ESA members take part in National Bed Bug Summit

15 members of the Entomological Society of America gave presentations at the Second Annual National Bed Bug Summit: Advancing Towards Solutions to the Bed Bug Problem

Fifteen members of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) gave presentations at the "Second Annual National Bed Bug Summit: Advancing Towards Solutions to the Bed Bug Problem," held by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC, February 2, 2011.

The meeting focused on what is being done to combat bed bugs, the importance of educating consumers, improvements in prevention and control techniques, controlling bed bugs in schools and public housing, and on the state of bed bug knowledge and futue research needs.

"Many health departments are overwhelmed by bed bug complaints," said Susan Jennings (EPA). "Training is greatly needed to educate people about this pest."

Dr. Jody L. Gangloff-Kaufmann (Cornell University) stressed the importance of having bilingual team members on bed bug task forces in urban areas.

"We're seeing more reservoirs of bedbugs appearing more often and intensely in poor communities, where people do not have resources to care for themselves," she said. "The key to bed bug control is the involvement and awareness of members of the community."

Dr. Dini Miller (Virginia Tech University) spoke about some methods of bed bug control using integrated pest management (IPM), such as using dessicant dust, mattress encasements, removing clutter, using a vacuum cleaner, chemical treatments when applied correctly, and heat.

"The clothes dryer is the number-one line of defense. Clutter removal also helps by revoving bed bug hiding places," she said, noting however that some of these methods can be expenisve. "IPM using prevention and non-chemical methods take time, as do heat treatments, and time is money, especially when repeated treatments are necessary," she said.

Dr. Harold Harlan (Armed Forces Pest Management Board), who has maintained a bed bug colony for nearly four decades, gave some reasons whey bed bug control is so difficult.

"Control efforts most often fail because it is nearly impossible to find every bed bug in a room, insects are often identified as bed bugs incorrectly, treatments are often ineffective because the bugs are inaccessible, and bed bugs have developed resistance to certain insecticides," he said.

Dr. Coby Schal (North Carolina State University) spoke about the need for more bed bug research. To illustrate, he noted that "although bed bug research has been increasing, we have about 50 times as much research on mosquitoes than on bed bugs."

Suggestions were also made to launch a new website such as bedbug.gov, to create an online clearinghouse for educational materials, to explore the use of new media, and to find new ways to reach out to multicultural communities.

The ESA entomologists, representing universities, state and federal agencies, and private pest-control companies, gave the following presentations:

•"Federal Agencies: Areas of Focus and Activities," by Susan Jennings, Public Health Coordinator, EPA Office of Pesticide Programs

•"Getting the public to listen to your message: Lessons learned from a mosquito education program," by Kristen Bartlett-Healy, Post-Doctoral Associate Center for Vector Biology, Rutgers University

•"Reaching Key Populations in Bed Bug Control," by Jody Gangloff-Kaufmann, IPM Specialist/Urban Entomologist, New York State IPM Program, Cornell University

•"Bed Bug Control: Maximizing the Advantages of Your Treatment Strategies," by Dini Miller, Associate Professor/Urban Pest Management Specialist, Department of Entomology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute

•"IPM and Prevention in Bed Bug Control," Allison Taisey, Program Coordinator, Northeastern IPM Center, Cornell University

•"Using Temperature Extremes for Best Effect," Stephen Kells, Assistant Professor and Extension Entomologist, Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota

•"Coordinating and Collaborating on Research," Stephen Kells, Assistant Professor and Extension Entomologist, Department of Entomology, University of Minnesota

•"Non-Chemical Interventions and Do-it-yourself Approaches," Changlu Wang, Assistant Extension Specialist, Department of Entomology, Rutgers University

•"Educating to Reduce Failures in Bed Bug Control," by Harold Harlan, Information Services Division, Armed Forces Pest Management Board

•"Bed Bugs: IPM in Schools," by Thomas Green, Board President, IPM Institute of North America

•"Educating to Increase Successes in Bed Bug Control," by Richard Cooper, Vice President, Bed Bug Central

•"Bed Bug Research: A Variety of Approaches," by Coby Schal, Blanton J. Whitmire Distinguished Professor, Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University

•"Researching Bed Bugs: What's Known and What's Next," by Mark Feldlaufer, Research Entomologist, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

In addition, Daniel A. Strickman, a National Program Leader at USDA-ARS, and Adriana Costero, a Program Officer at the National Institutes of Health, moderated two sessions.

Anyone who would like to submit further information or comments related to any of the topics discussed at the summit are invited to visit www.regulations.gov and enter docket number EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0190.

Shortly after the close of the summit, EPA will update the docket with presentation materials from the first day's plenary session and the outcomes from the breakout groups. The docket will be open for public comment until February 25, 2011.

Founded in 1889, ESA is a non-profit organization committed to serving the scientific and professional needs of more than 6,000 entomologists and individuals in related disciplines. For more information visit http://www.entsoc.org.

ESA Announces New Executive Director

Lanham, MD; December 29, 2010—The Entomological Society of America is pleased to announce the selection of C. David Gammel, CAE, as its new Executive Director. He replaces Ann Kenworthy, who served as Interim Executive Director in 2010. Gammel was chosen from an excellent field of highly qualified candidates through a nation-wide executive search conducted by Transition Management Consulting, Inc.

