Insects Found in Nearly 50% of Retail Firewood

A new study published in the Journal of Economic Entomology reports that live insects were found in 47% of firewood bundles purchased from big box stores, gas stations and grocery stores in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

Untreated firewood can harbor pathogens and destructive insects such as the emerald ash borer, the Asian longhorned beetle, bark beetles and others, and transport them to uninfested areas. Furthermore, the risk of moving insects in untreated firewood is high, the authors found, because insects emerged up to 558 days from the purchase date of the wood.

There are currently no national regulations on the commercial firewood industry that require firewood to be treated before use or sale to reduce the possibility of live insects or pathogens on or in the wood. Several state and federal agencies are attempting to reduce the risk of introducing invasive native or exotic species by restricting the distance firewood can move from its origin and by enacting outreach programs to educate the public.

However, the authors conclude that heat-treating firewood before it is shipped so that insects or pathogens are killed would be prudent and would not restrict firewood commerce as much as bans on firewood movement across state borders.

Click here for the full article, "Retail Firewood Can Transport Live Tree Pests."

The Journal of Economic Entomology is published by the Entomological Society of America, the largest organization serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines in the world. 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, consultants, and hobbyists. For more information, please visit http://www.entsoc.org.

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Apple Flea Weevil: An Old Pest Reemerges in Organic Orchards

The apple flea weevil, a sporadic insect pest in the early 1900s, has reemerged as a severe pest in organic apple orchards in Michigan, where outbreak population levels have been observed since 2008, and damage has resulted in up to 90% losses for apple growers.

According to the authors of "The Reemergence of an Old Pest, Orchestes pallicornis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)," an open-access article appearing in the lastest issue of the Journal of Integrated Pest Management, the weevil can be managed by broad-spectrum insecticides used in conventional agriculture, but there are currently no proven management options for use in organic production. And, as broad-spectrum materials are replaced by reduced-risk compounds, it is possible that the apple flea weevil will increasingly become an important pest in apple production.

The apple flea weevil is a small, 2-3 millimeter black weevil with enlarged high legs for jumping. Adults feed on buds and leaves, and the larvae are leaf miners.

In the article, the authors discuss the apple flea weevil's biology and the damage it does to plants, as well as methods for growers to monitor and manage them.

Click here for the full article.

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. For more information, please visit http://www.entsoc.org.

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Tadpole shrimp are pests of rice production systems in California and have recently been found impacting Missouri and Arkansas rice fields. The shrimp feed on rice seedlings and uproot them during foraging, and their foraging behavior causes water to become muddy, which reduces light penetration to submerged seedlings and delays the development of the rice plant.

In "Review of a New Pest of Rice, Tadpole Shrimp (Notostraca: Triopsidae), in the Midsouthern United States and a Winter Scouting Method of Rice Fields for Preplanting Detection," a new open-access article appearing in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management, the authors provide information on the life cycle of tadpole shrimp, describe a new method for scouting for tadpole shrimp in rice fields, and provide scouting results and management implications.

In the article, the authors discuss the tadpole shrimp's biology, life cycle, and distribution range, as well as options for controlling it. The authors also note that after the rice seedling stage, tadpole shrimp can be beneficial because they also eat weed seedlings and small insects.

Click here for the full article.

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. For more information, please visit http://www.entsoc.org.

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Sonny Ramaswamy to Speak at Entomology 2012

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) is honored to announce that Sonny Ramaswamy, Director of the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), will be speaking twice at Entomology 2012, ESA's 60th Annual Meeting to be held November 11-14, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Dr. Ramaswamy, who became an ESA Fellow in 2005 (see http://entsoc.org/fellows/sonny-b-ramaswamy-esa-fellow-2005) and has been an ESA member for more than 30 years, will address ESA members on November 13 at 12:15 during a "Lunch and Learn" session in which he will talk about grant opportunities at NIFA, and again at 2:30 at a special student session.

His appointment as the Director of NIFA was announced in March, 2012.

According to ESA President Grayson Brown, “His appointment is a recognition of the outstanding record of leadership that he has established over the years, and I can think of no one better equipped to lead this important institute. While we realize that NIFA supports many programs, we in entomology are especially proud that one of 'us' is in this high post.”

Dr. Ramaswamy received his M.S. in entomology from the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore, India (1976) and his Ph.D. in entomology from Rutgers University (1980). He was a postdoctoral researcher at Michigan State University (1979-82); an assistant, associate, and full professor at Mississippi State University (1982-97); a professor, university distinguished professor and head of the Kansas State University Department of Entomology (1997-2004); associate dean of Purdue’s College of Agriculture, where he directed the University’s agricultural research programs from 2006 to 2009; and dean of Oregon State University's College of Agricultural Sciences.

His research areas have included the integrative reproductive biology of insects, encompassing endocrine and ovarian physiology, chemical ecology, pheromones and sexual behavior and their regulation by hormones, structure and function of sensory receptors as related to host finding and mating in insects, and modification of insect behavior using natural products. He has published more than 100 journal papers.

Entomology 2012 will be attended by 3,000 entomologists and will feature 98 symposia and more than 2,500 presentations, plus entomological excursions, social events, student competitions, the Linnaean Games, and more. For more information, visit http://www.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.

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Press Invitation to Attend World's Largest Entomology Meeting

WHEN: November 11-14, 2012

WHERE: The Knoxville Convention Center in Knoxville, Tennessee

WHAT: Entomology 2012 is the 60th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America. More than 3,000 insect scientists are expected to attend. The theme is "A Global Society for a Global Science," and there will be 98 symposia and more than 2,500 presentations on subjects such as bed bugs, honey bees, genetically modified crops, household insect pests, agriculture and more. In addition, a number of social events will also take place.

HOW TO ATTEND: Journalists from accredited news organizations will be given complimentary press passes. Members of the media who would like to attend can contact ESA at sro@entsoc.org or (301) 731-4535, ext. 3009 for a press pass.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: http://entsoc.org/entomology2012

FULL PROGRAM AVAILABLE AT: http://esa.confex.com/esa/2012/webprogram/start.html

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.

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28 Insect Videos Submitted for 2012 ESA Contest

The Entomological Society of America received 28 insect video submissions for the 2012 YouTube Your Entomology contest.

The videos are divided into four different categories (Research, Teaching, Extension and Open), and the winner of each category will receive a trophy and $200 at Entomology 2012, ESA's 60th Annual Meeting which will be held in Knoxville, Tennessee, November 11-14, 2012.

Click here to watch the videos on YouTube.

Or watch them all below:

ESA to Host 2016 International Congress of Entomology

ESA President Dr. Grayson C. Brown has just announced that the Entomological Society of America will host ICE 2016, the XXV International Congress of Entomology, September 25-30, 2016 in Orlando, Florida.

ICE 2016 is expected to be the largest gathering of scientists and experts in the history of the entomological sciences, with an expected attendance of over 6,000 delegates. The Congress will be co-located with ESA’s 64th Annual Meeting, along with other scientific society meetings. The latest global research on insect science will be presented under the theme “Entomology without Borders.”

