News
Aaron Gassmann has contributed to three of the top eight Journal of Economic Entomology articles that were noted as the top articles contributing to the 2017 Impact Factor and most cited for the journal, reported in the 2018 Editorial Board Report. Two USDA, ARS scientists and ISU affiliated faculty, Thomas Sappington and Rick Hellmich contributed to one of those articles entitled, “Early Detection and Mitigation of Resistance to Bt Maize by Western Corn Rootworm” in JEE Volume 109.
Kelsey Fisher, Ph.D. student in entomology is one of 8 finalists in the ISU 3 Minute (3M) thesis competition. Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) celebrates the exciting research conducted by master’s or Ph.D. students around the world. Presenting in a 3MT competition increases students' capacity to explain their research in three minutes in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. Competitors are allowed one PowerPoint slide. The finals are on Nov 5th from 5-6pm in room 2157 Pearson Hall and open to the public. Please attend and support Kelsey
Daniel Robison from West Virginia University, Morgantown, has been named the next endowed dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station.
The ISU Monarch workgroup has been busy this summer. Team members participated in many summer outreach activities; more than 50 events and activities from April-Sept 2018; that’s an average of 2+ per week!
The updated 2.1 version of the Iowa Monarch Conservation Strategy is now published.
The European corn borer publication NCR 0327 has been completed and is available in both print and PDF formats from the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Store. This comprehensive publication is a product of the USDA-NIFA Multi-state Committee NC246. Four Experiment Station...
David Onstad, Affiliate Professor in Entomology, has been elected to VP-elect for Plant-Insect Ecosystems Section in the Entomological Society of America. He has responsibilities for Data Analysis and ModelingIntegrated Pest Management and Resistance Research in Integrated Field Sciences with Corteva Agriscience™, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont™.
Black-light sessions in late August and early September along the South Skunk River resulted in collection of several adult spongillaflies (Sisyridae: Climacia areolaris). These presumedly “rare” insects had never been recorded from central Iowa (in fact, they were previously known only from extreme NE Iowa).
The publication Home and Garden Pesticide Guidelines (PSEP 0059) by Mark Shour and Donald Lewis is now available in the ISU Extension Store.
The Personal Safety in the Greenhouse (PSEP 0043) by Mark Shour and Betsy Buffington publication is now available in the ISU Extension Store.
Scott Hutchins (PhD '87 Entomology), the global leader of integrated field sciences for Corteva Agriscience has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be USDA's undersecretary for research, education, and economics. Hutchins, an entomologist, also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska. He was global director for crop protection research and development at Dow AgroSciences and is a past president of the Entomological Society of America.
Based on recent findings from the state mosquito surveillance program run by Assistant Professor Ryan Smith and in close collaboration with the Iowa Department of Public Health, there have been high levels of WNV activity in mosquito populations in Central Iowa. To date there have been 30 human cases of WNV in Iowa (including 3 deaths) and are currently on pace to have the highest number of cases of WNV in the state since 2003.
As humanity experiences relentless pressures from disease-carrying mosquitoes in many parts of the world, there is an urgent need for new tools to use against those beasts – because they keep getting scarier.
Even though DEET remains the most commonly used, and most powerful, mosquito repellent ever developed, scientists are actively pursuing effective products based entirely on plant oils, some tracing their roots to traditional remedies.
...
Congratulations to Dr. Erin Hodgson, member of the Soybean Aphid Resistance Management Team that was recently awarded the 2018 Entomological Society of America Plant-Insect Ecosystems Integrated Pest Management Team Award.
BOSTON, Aug. 20, 2018 — Nearly 700 million people suffer from mosquito-borne diseases — such as malaria, West Nile, Zika and dengue fever — each year, resulting in more than 1 million deaths. Increasingly, many species of mosquitoes have become resistant to the popular pyrethroid-based insecticides. Today, researchers report a new class of mosquito repellents based on naturally occurring compounds that are effective in repelling mosquitoes with potentially fewer environmental side effects than existing repellents.
Ginny Mitchell has been selected as the 2018 Recipient of the Friend of Science (FOS) Award presented by the Iowa Science Teachers Section (ISTS) of the Iowa Academy of Science (IAS). The Friend of Science Award recognizes those within the state who has made significant contributions to ISTS and/or to Science Education at the local, regional or statewide level. She will be recognized on Monday, October 8th at their 2018 Fall Conference.
The ISU/UCR Study Abroad Exchange is a reciprocal travel exchange program for student groups in horticulture and allied sciences between Iowa State University (ISU) and the University of Costa Rica (UCR).
Honey bee colonies for operations with 5 or more colonies in Iowa as of April 1, 2018, totaled 45,000 colonies. T
his is 275 percent above the 12,000 colonies on April 1 last year, and 10 percent above the 41,000 colonies last quarter.
A new soybean pest, the soybean gall midge, has been detected and confirmed in 8 Iowa counties. It has also been detected in the region; Nebraska (2011) and South Dakota (2015).
The link includes photos of the midge and damage and a map of infested counties. If you see these midges infesting a soybean field in Iowa, please let Dr. Erin Hodgson know via email (ewh@iastate.edu) or Twitter (@erinwhodgson)
Scott Hutchins, Entomologist (ISU Alumnus) selected by Donald Trump as new head of scientific research for the US Department of Agriculture.
Brown recluse spiders have been found in Iowa but they remain rare. And since they are reclusive (hence the name!) bites by BRS (and all spiders!) are not common. But BRS is a frequent misdiagnosis for other skin irritations. And to be clear, they are not the cause of human limb amputations. https://www.livescience.com/63124-recluse-bite-amputation.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social
This is not about insects, but since earthworms "crawl" that's close enough to entomology for most people. Asian jumping worms were recently confirmed in Iowa for the first time.
The ISU Plant & Insect Diagnostic Clinic's move to its new location in the Advanced Teaching and Research Building was featured in the latest issue of Inside Iowa State.
ISU Department of Entomology graduate, Dr. Scott Hutchins has been selected by President Trump to serve as the U.S. Undersecretary of Research, Education, and Economics (REE) for the USDA.
Tom Sappington, USDA-ARS and ISU Entomology Department Affiliate was highlighted in Entomology Today
Tom Sappington, USDA-ARS and ISU Entomology Department Affiliate was highlighted in Entomology Today for the publication of a collection of reports that describe insect pests of corn, cotton, soybean and wheat in Journal of Integrated Pest Management. These articles describe the frequency of key insect pest infestations and factors that contribute to increasing or decreasing their populations.
Pages