Gammel is an experienced association executive with more than 15 years’ experience in association management and association consulting. He was president of High Context Consulting for five years, and before that served the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and Employee Relocation Council in senior management positions. He is the author of two books and numerous articles on association membership and technology issues.

“David brings a wealth of experience in both association management and technology that will support the society’s strategic goals, including advocacy and member services. His depth of knowledge in membership engagement will serve ESA well as we focus on increased member value and growth,” said ESA President Ernest S. Delfosse. “The Governing Board looks forward to working with David to enhance the Society’s current programs and to continue our growth as the pre-eminent world-wide entomological society.”

"I am very excited to join ESA as Executive Director,” stated Gammel. “This is a great Society with a long tradition, respected publications, strong annual meeting, and enthusiastic membership. The Society’s members work on some of the most important scientific issues in the world today and I am honored to support them."

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.

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The Stridulators - Interview and Music

The Stridulators played at Entomology 2010, the 58th Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America, in San Diego, CA. The entomologist band members are Tom Perring (University of California, Riverside), Roger Moon (University of Minnesota), Tom Baker (Penn State University), Greg Wiggins (University of Tennessee), and Jeff Bradshaw (University of Nebraska).

Journal of Integrated Pest Management is Now Online

The Entomological Society of America (ESA) has just released the first issue of its newest periodical, Journal of Integrated Pest Management (JIPM), which is available online for free. JIPM is an online-only, open-access, peer-reviewed extension journal that covers 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.

"The Journal of Integrated Pest Management is ESA's first new journal in 39 years. This journal takes the science of entomology, and other pest disciplines, and delivers it to an audience outside of our scientific community. The journal gives ESA an outlet for making our science relevant to pest management practitoners and the general public," said editors-in-chief Marlin Rice and Kevin Steffey.

"JIPM is truly a novel concept. It will publish peer-reviewed, scientifically-based, open-access articles on the Internet, which are specifically written to target a non-scientific readership. The journal will be the perfect vehicle for communicating pest management information to the general public."

The journal is multi-disciplinary in scope, publishing articles in all pest management disciplines, including entomology, nematology, plant pathology, weed science, and other subject areas. Articles in JIPM are written to help IPM professionals work on pest management issues, and are divided into three categories:

1) Profiles of insects, including scientific name, description of stages, biology, life history, host plants, potential for economic damage, sampling or scouting procedures, and management and control options.

2) Emerging IPM Issues, including information on the issue’s relevance, why the issue developed, balanced perspectives on the issue, and possible solutions.

3) Recommendations on pest-control and pest-management topics which are based upon the principles of integrated pest management and supported by published research and validation data when available.

The first issue contains the following articles:

- Ecology and Management of the Western Bean Cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Corn and Dry Beans

- Noctua pronuba (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): An Outbreak in Emails

- Stalk Borer (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Ecology and Integrated Pest Management in Corn

- Pest Status of Invasive Crane Flies in New York Turfgrass and the Repercussions for Regional Plant Protection

- Discovery and Distribution of Megacopta cribraria (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Plataspidae) in Northeast Georgia

More information about JIPM is available here.

The first issue of JIPM is avaialbe for free here.

Founded in 1889, ESA is a non-profit organization committed to serving the scientific and professional needs of more than 6,000 entomologists and individuals in related disciplines.

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Women in Entomology Breakfast

The Women in Entomology Breakfast will be held from 6:30-8:00 AM on Tuesday, Dec. 14th in a room set aside at the Trellises Restaurant on the grounds of the Town & Country.

Tickets may be purchased at the door for $15 for the breakfast buffet, which will include coffee, tea, orange juice, scrambled eggs, bacon/sausage, hash browns/breakfast potatoes, breakfast breads, sliced seasonal fruit, etc. Other items may be ordered for an additional fee.

The goal of the Women In Entomology group is to encourage new networking opportunities, particularly among women in the Society, and all interested in supporting this goal are welcome to participate.

We will be encouraging all established members to find and sponsor one or more students or young professionals by buying their breakfast.

We hope to find a match for all others interested at the breakfast itself. For further questions, please contact Gail Kampmeier at gkamp@illinois.edu.

2011 World of Insects Wall Calendar Available Now

The ESA 2011 World of Insects Wall Calendar is now availalbe for purchase.

The calendar is available on a first-come, first-served basis. All registrants at the 2010 ESA Annual Meeting are entitled to one free copy with their registration. Additional copies are available by using this order form. There are no returns permitted for the ESA calendar and all sales are final. Click here for pricing information and an order form.

To order by phone, call 301-731-4535, ext. 3017, or email sales@entsoc.org.

ESA's Certification Program Featured in Pest Control Technology Magazine

In an article entitled "ACE Your Career Goals" in Pest Control Technology Magazine, author Bernard Wendell, ACE describes how to become an Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE).

"What can a person with multiple years of hands-on experience in the pest management industry who holds a bachelor’s or even master’s degree do to pursue his or her dream of becoming a certified entomologist?" he asks?

"They can take advantage of the Associate Certified Entomologist (ACE) program offered through the Entomological Society of America. Offered as an alternative to the BCE program, the ACE designation is geared more towards those with hands-on training in structural pest management."

Wendell, manager of training and education at Arrow Exterminating Co. in Lynbrook, N.Y., goes on to write, "Imagine when friends, family, co-workers or customers ask what you do and you respond, "I am an entomologist," with a warm smile on your face. It always makes me feel good inside."

Visit the ESA website for more information on becoming an Associate Certified Entomologist.