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Skip forward to 17:50 in the broadcast to hear Matt Well's piece with Jim and Maryann
A Web-based Penn State Extension course designed to help beginning and experienced beekeepers gain the knowledge they need to be successful has been recognized for online excellence.
The geographic location of Brood II in Pennsylvania is in wooded/forested areas in the eastern 1/3 of our state in Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Chester, Dauphin, Delaware, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, and Wyoming counties. We have 8 different broods of the periodical cicadas in Pennsylvania all of which require 17 years to reach maturity. In addition to eastern Pennsylvania, members of Brood II will also emerge in most of Connecticut, New Jersey, southeastern New York, Maryland, central Virginia, and extreme north central North Carolina. Periodical cicadas are unique to eastern North America and are found nowhere else in the world. The emergence of periodical cicadas often begins in mid- to late May when soil temperatures are approximately 64°F. I've observed over the years in Pennsylvania that the start of the mass emergence of periodical cicadas is usually preceded by a warm rainfall event.
Since formation of the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) Steering Committee early in 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and public and private partners have invested considerable resources to better address pollinator declines and major factors adversely affecting bee health. Several individuals from the Committee, along with Pennsylvania State University, organized and convened a conference on in October 2012 that brought together stakeholders with expertise in honey bee health. This new report is the product of unprecedented collaboration and shows that there is much work yet to do. The key findings are summarized below.
The danger that the decline of bees and other pollinators represents to the world’s food supply was highlighted this week when the European Commission decided to ban a class of pesticides suspected of playing a role in so-called “colony collapse disorder.”
With populations of wild and domesticated pollinators, such as honeybees, in decline, some of the world's foremost scientists in the field will converge on Penn State this summer to discuss the latest research aimed at understanding and overcoming challenges to pollinator health.
Honeybees have probably the largest and most loyal following of any insects in the animal kingdom. Honey is considered the most natural and purest sweetener, beeswax the only proper substance for candles in churches, and the bees’ work as pollinators is lauded as so essential, we’d all starve without their services.
Children attending one summer camp this year will encounter a lot of bugs. But they won't have to pack insect repellent.
Two faculty members in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will be featured during an episode of the PBS series "Nature" that will air in most markets at 8 p.m. on April 3.
We have an outstanding group of internationally renowned speakers, with sessions including behavioral ecology, physiology and development, host-parasite interactions, ecology and conservation, ecosystems services, and policy. A theme of the conference will be examining and mitigating the effects of environmental contaminants on pollinators.
After 25 years, researchers may have found a way to keep the emerald ash borer in check.
The Penn State Department of Entomology is seeking undergraduate student applicants for the Dutch Gold Honey Scholarship for honey bee research.
January 31st through February 2nd 2013 - By invitation only - Travel expenses for eligible applicants will be paid by the Penn State Entomology Department. Apply by January 6th for priority consideration!
A plant may start to prime its defenses as soon as it gets a whiff of a male fly searching for a mate, according to Penn State entomologists.
Researchers at Penn State recently found one of the most effective treatments for killing bedbugs that could be hiding in your room.
Six Penn State faculty members have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
A specialized parasite fungus can control ants' behavior. But that fungus also faces its own deadly, specialized parasites
"And don't let the bedbugs bite" is no longer a harmless adage. In reality today, these bloodthirsty bugs infest thousands of homes. According to a team of Penn State entomologists, biopesticides -- naturally occurring microorganisms -- might provide an answer to this pest problem.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State will be hosting the second International Conference on Pollinator Biology, Health and Policy from August 14-17, 2013. The conference will be held at Penn State’s campus in University Park, PA.
Shelby Fleischer and David Biddinger are members of a US-wide consortium of researchers and Extension specialists who received funding from the USDA to study pollination of multiple specialty crops in different regions throughout the country.