“ICE 2016 will provide a dynamic forum for the exchange of the latest science, research, and innovations among entomologists all around the world," Dr. Brown said. "Research shared will cover every aspect of the discipline and will bring thousands of experts together from every corner of the globe, many in person in Orlando and others remotely through the latest technologies. Students and early career scientists will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to present their research in front of a global audience, to compete in global competitions, and will make important connections to last a lifetime. This event, supported by other international initiatives ESA has in the works, will help us significantly broaden the awareness of the science and Society around the world, help us build more collaborative partnerships, and aid us in providing access for our members and others around the globe to the latest research and science.”

ICE History

The first International Congress of Entomology was held in Brussels, Belgium in 1910. Over the past 102 years, Congresses have been held every four years throughout the world, with interruptions occurring only during World Wars I and II. The last Congress hosted in the United States was in 1976 in Washington, D.C. The most recent Congress was just held in Daegu, South Korea, August 19–25, 2012, where an estimated 2,500 attendees gathered for the XXIV International Congress of Entomology.

Each Congress provides a forum for scientists, researchers, academia, technicians, government, and industry representatives to discuss the latest research and innovations in the many diverse fields of entomology, to share expertise in their specific fields of interest, and to present their research and products. ICE delegates represent many countries in both hemispheres, and include both the developed and developing world. The week-long meetings allow participants to meet others from around the world with similar focus areas and to form important networks to collaborate and share knowledge, with an overarching goal of supporting and protecting the world’s population through better science.

Congress programs include presentations by world-renowned entomological leaders, oral and poster presentations throughout each day, exhibits, awards, social events, tours, cultural events, and gala dinners.

ICE 2016 Organizing Committee Co-Chairs

The ICE 2016 Organizing Committee will be co-chaired by world-renowned entomological leaders Dr. Walter S. Leal and Dr. Alvin M. Simmons. Professor Leal, former chair of the Department of Entomology at the University of California, Davis, is a pioneer in the field of insect communication. Dr. Alvin M. Simmons is a research entomologist with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Vegetable Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina. He is recognized internationally for his innovative research on integrated pest management (IPM) in vegetable and field crops.

“ICE 2016 will allow a unique opportunity for scientists to interact with the world’s leading experts in many fields to exchange ideas and build on their research at the largest gathering in history," said Dr. Leal. "We expect to see scientists come out of retirement who won’t want to miss this event. We will now begin the important work to form an Organizing Committee made up of experts from around the world to provide a comprehensive scientific program to support our 'Entomology without Borders' theme."

Dr. Simmons adds, “The symposia will highlight the most recent advances in a wide diversity of entomological subjects around our global theme. And with the addition of ESA competitions, such as a world-class Linnaean Games and other recognition programs for students to the Congress program, we expect a large number of students and junior scientists from all around the globe to attend. Just think of the breadth of science that will be discussed in five days and the important professional connections that will be made!”

The theme: "Entomology without Borders"

In the 21st Century, entomology has gone beyond borders. With its multidisciplinary approach, entomology explores new scientific frontiers. Insect populations are moving beyond human-established geographical borders and the insect world is rapidly becoming a global system. The ease of international transportation and increasing global trade allow the convenient dispersal of pests and associated diseases. Invasive arthropod pests in their new environments typically leave behind their natural enemies. Climate change is already causing global changes in species diversity and distribution, and patterns of outbreaks of arthropod-borne pathogens can be affected.

Changes in current climatic boundaries, urban population development, and agro–ecosystem borders have significant implications for population dynamics of native and invasive species. As the entomological world becomes a global system, there are increased challenges and opportunities for sustainable programs. New resistant cultivars, major changes in integrated pest management programs, increased funding, and improved response time to new pest and associated disease outbreaks are essential to meeting the needs of the world’s food supply as the human population grows. Internet and open access publication sources make it more convenient to communicate globally about entomological problems and solutions, and to forge collaborations.

"With ESA’s long history of providing well-organized and well-attended Annual Meetings, we are looking forward to broadening our scope and joining forces with several other scientific societies to present an event that will be one for the record books?-one the entomological community will be talking about for decades to come," said ESA Executive Director C. David Gammel. "The scientific program will be unmatched, and the beauty and convenience of Orlando will be remembered long after 2016.”

ICE 2016 Highlights

Planned ICE 2016 highlights will include scientific presentations organized by experts in the field covering every discipline of the science, virtual poster and remote presentations that will bring additional research to the meeting through the latest technologies, events and opportunities for building networks and collaborative research across the world, lively competitions for students from around the world with opportunities for prizes and recognition, exhibits showcasing the latest products and services available for the entomological sciences, exciting cultural events, tours, and attractions for attendees and their families, opportunities for scholarship and travel assistance, unique opportunities for participants to share research with a worldwide audience and to be published, a multitude of sponsorship opportunities to build brand awareness, and assistance for travelers with letters of invitation, luggage and shuttle bus service, and more.

Supporting Societies and Organizations

The following societies and organizations supported ESA’s bid to host ICE 2016:

• Alliance of Crop, Soil and Environmental Science Societies
• American Society of Agronomy
• Arab Society for Plant Protection
• Australian Entomological Society
• Crop Science Society of America
• Ecological Society of America
• Entomological Foundation
• Entomological Society of Canada
• Entomological Society of China
• Entomological Society of Japan
• Entomological Society of Southern Africa
• European Congress of Entomology
• Florida Entomological Society
• Hungarian Entomological Society
• International Society of Chemical Ecology
• IR-4 Project
• Japanese Society of Applied Entomology and Zoology
• Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology
• Orange County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners
• Royal Entomological Society
• Sociedad Chilena de Entomología
• Sociedad Mexicana de Entomología
• Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil
• Soil Science Society of America

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 has more than 6,400 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government.

For logos, photos, or more information on ICE 2016, contact Rosina Romano, ESA Director of Meetings, at rromano@entsoc.org or call +1-301-731-4535 x3010.

Entomological Society of America Names 2012 Fellows

Lanham, MD; August 1, 2012 -- The ESA Governing Board has elected ten new Fellows of the Society for 2012. The election as a Fellow acknowledges outstanding contributions to entomology in one or more of the following: research, teaching, extension, or administration. The following Fellows will be recognized during Entomology 2012 -- ESA's 60th Annual Meeting -- which will be held November 11-14, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee:

Dr. Christian W. Borgemeister is the third director general of the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), a pan-African research and development center headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. He is internationally recognized for his research on biological control and integrated pest management (IPM) in the tropics. Borgemeister was born in Wuppertal, Germany in 1959 and received a diploma in agricultural engineering from Georg-August-University Göttingen in 1985, and a PhD in applied entomology from Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) in 1991. From 1992-1997 he worked as a postdoc, associate, and senior scientist in the Biological Control Program for Africa of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Benin. He continued his work on IPM and biocontrol, shifting his focus to the invasive larger grain borer (Prostephanus truncatus), a devastating pest of stored maize and cassava that was accidentally introduced from Mexico and Central America into East and West Africa in the late 1970s and early 1980s, respectively. In 1998 he returned to Germany, working first as assistant and later associate professor at LUH and Justus-Liebig University Giessen. He continued his research focus on pest control in the tropics, with major projects in sub-Saharan Africa, South America, and southeast Asia. In addition to biocontrol, Borgemeister and his group started to venture into entomopathology, mainly through work on entomopathogenic nematodes and fungi for control of thrips, white flies, and other important pests. Under his leadership at ICIPE, the organization has grown considerably, both in terms of funding and scientific achievements. Borgemeister has been an invited speaker at many universities around the world, and at various scientific events like the Society for Vector Control meeting in Belek, Turkey in 2009 and the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa in 2010. In 2010 he gave the Sawicki Lecture at Rothamsted Research (UK), and in 2011 he received the International Plant Protection Award of Distinction for “Contributions toward the Development of Plant Protection Strategies and the Global Promotion of Food Security.” Borgemeister is a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society and the African Academy of Sciences. He is also the 2012 President of the ESA International Branch. He has published more than 110 peer-reviewed papers, is the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, and is member of the editorial board of the Bulletin of Entomological Research.

