The 2012 ESA YouTube Your Entomology Contest is Now Open

The Entomological Society of America has begun accepting entries for the 2012 YouTube Your Entomology Video Contest. For the fourth year in a row, this contest gives ESA members the opportunity to showcase their talents and creativity through video.

Members may submit entries in four different categories:

* Research (Discovery)

* Teaching (Instruction -- academic, student-focused instruction)

* Extension (Outreach -- non-academic, outreach-focused instruction)

* Open category (anything goes, for the uber-creative entomologist)

The rules for this year's contest are:

1. Maximum length of videos is three minutes. Videos longer than 3:00 minutes will be disqualified from the contest.

2. At least one submitter of the video must be an ESA member.

3. The submitter must send the video to ESA using file-sharing programs such as DropBox, YouSendIt, or some other tool, and then must contact ESA at rlevine@entsoc.org with the video's title, description, category (see above), and producer name(s). Judges retain the right to reassign videos to other categories if the content is deemed more appropriate.

4. Videos must be submitted by midnight (EST), Monday, September 17, 2012.

All videos will be displayed on the ESA YouTube Channel, and winning entries may be shown at the Opening Session of the ESA Annual Meeting in Knoxville, TN.

Winners from each category will receive $200.00 and a trophy.

All file formats that are compatible with YouTube will be accepted. To participate, send your video to to Richard Levine at rlevine@entsoc.org using DropBox, Yousendit, or some other tool. If your video is already on YouTube somewhere, you may email the link to Richard, but the preferred method is for you to send the video file to him.

The deadline is September 17, 2012.

Click here to view videos from the 2011 contest.

Click here to view videos from the 2010 contest.

Click here to view videos from the 2009 contest.

If you have problems or questions, contact Richard Levine at 301-731-4535, ext. 3009, or rlevine@entsoc.org.

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April 25 is World Malaria Day

According ot the World Health Organization, in 2010, about 3.3 billion people - almost half of the world's population - were at risk of malaria. Every year, this leads to about 216 million malaria cases and an estimated 655,000 deaths. People living in the poorest countries are the most vulnerable. More information.

Click here for more information.

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Bark Beetle Management and Ecology in Southern Pine Forests

Periodic outbreaks of bark beetles can cause annual losses of millions of dollars and pose serious challenges for forest managers, and the suppression of outbreaks is particularly difficult and expensive.

According to T. D. Schowalter, author of a new open-access article in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management called "Ecology and Management of Bark Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Southern Pine Forests," preventative measures are most effective in minimizing losses to these beetles, and several factors should be considered in planning bark beetle management in southern pine forests.

First, managers should consider the fact that the effects of these beetles on ecosystem services are not necessarily destructive and, in some cases, may contribute to management objectives in multiple-use forests. Second, these beetles are controlled naturally by environmental factors that can be manipulated through management practices.

The keys to managing bark beetles are maintaining a diversity of healthy, site-adapted tree species and adequate spacing between host trees.

The diversity of site-adapted tree species reduces the likelihood of beetle outbreaks because a mixture of tree species creates a more complex environment within which beetles must detect and reach suitable hosts.

Selective thinning of pine density also lowers the risk of beetle outbreaks by reducing resource availability for beetle populations, and by reducing competition between trees for water and nutrients, which can minimize or delay the effects of drought. In addition, thinning the trees creates a more open canopy, which reduces the effectiveness of pheromone communication between beetles.

Click here for the full article, availabe for free.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/IPM11025

The Journal of Integrated Pest Management is an open-access, peer-reviewed, extension journal covering the field of integrated pest management. The intended readership for the journal is any professional who is engaged in any aspect of integrated pest management, including, but not limited to, crop producers, individuals working in crop protection, retailers, manufacturers and suppliers of pest management products, educators, and pest control operators.

JIPM is published by the Entomological Society of America (http://www.entsoc.org), the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 6,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Members are students, researchers, teachers, extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives, research technicians, consultants, and hobbyists.

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Azinphos-methyl (AZM) Alternatives Against Codling Moth

Azinphos-methyl (AZM) has been the most used insecticide in apple production in the United States since the late 1960s, primarily as a control for the codling moth, but a decision by the EPA to phase out AZM by 2012 signals the end of this product's use by tree fruit growers.

In recent years, many new insecticides have been registered to replace AZM. These new insecticides have unique modes of action, but growers will need to change their traditional management practices to achieve the level of control they were accustomed to with AZM, according to a new open-access article in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management.

In "Incorporating Organophosphate Alternative Insecticides into Codling Moth Management," scientists from Washington State University write about field trials conducted from 2004 to 2008 which explored new application timings and strategies that incorporated insecticides with different modes of action and targeted life stages.

The researchers found that the new insecticides could not provide fruit protection that was superior to the protection provided with AZM. However, strategies were developed that in many cases allowed equivalent control levels to those of the codling moth program based on AZM.

The most successful strategies employed insecticides that targeted both eggs (ovicides) and larvae (larvicides). An insect growth regulator applied at the start of the oviposition period, followed by two larvicide applications that targeted the peak egg-hatch period, provided fruit protection equivalent to the protection given by AZM applied twice.

Click here for the the full article, availabe for free.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/IPM09001

The Journal of Integrated Pest Management is an open-access, peer-reviewed, extension journal covering the field of integrated pest management. The intended readership for the journal is any professional who is engaged in any aspect of integrated pest management, including, but not limited to, crop producers, individuals working in crop protection, retailers, manufacturers and suppliers of pest management products, educators, and pest control operators.

JIPM is published by the Entomological Society of America (ESA), the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 6,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Members are students, researchers, teachers, extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives, research technicians, consultants, and hobbyists.

