When most people think of scientists discovering a new species, they think of long treks and exotic jungles, not a suburban ...

A new pest may emerge in Ohio as Brood XIV cicadas conclude their 17-year life cycle. Oak leaf itch mites can bite people, and cause an itchy, rash-like reaction. They also feed on cicada eggs. Oak ...

Nearly invisible to the naked eye at just 0.2 millimeters long, oak leaf itch mites commonly feed on larvae of oak gall midge flies that live on pin oak leaves.

An 8-year-old’s casual backyard observation has transformed our understanding of an intricate relationship between ants, ...

A more commonly seen gall formed by a different type of wasp is the brown, papery oak apple gall. The size of a ping pong ball, it’s found on oak leaves.

Small bumps on oak leaves are jumping oak galls, which are caused by a very tiny, native, stingless wasp that lays eggs in leaf buds.

Oak blister gall and oak-apple gall are common on oak leaves. However, oaks can also develop stem galls, such as oak bullet gall, which in high numbers may reduce plant growth.

Adult gall wasps will inject a chemical into the leaf buds as they're forming, and these little green balls form in that spot, providing us with these funky-looking mini-apples.

The two-horned oak gall wasp is just one of dozens of species of gall wasps that incubate their eggs in oak leaves.

Woody oak galls are extremely common and not especially harmful to trees, but they are unsightly. They’re the work of female wasp-like insects that sting the small twigs and lay eggs in the ...

Hedgehog galls appear on oak leaves as clumps of bristly pink fur, while wood sower galls look like white or creamy cotton balls. The fluff is actually a group of wasp-induced galls.