Dr. Henry H. Hagedorn is a professor emeritus at the University of Arizona, Tucson. He is internationally recognized for his research on the physiology of reproduction in mosquitoes, and as founder and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Insect Science. Hagedorn was born in Milwaukee, WI on April 4, 1940. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, receiving a BS degree in 1965 and an MS degree in 1966, and received a PhD in 1970 at the University of California, Davis. In 1972 he was an FGP Trainee in Woods Hole with Dr. W.H. Telfer. He accepted a position as assistant professor of entomology at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst in 1973, moved to Cornell University in 1987 and then to the University of Arizona in 1988. In 1981 Hagedorn was awarded a Von Humboldt Senior Science Fellowship in Tübingin, Germany, and became a fellow of the AAAS in 1988. He retired in 2005 and moved back to Wisconsin, where he is a member of the Department of Entomology at UW-Madison. Research in Hagedorn’s laboratory focused on egg development in the mosquito Aedes aegypti. His team worked most intensively on the hormonal control of egg development that led to the discovery that 20-hydroxyecdysone regulated the expression of the vitellogenin (yolk protein) genes, and the fact that the ovary was the source of ecdysone. They also examined the roles of juvenile hormone in egg development. This work led to a model for understanding the multiple roles of these hormones in the life of the adult female mosquito. At the University of Arizona in Tucson, Hagedorn was the director of the Center of Insect Science for five years. He led a group of students and teachers that produced materials for primary school teachers (Using Live Insects in Elementary Classrooms for Early Lessons in Life). Working with Emory and Marlene Sekaquaptewa, Hagedorn also produced a video, Hopi Corn: The Mother of Life. In 2001 Hagedorn started the Journal of Insect Science, an open-access, online journal to provide an alternative to commercial journals. JIS has become an international journal that covers all aspects of the biology of insects and other arthropods, and their agricultural and medical impacts. There are about 50 editors associated with JIS, which is now associated with the Department of Entomology at the UW-Madison.

Dr. Joseph Morse received a BS in electrical engineering at Cornell University and an MS in both entomology and systems science and a PhD in entomology at Michigan State University. Since 1981 he has worked on citrus and avocado pest management at the University of California, Riverside, focusing on integrating biological control and selective chemical controls, addressing recently invasive species, and dealing with arthropod contaminants on both import and export fruit. He has published a total of 322 papers or book chapters, including more than 145 peer reviewed articles. Previous awards include the ESA Recognition Award in Entomology (1993), the Citrus Research Board Award of Excellence (2005), the Art Schroeder Memorial Award for Outstanding Contributions to Avocado Research (2006), Fellow of AAAS (2006), the Award of Honor from the California Avocado Society (2010), and the Entomological Foundation Award for Excellence in Integrated Pest Management (2011). Dr. Morse has held several administrative positions at the University of California. From 1988-1993, he was the associate director of the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program, charged with oversight for the $0.75 million/year statewide competitive grants program. In 1994, when the Mediterranean fruit fly outbreak and aerial malathion sprays in nearby Corona raised public ire, he worked with local and system-wide administration to help found the UC Riverside Center for Invasive Species Research (CISR) and served as associate director (1994-1996) and director (1996-1999) of the Center. CISR, along with UC-IPM, oversaw the Exotic Pest and Disease Research Program, which awarded a total of $10.3 in funding (via a grant from USDA-CSREES) for 103 multi-year research projects dealing with invasive species affecting agricultural systems, natural systems, and urban systems in California. When the UC Division of Agricultural and Natural Resources reorganized in 1999, Morse was asked to serve for six years (1999-2005) as one of four new 75%-time statewide program leaders charged with oversight of system-wide activities in the area of pest management and agricultural policy. As a professor at UC Riverside, Dr. Morse teaches the evolution portion (50%) of Biology 5C: Introductory Evolution and Ecology, typically taken by 225-550 undergraduates in their sophomore year, and Entomology 10: Natural History of Insects, a science exposure course taken by 200-300 students in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Dr. Robert Page, a professor at Arizona State University, studies the evolution of complex social behavior in honey bees, from genes to societies. He was born in Bakersfield, CA in 1949. He received his BS in entomology from San Jose State University in 1976 and entered a graduate program at the University of California, Davis, where he received his PhD in entomology in 1981. He did postdoctoral training at the USDA Honey Bee Research Laboratory in Madison, WI, and was then appointed assistant professor of entomology at The Ohio State University in 1986. In 1989 he returned to UC Davis as an associate professor and was promoted to full professor in 1991. He served as chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology 1999-2004. In 2004, he moved to Arizona State University to be the founding director of the new School of Life Sciences. He took this opportunity to build a Social Insect Research Group that is now recognized worldwide. In July 2011 he became vice provost and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, where he still serves. Dr. Page was trained as an entomologist, evolutionary population geneticist, classical animal breeder, and mechanistic behaviorist. This training has defined his research approach of looking at the genetics and evolution of complex social behavior. He has taken a vertical approach to understanding the mechanisms of honey bee social foraging and how it evolves. His work is contained in more than 225 research articles. He has also co-edited three books and authored or co-authored two. Dr. Page is an ISI highly-cited author in plant and animal science. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the German National Academy of Science, and the Brazilian Academy of Science. In 1995 he was awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize by the government of Germany.

Dr. Kenneth Raffa, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is internationally recognized for his research on processes affecting population dynamics of forest insects, especially tree defense, tritrophic signaling, and symbioses. Ken was born in Irvington, NJ in 1950 and grew up near Wilmington, DE. He received his BS from St. Joseph’s College in Philadelphia in 1972, his MS from the University of Delaware in 1976, and his PhD from Washington State University in 1980. He assisted with insect and disease surveys for the US Forest Service in Asheville, NC in 1973 and 1974, and was a research biologist with DuPont from 1981-1985, where he investigated antifeedants, elicitors of plant defense, and insecticide resistance management. He joined the faculty at UW in 1985, and was named Beers-Bascom Professor of Conservation in 2010. Dr. Raffa’s program emphasizes cross-scale interactions and feedbacks in ecological systems, and applying this information to improve natural resource management. His work on a variety of bark beetles, defoliators, and root insects has contributed to our understanding of the bioactivity and ecological significance of inducible tree defenses, plasticity in host selection by herbivores, chemical signaling among herbivores and natural enemies, and microbial mediation of plant-insect interactions. Raffa has published over 275 refereed papers and reviews, and has received recognitions such as ESA’s Founders’ Memorial Award, the International Society of Chemical Ecology Silverstein-Simeone Lecture Award, and the Spitze Land Grant Faculty Award. Raffa teaches courses in Insects and Disease in Forest Resource Management, Plant-Insect Interactions, and Scientific Presentation. He has likewise engaged in extensive outreach, discussing forestry issues through a variety of media, constituent, and agency outlets, and insect biology in elementary schools. He has mentored 30 graduate programs and 14 postdoctoral associates, and engaged over 200 undergraduates in independent research projects and other hands-on experiences. His students have earned numerous honors for their contributions, including two ESA Comstock awards. Raffa has served as a subject editor for Ecology and Forest Science, organized the Symbiosis subsection of Environmental Entomology, and served on two CSRS panels, APHIS’s study committee on tree genetic engineering, the NRC’s study on the future of pesticides, and two USDA and six NSF grant panels. He has served on UW’s Faculty Senate, numerous campus and departmental committees, and the Madison Parks Commission. He also serves on several state committees dealing with natural resources, such as Wisconsin’s Council on Invasive Species.