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Exotic Manure is Sure to Lure the Dung Connoisseur

Although the preference of dung beetles for specific types and conditions of dung has been given substantial attention, little has been done to investigate their preference for dung from exotic mammals found on game farms or rewilding projects.

In "A Comparison of Dung Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Attraction to Native and Exotic Mammal Dung," an article appearing in the latest edition of Environmental Entomology, Sean D. Whipple, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and W. Wyatt Hoback, a biology professor at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, used pitfall traps baited with various native and exotic herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore dung to evaluate dung beetle preference in the Great Plains of North America.

After spending two years capturing more than 9,000 dung beetles from 15 different species, they found that omnivore dung was the most attractive, with chimpanzee and human dung having the highest mean capture. This can largely be attributed to omnivore dung being more odiferous in comparison to that of herbivore dung.

Surprisingly, native Nebraskan dung beetles which coevolved with bison showed little attraction to bison dung compared with waterbuck, zebra, donkey, and moose dung.

"Our results suggest that even closely related species of generalist-feeding dung beetles differ in their response to novel dung types," said Dr. Whipple. "In addition, preference for a specific manure does not appear to be correlated with dung quality, mammalian diet, or origin of mammal."

"This novel research indicates that native dung beetle species will respond to dung from exotic animals, and that there is an apparent mismatch of species to resources," said Dr. Hoback. "This mismatch will be addressed in continuing research and may shed light on ecological and evolutionary patterns among detritivores which encounter new resources. As such, there are implications for both conservation and exotic species biology."

Click here for the full article.

Environmental Entomology is published by the Entomological Society of America (ESA), the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 6,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government.

CONTACT:

Dr. William W. Hoback
University of Nebraska At Kearney
Phone: (308) 865-8602
Email: hobackww@unk.edu

Dr. Sean Doyle Whipple
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Phone: (308) 632-1231
Email: s-swhippl1@unl.edu

Don’t Bug Out Over Warmer Weather, Entomologists Warn

This year’s mild winter and early spring have prompted many media reports that insect populations are certain to increase in unprecedented numbers this year. However, leaders of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) say there are many other things that contribute to insect activity, including rainfall, humidity, predator populations, and other factors.

For example, mosquitoes require standing water for their eggs to hatch and for their larvae to develop.

“The warm weather has brought mosquitoes out earlier this year,” said ESA President Grayson Brown. “But that does not necessarily mean that mosquito numbers will be higher this summer. For that, we’ll need rain, so regions that remain dry will probably experience mosquito numbers that are similar to previous years.”

In addition, the unusually mild winter may not affect mosquitoes at all, since they are known to thrive in regions which can be extremely cold.

“States like Alaska and Minnesota are famous for their brutally cold winters,” said Dr. Brown, “and yet they are also known to have extremely active mosquito populations during the summer.”

“The warm winter is likely to increase tick-related problems this year,” said Brown. “People living in areas with tick-borne diseases, like Lyme Disease, should be extra careful this year, especially through the spring season.”

Insects that are considered to be agricultural pests may also be spurred by the early spring weather, but their numbers will be affected by many other things as well, such as the planting dates of crops and availability of other plants as food sources.

“Mild winters do not automatically mean greater insect problems,” said ESA Vice President Robert Wiedenmann. “Some insects that emerge earlier than normal because of warm temperatures may not find the appropriate food sources available and could starve. Early crop planting will help some pest insects increase in numbers early in the season, but may not affect other species. Likewise, mild winters may favor the predatory or parasitic insects that help keep pests in check, and result in fewer pests. Insect ecology is affected by a number of factors and is not solely dependent on winter or spring temperatures.”

The Entomological Society of America is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 6,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government.

Entomology 2012, ESA's 60th Annual Meeting, will be held in November in Knoxville, TN.

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Entomology 2012 to Present 105 Insect Symposia in November

Entomology 2012, the 60th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America (ESA), will feature 105 symposia on insects and related arthropods, November 11-14, 2012 in Knoxville, TN.

The symposia will address important issues such as current problems with honey bees, bed bugs, the brown marmorated stink bug, the Asian citrus psyllid, the hemlock woolly adelgid, GMOs, forensic entomology, climate change, biofuels, crop pollination, RNAi applications, the i5K Initiative, insect resistance management, transgenic organisms, invasive insects, integrated pest managment, new products, biodiversity, insect photography, forest entomology, and many others.

Click here for a full list of the meeting symposia.

The theme of Entomology 2012 is “A Global Society for a Global Science.” Covering all aspects of entomology, the symposia will provide insight into many of the world's most vexing problems that affect international researchers and the global community.

Approximately 3,000 researchers, professors, students, extension service personnel, and others will meet for four days of science, networking, and fun. This is the most important annual conference anywhere in the world for the science of entomology.

Online registration for Entomology 2012 will open on July 2, 2012. Members of the media who would like to attend should contact Richard Levine at rlevine@entsoc.org.

For more information about Entomology 2012, please visit http://entsoc.org/entomology2012.

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 6,000 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government. Members are students, researchers, teachers, extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives, research technicians, consultants, and hobbyists. For more information, please visit http://www.entsoc.org.

President Grayson Brown Talks About Entomology 2012

In this video, Grayson Brown, 2012 President of the Entomological Society of America (http://www.entsoc.org) talks about this year's ESA Annual Meeting in Knoxville, Tennessee, November 11-14, 2012. Thousands of entomologists and professionals from related disciplines will gather from around the world to exchange scientific information and the latest research, enhance their professional knowledge and skills, network with colleagues and re-acquaint with old friends, present the Society's awards, and conduct the business of the Society.

Watch the video below: