t know is how the plant detects the caterpillar in the first place,” says Adam Steinbrenner, a biologist at the University of...

Poisonous caterpillars infest Berlin neighbourhoods: older people afraid to leave home

Poisonous caterpillars are infesting residential areas in Berlin. Health authorities are not intervening, so residents are taking matters into their own hands. The oak processionary moth caterpillar has spread massively in parts of Berlin.

Beans use an immune receptor to call in airstrikes on caterpillars

For decades, scientists have understood that plants can release volatile organic compounds—essentially airborne chemical signals—to attract the natural enemies of the things that eat them, like caterpillars. What we didn’t know was exactly how a plant translates the physical act of being eaten into a specific, predator-summoning distress signal. “[One] thing we didn’t know is how the plant detects the caterpillar in the first place,” says Adam Steinbrenner, a biologist at the University of...

Warm spring sparks toxic caterpillar health warning

Skin or eye irritation from the caterpillar's hairs can affect both people and animals.

Warnings issued over toxic caterpillars

Madfabulous review – Callum Scott Howells shines as flamboyant aristocrat in hedonistic period romp

Howells puts in a strong turn as Henry Paget, a Victorian marquess who blows his inheritance on hosting wild parties and staging gender-defying theatrical performancesPlaying the shy Colin in Russell T Davies’s 2021 TV drama It’s a Sin, Callum Scott Howells had to be the humble caterpillar compared to Olly Alexander’s extravagant butterfly. But now Howells gets an upgrade to full butterfly status in this high-spirited and good-humoured drama from screenwriter Lisa Baker and director Celyn...

Madfabulous review – Callum Scott Howells shines as flamboyant aristocrat in hedonistic period romp

Howells puts in a strong turn as Henry Paget, a Victorian marquess who blows his inheritance on hosting wild parties and staging gender-defying theatrical performancesPlaying the shy Colin in Russell T Davies’s 2021 TV drama It’s a Sin, Callum Scott Howells had to be the humble caterpillar compared to Olly Alexander’s extravagant butterfly. But now Howells gets an upgrade to full butterfly status in this high-spirited and good-humoured drama from screenwriter Lisa Baker and director Celyn...

‘Picks and shovels’ companies profit from data centre scramble

Caterpillar and Hochtief among the once-staid industrial stocks lifted by the AI boom