Dr. Hugh M. Robertson, a professor of entomology and of cell and developmental biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), is internationally recognized for his research on transposons, chemoreception, and genomes of insects. Robertson was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1955 and grew up in East London, where he attended Selbourne College. After a year at the University of Cape Town in 1974, he moved to the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where he earned his BSc in zoology and biochemistry in 1976, and his PhD in zoology with Hugh E. H. Paterson in 1982. He moved to the USA for a Guyer postdoctoral fellowship in the Zoology Department at the University of Wisconsin at Madison with Jack P. Hailman, followed by a second postdoctoral in genetics with William R. Engels. In 1987 he was appointed assistant professor in the Department of Entomology at UIUC, and promoted to associate and full professor in 1993 and 1999. Robertson's research began with studies of the mating behavior of damselflies and Drosophila flies, followed by two decades of studies of transposons in insect genomes, starting with postdoctoral work on P elements in Drosophila and ending with studies of horizontal transfer of transposons between animal genomes. Around the turn of the century he redirected his primary research focus and the efforts of his laboratory to the molecular basis of olfaction and gustation in insects, starting with odorant binding proteins and moving on to odorant and gustatory receptors. He also broadened his research to other aspects of insect molecular biology, primarily gleaned from new public insect genome projects, such as circadian rhythms, methylation, and telomeres. He was involved in most public insect and other arthropod genome projects beyond Drosophila, playing a central role in the honey bee genome project. His small laboratory is currently involved in sequencing several insect genomes in collaboration with others. He is an author on 108 research papers and 18 other publications. Robertson has been an invited speaker at meetings around the world, most recently at the Sixth International Symposium on Molecular Insect Science in Amsterdam, and the XXIV International Congress of Entomology in Daegu, South Korea, where he will receive a Certificate of Distinction. His other honors include being named a University and a Romano Professorial Scholar at UIUC, and he is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has served as an associate editor of Insect Molecular Biology for eight years. He has advised many undergraduates, ten MS, and eight PhD students, and three postdoctoral fellows, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in biology. Robertson is married to an artist, Christina J. Nordholm, and has a stepson, Gabriel, and a daughter, Erica. His major hobby is sailing, including windsurfing and kiteboarding.

Dr. R. Michael Roe is a William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in the Department of Entomology and the Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC. He is internationally recognized for his research in insect and acarine physiology, biochemistry, genomics and toxicology, and the use of fundamental research in chemistry, nuclear science, and biology to solve practical problems and develop new commercial technologies. He was born in Plaquemine, LA in 1952 and obtained his BS degree from Louisiana State University (LSU) in 1974, his MS degree in physiology with a minor in biochemistry in 1976, and his PhD in entomology and a minor in nuclear science in 1981. He was an NIH fellow in cellular and molecular biology in the Department of Entomology at the University of California, Davis from 1981-1984, and in 1984 he accepted a position as assistant professor in entomology at NCSU. Roe’s laboratory focuses on understanding how insect and acarine systems function at the molecular level, the use of synthetic organic chemistry to understand structure-activity, and applications in bioassay, chemistry, molecular biology, and physics to solve practical pest problems in the context of integrated pest management. His lab is especially active in technology transfer and product development. Some of his greatest successes include a US EPA registered insect and tick repellent more effective than DEET and a fast-acting, natural, broad-spectrum herbicide, among many others. He is a prolific author with more than 250 published papers, 7 books, 36 patents and 10 licensed technologies. Roe has been an invited speaker for more than 40 scientific events throughout the world and was the organizer of several national and international scientific meetings. He is the president of InTox Biotech in Middlesex, NC and has served or is serving on the advisory boards for several companies and non-profit organizations in the US. Roe is also a founding member of the interdepartmental biotechnology program at NCSU and has developed new courses in physiology, insect morphology, molecular entomology, toxicology, and professional development. Roe has received several awards for his accomplishments. However, he considers his greatest professional successes and greatest joy in the more than 46 graduate students that he has trained. He has also trained over 20 postdoctoral researchers. His graduates and postdocs have gone on to successful careers in academia, industry, and government in the US and throughout most of the world.

Dr. Thomas C. Sparks, a Dow Research Fellow at Dow AgroSciences in Indianapolis, IN, is internationally recognized for his research in insect toxicology and biochemistry, and insecticide discovery, especially as it relates to the spinosyn class of insecticidal chemistry. He was born in 1951 in San Francisco, CA and grew up in California’s Central Valley. He obtained a BA in biology with a minor in chemistry from Fresno State University in 1973, and a PhD in entomology from the University of California, Riverside in 1978. His research focused on insect endocrinology, biochemistry, and toxicology. In 1978, he joined the the Department of Entomology at Louisiana State University, where his research covered endocrine regulation of insect metamorphosis, insecticide resistance, and insecticide biochemistry and toxicology. Dr. Sparks also taught introductory and advanced courses in insecticide toxicology. In 1989 he joined the agrochemical research group at Elanco, at the time of the joint venture between Eli Lilly and the Dow Chemical Company to form DowElanco (now Dow AgroSciences). Dr. Sparks became leader of a research group, shortly after joining Dow AgroSciences, that coordinated aspects of spinosad’s development, along with the exploration of the spinosyn chemistry for the next generation product. Concerned that available approaches were not leading to spinosyn chemistry nearly as active as the naturally occurring spinosyns, Dr. Sparks investigated and then applied the radical approach of using artificial neural networks for the analysis of the quantitative structure activity relationships for the spinosyn chemistry. The resulting analysis pointed to new directions for the spinosyn chemistry that directly led to the discovery of new, more highly effective analogs that in turn led to the next generation spinosyn product, spinetoram. Spinetoram improved on spinosad by providing an expanded spectrum, improved efficacy, and residual activity, while maintaining the excellent toxicological and environmental profile established by spinosad. In addition to his work on the spinosyns, Dr. Sparks has also led a variety of discovery efforts resulting in the identification of numerous other insecticidal chemistries. He recently led a successful effort to characterize the biochemical basis for lack of resistance to sulfoxaflor, a new sulfoximine insecticide for the control of sap-feeding insect pests. An EPA approval decision is expected in 2012. Dr. Sparks has been the chair of the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee’s (IRAC) Mode of Action Working Group, and a member of the editorial board for Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology. In 2010 he was an organizing member and a symposium chair for the IUPAC International Congress on Pesticide Chemistry in Melbourne, Australia, and in 2012 hosted the annual meeting of IRAC International in Indianapolis, IN. The novelty and attributes of spinetoram were recognized in 2007 with an EPA Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, and Dr. Sparks’ efforts were recognized in 2009 with R&D Magazine naming him the 2009 Scientist of the Year, the first in the 50-year history of the award for a scientist working in agriculture. In 2012 Dr. Sparks’ research was also recognized by the American Chemical Society, Agrochemical Division by presenting him with the ACS International Award for Research in Agrochemicals. Dr. Sparks currently holds a dozen patents/patent applications and has published extensively in scientific journals and books with 150 refereed journal publications, book chapters, and other articles.

