Special Collection: Tools of the Behavior and Biocontrol Trade

Researchers studying arthropod behavior are always asking questions. For example, how does a particular organism aggregate? How does it disperse? How does it feed?

Such questions fuel scientific discovery, and the answers often have important implications for human health, agriculture, and environmental health. In order to find the answers they're looking for, researchers often need to develop new research tools or dedicate time to discovering and learning unfamiliar tools.

To help researchers discover and learn about available tools and how to use them, Annals of the Entomological Society of America has published a special collection of review papers that focus on tools researchers are using to study arthropod behavior and biological control.

What tools are available? What does the tool do? How do you decide which tool to use? How do you get started using the tool? This collection helps answer these questions and more.

Introductory remarks: Toys of the Trade
Jana C. Lee

Assessing Insect Flight Behavior in the Laboratory: A Primer on Flight Mill Methodology and What Can Be Learned
Steven E. Naranjo

Super Mark It! A Review of the Protein Immunomarking Technique
James R. Hagler

It's Gut Check Time! A Universal Food Immunomarking Technique for Studying Arthropod Feeding Activities
James R. Hagler

What We Can Learn From the Energetic Levels of Insects: A Guide and Review
Jana C. Lee

Computer Vision to Enhance Behavioral Research on Insects
Nicholas C. Manoukis and Travis C. Collier

AC–DC Electropenetrography for In-depth Studies of Feeding and Oviposition Behaviors
Elaine A. Backus, Felix A. Cervantes, Raul Narciso C. Guedes, Andrew Y. Li, and Astri C. Wayadande