Mites are small, typically around 0.5mm and are translucent, making it difficult to detect especially at the early stages of infestation when numbers are low. They can survive for months under adverse conditions in cracks in floor and walls, and in processing and packaging machinery. Read more

The use of environmental DNA (eDNA) is gaining in popularity and profile, partly driven by technological advances, partly by the urgent requirement for measuring natural habits for indigenous and alien species using diagnostic tools and the steeply rising importance of such measurements for environmental stewardship. This is mirrored by the rapid rise in scientific publications citing “environmental DNA” (see figure), and the recent launch of a scientific journal Environmental DNA. Read more

The Insect Biomass Conversion Task & Finish Group (IBCTFG) is calling on the UK Government to support insect protein as an attractive new and sustainable source of protein for food production – essential if we are to help narrow the global ‘protein gap’ Read more

Manuka honey is derived from bees that forage on the Manuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium) and has been demonstrated to exhibit significant non-peroxide antimicrobial activity (NPA). This antimicrobial activity is in addition to the peroxide activity found in honeys that contain glucose oxidase and is thought to be unique to Manuka honey. The sum of the peroxide activity and the non-peroxide activity is known as the total activity (TA). Read more