Dr. Michael R. Strand, a distinguished professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Georgia, is internationally recognized for his research on parasite-insect host interactions. Strand was born in Norfolk, VA but spent most of his childhood in Texas. He attended Texas A&M University, receiving his BS in 1980 and PhD in 1985. After a short postdoctoral appointment at Imperial College (UK), funded by a National Science Foundation-North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) fellowship, he accepted a position as an assistant professor at Clemson University. He moved in 1987 to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he advanced to the position of professor. In 2002, he moved to the University of Georgia, where he holds appointments in the Department of Entomology, the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, Faculty of Infectious Diseases, and the Department of Genetics. Strand’s primary research interests are in the study of the interactions between insects, parasites, and beneficial symbionts. Projects include the characterization of polydnaviruses and other symbionts associated with parasitic wasps, insect immune defense responses, and the interplay between immunity and reproduction. His laboratory is strongly interdisciplinary, with projects that focus on both the molecular and biochemical regulation of physiological processes as well as their effects on insect life history and evolution. He has authored or co-authored more than 190 scientific papers, reviews, and book chapters. His work has also been supported by a diversity of scientific research agencies including the NIH, the NSF, and the USDA. In addition to his research interests, Strand’s service contributions include appointments on several journal editorial boards, grant evaluation panels, and committees for national and international scientific agencies. Strand has advised more than 60 graduate students and postdoctoral scientists, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in academia, industry, and government. He is also active in classroom teaching at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. Strand has served the ESA in several capacities, and is the 2012 President-elect for the Physiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology Section. He has been an invited speaker in countries around the world and at various scientific events. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has received several awards for his work, including the 2009 ESA Recognition Award in Physiology, Biochemistry, and Toxicology.

Dr. Walter R. Tschinkel is R.O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Biological Science at Florida State University in Tallahassee, and is internationally recognized for his research on the social biology and ecology of ants. He was born in what is currently the Czech Republic in 1940, and his family emigrated to the USA in 1946. He received his BS in biology from Wesleyan University in 1962, and his PhD in comparative biochemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1968. After a postdoc at Cornell and Rhodes University in South Africa, he accepted a position in the Department of Biological Science at Florida State University in 1970, attaining the rank of full professor in 1980. Tschinkel's research has emphasized experimentation, several times in the field on a grand scale, and often uses clever improvised equipment. Beginning with chemical communication in beetles and ants, he gradually broadened to the general theme of how ant colonies are organized to function as superorganisms, how these superorganisms develop, and how they interact with each other on an ecological scale, publishing more than 130 papers in diverse journals. Much of this research was carried out on the fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, and delved into colony founding, colony development, colony function, territoriality, ecology and population biology. Based on this body of work and the literature, Tschinkel wrote the Pulitzer Prize-nominated book The Fire Ants (Harvard Univ. Press), which provides a critical summary of fire ant biology. Having developed the sociometric/sociogenic method for the efficient description of the seasonal and life history of ant species, Tschinkel has produced a steady stream of life histories of Florida ants. More recently, he developed methods for making casts of subterranean ant nests, and is currently studying how ants produce these nests. Another current area of study addresses how ant communities are assembled through habitat choices made by dispersing, newly-mated queens. He has mentored many students and postdocs, a number of whom have gone on to productive careers in academia, government, and the private sector. Tschinkel is known for being a challenging teacher with exceptionally wide knowledge. He has written on educational performance in public schools and the university. His metal casts of ant nests are on display in many museums in the USA, Canada, France, and Hong Kong. Tschinkel has been a member of the ESA since 1971, and a member of the North American section of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects since the early 1980s. He served as president of the IUSSI World Congress in 2006. His botanical drawings have delighted many, and he is a fervent outdoorsman, undoubtedly one reason for his passion for field experiments and natural history.

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 attended by nearly 3,000 insect scientists and will feature over 100 symposia, 2,500 total presentations, and a number of meetings and social events.

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Bug-bomb Foggers are no Match for Bed bugs

Consumer products known as "bug bombs" or "foggers" have been sold for decades for use against many common household insects. However, recent research published in the Journal of Economic Entomology (JEE) shows these products to be ineffective against bed bugs.

In "Ineffectiveness of Over-the-Counter Total-Release Foggers Against the Bed Bug (Heteroptera: Cimicidae)," an article appearing in the June issue of JEE, authors Susan C. Jones and Joshua L. Bryant provide the first scientific evidence that these products should not be recommended for control of this increasingly worrisome urban pest.

"There has always been this perception and feedback from the pest-management industry that over-the-counter foggers are not effective against bed bugs and might make matters worse," said Susan Jones, an urban entomologist with the university's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) and a household and structural pest specialist with OSU Extension. "But up until now there has been no published data regarding the efficacy of foggers against bedbugs."

Jones and research associate Joshua Bryant evaluated three different fogger brands obtained from a nationwide retailer, and experiments were conducted on five different bedbug populations. Following application of the three foggers, Jones and Bryant found little, if any, adverse effects on the bed bugs.

Because a majority of bed bugs spend most of the time hiding in protected sites (under sheets and mattresses, in cracks and crevices, deep inside carpets, etc.), Jones said it is very unlikely that they will be exposed to the insecticide mist from foggers. And even if they do come into contact with the mist, she added, many bed bug populations have varying degrees of resistance to the insecticides, so they will most likely survive the application.

"These foggers don't penetrate in cracks and crevices where most bed bugs are hiding, so most of them will survive," Jones said. "If you use these products, you will not get the infestation under control, you will waste your money, and you will delay effective treatment of your infestation. Bed bugs are among the most difficult and expensive urban pests to control. It typically takes a professional to do it right. Also, the ineffective use of these products can lead to further resistance in insects."

Members of the media who would like access to the JEE article should write to pubs@entsoc.org.

The Journal of Economic Entomology is published by the Entomological Society of America, 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. For more information, visit http://www.entsoc.org.

CONTACT:

Susan C. Jones
jones.1800@osu.edu
614-292-2752

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Larger Refuges Needed to Sustain Success of Transgenic Corn

Lanham, MD; June 3, 2012 -- Transgenic crops that produce insect-killing proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have reduced reliance on insecticide sprays since 1996. Yet, just as insects become resistant to conventional insecticides, they also can evolve resistance to the Bt proteins in transgenic crops. Thus, to delay pest resistance, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has required farmers to plant "refuges" of crops that do not produce Bt proteins near Bt crops. But how much refuge acreage is enough?

In "Delaying Corn Rootworm Resistance to Bt Corn," an article appearing in the June, 2012 issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology, authors Bruce Tabashnik (University of Arizona) and Fred Gould (North Carolina State University) conclude the EPA should more than double the percentage of corn acres planted to mandated refuges to delay insect resistance, encourage integrated pest management (IPM), and promote more sustainable crop protection.

