Latest News

To help catalyze research and education in bee health, Dutch Gold Honey, based in Lancaster County, PA, endowed an Undergraduate Scholarship in Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences in 2010. This yearly award pairs students in the College of Agricultural Sciences with faculty mentors from the Penn State Center for Pollinator Research. The 2019 Dutch Gold Scholarship has been awarded to two students, Jacklyn Kiner and Matthew Poorman, whose projects seek to improve methods for bee management and public learning about bees.

It is quickly becoming a summertime ritual, albeit not a fun one, for homeowners living in southeastern Pennsylvania: trying to get rid of the swarms of spotted lanternflies that have taken up residence on their properties.

Researchers have been working for well over a decade to enhance the health of pollinators and now beekeepers, citizen scientists, and anyone interested in pollinator health can join in using a new online tool, Beescape.

Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, are testing to see if a species of wasp the size of a sesame seed could stave off a potentially devastating invasion of sap-sucking insects that could seriously affect California’s grape crops.

New and ongoing tree-fruit research in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences received a boost with the recent awarding of funds totaling more than $261,000 by the State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Apple Program.

Ants adjust their social interactions to accommodate changes in population density, according to researchers at Penn State and Georgetown University. The findings suggest that ant colonies are capable of maintaining their sophisticated social organization despite potentially drastic changes in their environments.

It’s easy to find evidence that the 17-year cicadas’ mating season has begun in Western Pennsylvania. Exoskeletons hang on tree branches, stray wings left by predators lie in the grass and, when it’s hot enough, unlucky males still searching for mates sing their ringing, high-pitched song.

If Youtube footage is to be believed, people have taken up arms against infestations of invasive spotted lanternflies by blasting the bugs with everything from pressure washers to rock salt, dish soap and even propane torches.

Truckers who don’t comply with a quarantine effort to restrict the spread of an invasive insect in Pennsylvania and nearby states can face fines of up to $20,000.

Woodpeckers, squirrels and other animals are getting stuck on the sticky tape used to trap spotted lanternflies, prompting an outcry from animal rehabilitation centers and other nature groups.

Viruses, spread through mosquito bites, cause human illnesses such as dengue fever, Zika and yellow fever. A new control technique harnesses a naturally occurring bacterium called Wolbachia that blocks replication of viruses and breaks the cycle of mosquito-borne disease, according to an international team of researchers.

The inspiration behind a person’s philanthropy can come from a variety of sources. For alumnus Dr. Roger Simon, it stems from two places: the Penn State Department of Entomology, and his father, Sam Simon.

Native to Europe and Asia, the cereal leaf beetle has made inroads throughout much of eastern North America, the midwest, and even Canada. The adult females have a long egg-laying period of 45-60 days, so the larvae can be present and damage crops for a significant period of time.

“None of the organic compounds work against spotted lanternfly,” said Heather Leach, spotted lanternfly Extension associate with Penn State.

For many Pennsylvanians, dedicating $2.5 million to the battle against an insect that significantly affects only 20% of our counties is a questionable investment. One reason might be their unfamiliarity with the spotted lanternfly, which so far has either failed to or just not gotten around to crossing the Susquehanna River in large numbers. To date, 14 counties have been placed under quarantine due to the insect’s presence reaching the level of infestation. The list of counties stretches from Monroe in the north to Dauphin and Lancaster here in the south.

Varroa mites (Varroa destructor), are the most influential of all of the pests and diseases of the European honey bee (Apis mellifera) today.

This is the 8th of eight short news articles written by students, during the professional development class, about each other's research.

With flattened bodies, grabbing forelegs and deciduous wings, deer keds do not look like your typical fly. These parasites of deer — which occasionally bite humans — are more widely distributed across the U.S. than previously thought, according to Penn State entomologists, who caution that deer keds may transmit disease-causing bacteria.

Fearing the spread of the spotted lanternfly, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture is requiring a permit for businesses transporting goods through a quarantine zone.

Amid the continuing decline of pollinators worldwide, U.S. lawmakers recently revived a perennially struggling bill that aims to save these helpful species. However, pollinator loss is more complicated than many headlines suggest. And curbing it, some scientists say, requires more than just stricter pesticide regulation—a major focus of the bill.