To slow resistance in the western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera), one of the most economically important crop pests in the United States, the EPA currently requires a 20% refuge for corn producing one Bt protein (Cry3Bb1), and a 5% refuge for corn that simultaneously produces two different Bt proteins. However, the authors note that this devastating pest has rapidly evolved resistance to Cry3Bb1 in some areas of the U.S. corn belt. For Bt corn to remain effective against rootworms, they recommend increasing refuge requirements to 50% for corn producing one Bt protein and 20% for corn producing two Bt proteins.

"Corn rootworms can cost U.S. farmers close to $1 billion each year. Bt corn has helped to reduce these costs and to decrease insecticide sprays, but evolution of resistance by the pests can diminish or even eliminate these benefits." said Dr. Tabashnik. "To delay pest resistance and sustain the benefits of Bt corn, we recommend planting more corn that does not produce Bt toxins active against rootworms. This approach, called the refuge strategy, allows the susceptible pests to survive and has worked to slow resistance of other pests to Bt crops."

"Most of the corn seed currently produced in the U.S. is transgenic and includes genes for insect control," said Dr. Gould. "Enlarging refuges will require more seed without corn rootworm control genes. This shift in production will take time, so this process should begin immediately."

In addition to increased refuge sizes, the authors write that the best way to postpone resistance is to use IPM, in which Bt corn is combined with other control tactics such as crop rotation and judicious use of insecticide sprays.

Members of the media who would like access to advanced copies of the article should write to pubs@entsoc.org.

The Journal of Economic Entomology 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.

CONTACT:

Dr. Bruce E. Tabashnik
University of Arizona
Phone: (520) 621-1141
brucet@cals.arizona.edu

Dr. Fred L. Gould
North Carolina State University
Phone: (919) 515-1647
fred_gould@ncsu.edu

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Experts Improve Associate Certified Entomologist Program for Pest Control Operators

A panel of ten insect pest-control experts convened in Annapolis, MD recently to review and improve the Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) program, a certification program run by the Entomological Society of America Certification Corporation (ESACC) which seeks to raise the ever-increasing level of professionalism in the pest control industry by developing standards for applicators. Applicants for certification must meet minimum standards, be certified operators in at least one state, and pass an examination.

The expert panel was formed to ensure that the content of the ACE exam is up-to-date so that it matches the actual knowledge required for certified pest control professionals to perform effectively.

ACE certification is a valuable way to prove professional credentials, and can lead to better visibility, opportunities, and jobs for pest control professionals.

"This certification closes more sales for me than anything I have ever done," said Dean Gary, ACE, a pest control operator in San Antonio, TX. "When I tell a potential customer that I am an Associate Certified Entomologist, it seals the deal. I proudly wear the ACE patch on all of my uniforms."

While there are other certification programs in the industry, no other national pesticide applicator certification programs exist on this level. Although ESACC also runs a Board Certified Entomologist (BCE) program, it is less focused on household insects, making the ACE program unique in the industry for the individual operator. First introduced in 2004, the program has seen an average of 38% annual growth every year since that time.

“We feel strongly that as we continue to build the professionalism of the ACE program, it will have a lasting, positive impact on the entire industry,” said Dr. Shripat Kamble, Director of the ESACC Certification Board, who hopes to have 1,000 ACEs certified by the end of year 2013.

The Entomological Society of America Certification Corporation is dedicated to improving professionalism in the entomological industries through the development and implementation of measurable standards of accomplishment via certification programs that recognize superior performance. For more information, please visit www.entocert.org.

CONTACT:
Chris Stelzig, Director of Certification
Entomological Society of America
10001 Derekwood Lane, Suite 100
Lanham, MD 20706
cstelzig@entsoc.org
www.entocert.org
410-263-3622

New Rearing System May Aid Mosquito Control

The requirement for efficient mosquito mass-rearing technology has been one of the major obstacles preventing the large scale application of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) against mosquitoes.

However, according to a new article in the next issue of the Journal of Medical Entomology, scientists at the Untited Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have developed a larval rearing unit based on the use of a stainless steel rack that is expected to be able to successfully rear 140,000–175,000 adult mosquitoes per rack.

In "A New Larval Tray and Rack System for Improved Mosquito Mass Rearing" (eventual DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/ME11188) the authors report that the new mechanized rearing unit is simple to handle, maintains minimal water temperature variation and negligible water evaporation, and allows normal larval development. The mosquito mass-rearing tray was designed to provide a large surface area of shallow water that would closely mimic natural breeding sites, and the trays stack into a dedicated rack structure which fill and drain easily. Furthermore, the low amount of labor required to operate the system also reduces costs.

"Our larval rearing unit could enhance any mosquito control strategy in which large-scale releases of mosquitoes are needed to suppress or replace natural populations," said lead author Fabrizio Balestrino.

The Journal of Medical Entomology is published by the Entomological Society of America, 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.

CONTACTS:

Fabrizio Balestrino fbalestrino@iaea.org Phone (in Austria): (43) 1 2600 28407

Jeremie Gilles J.Gilles@iaea.org Phone (in Austria): (43) 1 2600 28407

Mark Benedict mqbenedict@yahoo.com

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Insect Scientists to Meet in Lincoln, Nebraska in June

More than 300 entomologists from the United States and Canada will attend the 67th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America's North Central Branch in downtown Linclon, Nebraska, June 3-6, 2012 at the Embassy Suites Hotel.

Topics of discusssion will include new crop protection products for corn, soybean and vegetables; invasive species, integrated pest management, biological control, pheromones, GMOs, beef and dairy cattle, stored-grain protection, insect zoos and museums, endangered species, conservation efforts, allergies spread by insects, insect-plant relationships, and insecticide resistance, among others.

A diverse number of economically important insects will be covered, including bed bugs, corn earworm, brown marmorated stink bug, cockroaches, filth flies, stable flies, honey bees, lady beetles, burying beetles, tiger beetles, caddisflies, termites, wasps, ants, and aphids.

In addition, the meeting will feature student competitions, field trips, an awards ceremony, receptions, and other social events.

Scientists, agriculturalists, growers, ranchers and anyone else who would like to attend the meeting can register at http://www.entsoc.org/northcentral.

Members of the media who would like a press pass should contact Richard Levine at rlevine@entsoc.org or call 301-731-4535, ext 3009.

The ESA North Central regional branch includes Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Manitoba, Nunavut, and Ontario.

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. Members are researchers, teachers, extension service personnel, administrators, marketing representatives, research technicians, consultants, students, and hobbyists. For more information, visit http://www.entsoc.org/.

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Des scientifiques interviewés lors du congrès de la Société Américaine d'Entomologie

Dans cette vidéo, Fiona Le Taro, une étudiante de l'Ecole Environnementale de l'Université de Guelph (Ontario, Canada) interviewe des scientifiques francophones du Canada et d'Europe. L'interview s'est déroulée durant le 59ème congrès annuel de la Société Américaine d'Entomologie, en novembre 2011. Le prochain congrès se tiendra à Knoxville, Tenessee, du 11 au 14 novembre 2012. Pour plus d'informations : http://www.entsoc.org/.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION: In this video Fiona Le Taro, a student at the University of Guelph (Ontario, Canada), interviews French-speaking scientists from Canada and Europe. The interview was conducted at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America in November, 2011. The next meeting will be held November 11-14, 2012 in Knoxville, Tennessee. See http://www.entsoc.org/ for more information.

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:

Videos and Photos from the ESA Eastern Branch Meeting in Hartford, CT

The 2012 ESA Eastern Branch meeting was held at the Hilton Hotel in Hartford, CT, home to Mark Twain, the Connecticut Trolley Museum, the Wadsworth Athenaeum, and numerous other historic sites.

Click here for photos.

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VIDEOS

A Future Entomologist Talks About Insects
An interview with Spencer, a first-grader from Mary Hooker Env Science Magnet School, at the "It's a Bug's Life" Insect Fair:



"It's a Bug's World" in Hartford, CT
Scenes from "It's a Bug's World, talks about the free Insect Fair held at the 2012 ESA Eastern Branch meeting in Hartford, CT on St. Patrick's Day.



2012 ESA Eastern Branch Linnaean Games Finals
Video from 2012 ESA Eastern Branch Linnaean Games Finals, featuring Penn State vs. Virginia Tech, at the 2012 ESA Eastern Branch meeting in Hartford, CT, March 2012.



The American Beekeeping Federation's 2012 American Honey Princess
Danielle Dale, the American Beekeeping Federation's 2012 American Honey Princess, talks about the importance of honey bees as pollinators at "It's a Bug's Life" Insect Fair.

Videos and Photos from the ESA SEB-SWB Meeting in Little Rock

The 2012 Joint Meeting of the Southeastern and Southwestern Branches of the Entomological Society of America was held March 4-7, 2012 at the Peabody Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Click here for photos.

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VIDEO

David Buntin, a professor at the University of Georgia, and Robert Wiedenmann, a professor at the University of Arkansas and Vice President of the ESA, were both featured in this news video from Little Rock, AR, where the 2012 Joint Meeting of the ESA's Southeastern and Southwestern Branches took place in March, 2012. Watch the video below.

An IPM Program for Coffee Berry Borer in Columbia

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), is considered one of the most serious pests in coffee plantations worldwide. Infestations of this small beetle are difficult to combat; most of the insect's lifecycle is completed inside coffee berries, making insecticide penetration and contact difficult. Female beetles bore holes into developing berries attached to the tree through the blossom scar and create ‘galleries’ where they remain and deposit their eggs. The developing larvae feed on the bean or endosperm of the seed, reducing yields as well as the quality of coffee and its price.

In "Implementing an Integrated Pest Management Program for Coffee Berry Borer in a Specialty Coffee Plantation in Colombia," a free, open-access article appearing in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management, the authors discuss efforts to implement an integrated pest management (IPM) program for coffee berry borer in the Huila region of Colombia.

Overall, the IPM program was considered successful because problems associated with insect damage on the coffee crop decreased, despite reductions in endosulfan/chlorpyrifos use, which declined from 250 liters in 2002 to 75 liters in 2003, and 0 liters in 2004.

Harvest workers improved their efficiency at removing potential coffee berry borer breeding sites (leaving only 6.5 mature berries per tree in 2004, down from 22.2 in 2002), and the quality of parchment coffee beans increased, whereas the proportion of the harvest sold as high quality ‘specialty’ coffee increased from 50% to 86% over the same period.

This case study provides evidence that coffee berry borer potentially can be controlled using an integrated approach with minimal input of broad-spectrum insecticides. However, establishing and maintaining an effective IPM program for coffee berry borer is not a straightforward task. Some general recommendations arising from this case study include the need to convince the owners and managers of the coffee farm of the benefits of an IPM program, given the investment needed.

Click here for the full article, availabe for free.

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. For more information, please visit http://www.entsoc.org.

Slug Ecology and Management in No-Till Field Crops

As acreage of row crops managed with conservation tillage increases, more growers are encountering slugs, elevating their importance as crop pests. Slugs can eat virtually all crops, and they are challenging to control because of the limited number of management tactics that are available.

In "Slug (Mollusca: Agriolimacidae, Arionidae) Ecology and Management in No-Till Field Crops, With an Emphasis on the mid-Atlantic Region," a free, open-access article appearing in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management, the authors discuss the species of slugs that are commonly found in mid-Atlantic field crop production and discuss their natural history, ecology, and some of the factors limiting their populations.

The authors also suggest possible cultural, biological, and chemical management options, particularly for corn production, and they suggest elements of a potential integrated management program for slugs.

Over 15 slug species occur in the mid-Atlantic United States, but only four appear to be common in field crops.

The authors provide photos and descriptions of all four to make identification and management easier for growers, and they describe their life cycles as well.

Host plant species, scouting methods, environmental influences, natural enemies, biocontrol options, and management options are also discussed.

Click here for the full article for free.

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. For more information, please visit http://www.entsoc.org.

Gene Kritsky to Give Entomology Founders’ Memorial Lecture

Dr. Gene Kritsky, a professor of biology at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, adjunct curator of entomology at the Cincinnati Museum Center, and editor-in-chief of American Entomologist, has been selected to deliver the Founders’ Memorial Award lecture at Entomology 2012 – the 60th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) – this November in Knoxville, Tennessee. This year’s honoree is Charles Darwin (1809-1882), whose theory of evolution by natural selection helped to transform entomology from a hobby for collectors to a science.

ESA established the Founders’ Memorial Award in 1958 to honor scientists whose lives and careers enhanced entomology as a profession and who made significant contributions to the field in general and in their respective subdisciplines. At each ESA Annual Meeting, the recipient of the award addresses the conferees to honor the memory and career of an outstanding entomologist. The theme of the 2012 ESA meeting, “A Global Society for a Global Science,” is exemplified by the work and influence of Kritsky and Darwin.

Dr. Gene Kritsky

Dr. Gene Kritsky is the author of over 125 peer-reviewed papers and six books, and is the lead scientist on five traveling museum exhibits. Dr. Kritsky received his B.A. in biology in 1974 from Indiana University, and received his M.S. and Ph.D. in 1976 and 1977, respectively, in entomology from the University of Illinois. His research has made significant contributions to our understanding of the history and evolution of periodical cicadas, the history of entomology, and apiculture. Dr. Kritsky has worked on periodical cicadas for 35 years and is the author of Periodical Cicadas: the Plague and the Puzzle. His specific contributions to our understanding of periodical cicada biology and evolution include his prediction in 2000 of a four-year acceleration of Brood X. That prediction proved true and permitted a detailed survey of off-year accelerations, which verified that such accelerations can result in populations that survive intense predation and are able to sing, mate, and reproduce. With the emergence of these cicadas in 2017, Dr. Kritsky will have documented the origin of a new brood in Ohio. His other findings have included the verification of the plasticity of nymphal cicada growth, the discovery of a 13-year brood in northern Kentucky and southwestern Ohio, and the development of a model to predict when in May a brood should emerge, permitting arboreta, parks, and cemeteries to schedule events accordingly. Finally, Dr. Kritsky, collaborating with Dr. George Poinar, Jr., co-described the oldest definitive fossil cicada nymph.

Dr. Kritsky’s apicultural contributions are focused on the history of beekeeping. He was a contributor to the American Bee Journal, and his most recent book, The Quest for the Perfect Hive, challenges the beekeeping industry to re-examine hive designs and practices for new innovations that could help deal with the many problems facing beekeeping today. The critically successful book was selected by Seed Magazine as a February 2010 “book to read now.” The Capital Area Beekeepers Association review read, "This is one of those books that will become a classic of beekeeping literature for its content, design, illustrations, and pure quality of the writing. No beekeeper should be without it." More recently, Dr. Kritsky completed a major review of beekeeping in ancient Egypt. This research started when he was a Fulbright scholar to Egypt during 1981-1982, and continued with more recent travels to Egypt and Europe. Dr. Kritsky also learned how to translate hieroglyphs to better interpret Egyptian reliefs, leading to a better understanding of how beekeeping was performed over 4,500 years ago. He also corrected earlier reconstructions of beekeeping scenes from two tombs. In addition to bees, Dr. Kritsky examined all the insects that played a role in Egyptian mythology, developing new explanations for their mythological importance. The quality of this work is documented by its inclusion as a reference in the Oxford University Press Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt.

As a teacher, Dr. Kritsky has designed the entomology courses at three institutions and coauthored an entomology textbook for undergraduate biology students. He has published over 25 papers with undergraduate student coauthors, and this has encouraged several students to seek advanced entomology degrees. In 1985, Dr. Kritsky received the College of Mount St. Joseph’s highest teaching award, and he received the College’s Alumni Appreciation award in 1999. His efforts to promote science education through the National Association of Academies of Science were responsible for his election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Kritsky’s teaching is not limited to the classroom setting. He has served as a consultant for several television programs, including Sir David Attenborough’s Life in the Undergrowth and Supersense. He has appeared on several news programs, including the CBS Evening News, ABC Evening News, The Today Show, Good Morning America, A&E’s Biography, and CBS Sunday Morning. In 2004, he was America Online’s cicada expert for the Brood X emergence, and his cicada website received over 7 million hits. He also served as the lead scientist for the Cincinnati Museum’s Center’s traveling exhibits “The Weakening Web,” “In the Dark,” and “Beakman’s World.”

Kritsky has published on Darwin for 35 years, and he has worked closely with members of the Darwin family on a number of projects. During 2001-2002, he spent his sabbatical at Cambridge University working with the Darwin Correspondence Project to transcribe Darwin’s research notes for The Descent of Man, a publication with numerous insect references. This project led to his appointment as a contributing editor of the American Museum of Natural History’s Darwin manuscripts project, and Dr. Kritsky’s Descent transcription has been published online by AMNH. In 2008, he published a review of the 19th-century entomological reaction to Darwin’s Origin of Species in the Annual Review of Entomology. Dr. Kritsky’s work on Darwin has received international attention with features appearing in Scientific American, Discover, The New York Times, and Der Spiegel. His ESA publication on Darwin’s Madagascan hawk moth was selected by several organizations as one of the top zoology news stories of 1993. Dr. Kritsky curated the exhibit “Charles Darwin: a Portrait Biography” in 1985; it has been on exhibit for the past 27 years, including at the ESA meeting in Dallas and the AAAS meeting in Los Angeles. It was exhibited for extended periods at over 20 museums, including the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and in Darwin’s bedroom at Down House. It is currently on extended loan to the University of Nebraska State Museum. In 2009, Dr. Kritsky curated the exhibit “Darwin’s rEvolution” for the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History as part of the celebration of the bicentennial of Darwin’s birth.

Dr. Charles Darwin

Although some may not think of Darwin as an entomologist, in fact he published numerous articles on insects, used entomological examples to support his theories of species origin and sexual selection, and made countless references to insects in his books. Fifty years ago, the Annual Review of Entomology featured an article on Darwin’s contributions to entomology, in which the authors noted that the Origin of Species contains about 50 references to insects, including Darwin’s own observations on the similarity of British and Brazilian fresh water insects, the importance of insects as pollinators (a topic he later expounded on in his book, On the Various Contrivances by which British and Foreign Orchids are Fertilised by Insects), and the evolution of cellmaking in honey bees, among other topics. The authors asserted that, “Darwin’s direct contributions to entomology during his lifetime were outstanding,” adding that his theory of evolution “has had a profound impact on the direction of entomological research.” Darwin drew on insects extensively for The Descent of Man and cited 85 entomologists whose work encompassed the globe. In Insectivorous Plants, he discussed the types of insects captured by the various plants. Darwin also advanced research in the discipline by reviewing favorably and encouraging the work of his entomological colleagues H.W. Bates, Alfred Russel Wallace, and John Lubbock. A list of publications resulting from the insects Darwin collected, including those from his five-year voyage aboard the HMS Beagle, is available online.

Darwin’s interest in insects extended back to when he was ten years old and noticed insects along the English coast. By the time he entered Christ College in Cambridge, he was an avid collector, hiring young boys to procure specimens for his collection. He had a special cabinet built to house his beetle collection, and provided new county records for James Francis Stephen’s Illustrations of British Insects. He maintained a friendly but fierce competition for insect collecting with his cousin, and collected with the Reverend Frederick William Hope, who established the entomology professorship at the University of Oxford. Darwin was a charter member of the Entomological Society of London (later the Royal Entomological Society) and was an honorary member of the Entomological Society of France. He had direct contact (correspondence and/or personal meetings) with previous ESA Founders’ honorees C.V. Riley, J.H. Comstock, and B.D. Walsh.

Darwin continued this avid interest in collecting while traveling around the world on the HMS Beagle. It was during this time that Professor Hope wrote to Darwin that he had been named a charter member of the newly formed Entomological Society of London. Upon reading this, Darwin informed his cousin, “I look at the Orange Cross [the society’s crest] as the emblem of Entomological Knighthood.”

After his return to England, Darwin began to use insects as evidence for his research on species. To verify his assumptions, Darwin wrote to entomologists all over the world with questions about species diversity, honey bee comb construction, insect-plant associations, and insect sexual dimorphism. With the publication of his On the Origin of Species in 1859, he included numerous insect examples to support his views on ecological relationships, instincts, and speciation. This work inspired entomologists like no other work before or since. Henry Bates used it to develop his theory on mimicry. Benjamin Walsh, the Founders’ Memorial Award honoree for 1987, was a classmate of Darwin’s, and was inspired to apply Darwin’s work to his own research. Walsh became one of Darwin’s strongest allies in the 1860s and his greatest American proponent, challenging Louis Agassiz at every opportunity.

Darwin’s impact on entomology in the U.S. grew during the 1860s. Charles V. Riley, the second ESA Founders’ Memorial Award honoree (honored in 1959), visited Darwin at Darwin’s home outside of London. Riley peppered his annual reports with numerous observations that supported Darwin’s views. The third Founders’ Memorial Award honoree, John H. Comstock (honored in 1960), corresponded with Darwin and also sent Darwin his cotton report. Darwin corresponded with many of the early American entomologists, including Alpheus Packard and Samuel Scudder, inviting the latter to visit him in England. Darwin’s influence on many of the later Founders’ Memorial Award honorees can be seen in their writings. Vernon Kellogg (honored in 1973) and Herbert H. Ross (honored in 1981) wrote textbooks on evolutionary biology. Robert E. Snodgrass (honored in 1969) and T. D. A. Cockerell (honored in 1978) both applied evolution to their work on insect morphology and paleoentomology, respectively. Darwin’s entomology was not limited to On the Origin of Species. His book On the Various Contrivances by which British and Foreign Orchids are Fertilised by Insects documented insect-plant coevolution, and The Descent of Man included two chapters discussing sexual dimorphism in insects. For Darwin, entomology was a global science, and American entomologists are still feeling his impact today.

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.