Devastating swarms of locusts are devouring everything in their path from Africa to India. Scientists and citizens are waging a massive war with cutting edge technology to stop the infestation from becoming a deadly plague.
As if 2020 hasn’t thrown enough curveballs, desert locusts are setting off a global panic.
Since its unwelcome arrival in Pennsylvania several years ago, the spotted lanternfly has been eating away at agricultural commodities, landscapes and the commonwealth’s bottom line.
The annual cicadas are buzzing in Western Pennsylvania, as the large insects emerge from underground for the hottest months of summer.
Richard Blair knows what spotted lanternflies do to vineyards. He lost eight acres of grapevines to the invasive critters in 2017, three years after he first noticed them on his Setter Ridge Vineyards in Berks County. “We were at ground zero, so to speak,” Blair said.
If you thought you've seen more of the invasive spotted lanternfly in southeastern Pennsylvania, you’re right.
With all the attention currently on the COVID-19 Pandemic, it's little wonder that some of us haven't heard of or noticed a creature called the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF).
Bug of the Month is a student–run monthly post which highlights the diversity of insects found in Pennsylvania.
It is almost time to use traps or sticky bands to protect your trees from spotted lanternflies. Get ready now so you can trap lots of spotted lanternflies safely.
Throughout this webinar series, presenters have discussed the diversity of bees and the challenges that they face. Oftentimes people feel as if there isn’t much that they can personally do in order to help bees. However, in the final webinar of the series, Penn State Extension educator Connie Schmotzer discusses how to create a pollinator-friendly environment in your own garden.
Pennsylvania is home to over 430 species of bees each with their own unique traits and characteristics. In this Webinar, Dr. Margarita López-Uribe discusses the biodiversity of Pennsylvania bees and offers tips to identify major groups of bees based on their morphological traits.
Penn State will conduct more than 150 coronavirus-related research projects to better understand the virus, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The first probable human case of West Nile virus was reported in Pennsylvania last week. It happened in the north central region of the state in Potter County. "It’s expected that we’ll start to see cases now and through the fall," Erika Machtinger, assistant professor of entomology at Penn State University, told PBS39.
Surinder Chopra, professor of maize genetics in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, has been awarded funding from the U.S Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
It’s not the more famous 17-year periodical cicada, which will show up next summer across most of the state, but there will be enough buzzing to annoy those who find irritation in the insect’s incessant droning.
An innovative project is creating a buzz around Penn State’s University Park campus, especially among the many species of pollinators that call Centre County home.
Two federal lawmakers who represent Pennsylvania are urging their colleagues to set aside $16 million in funding to continue the research taking place to tackle the spread of the spotted lanternfly.
The claim: Paper bags resembling wasp hives can deter the insect. For those seeking to enjoy a wasp-free summer, a July 5 Facebook post advises to look no further than a crumpled paper bag.
A grant of more than $1 million from the National Science Foundation will support a researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences in a study of mechanisms that induce sterility in social insects.
In previous webinars, speakers have talked about how bees are very diverse and made up of over 20,000 distinct species. It is important to understand the different characteristics of these bee species, as they can greatly impact pollination management.
As you trim the wild edges of your property this summer, you might want to be careful of which weeds you whack. Few plants are as valuable to North American conservation as the common milkweed.
Ticks, Lyme disease, other tick-borne diseases and Pennsylvania’s No. 1 position in all of that will be explained in detail in a free, 10-part webinar series from Penn State Extension that begins Thursday, July 9, with weekly installments scheduled through September 17.
Asian giant hornets, which picked up the name “murder hornets” when they made headlines across the U.S. earlier this year, are probably less imposing that previously reported, according to a Penn State expert in insects.
A study of bees found in Pennsylvania has uncovered 49 species never before recorded in the state.
Allegheny County could be overrun with the beautiful but disgusting spotted lanternfly within two years if the public doesn’t find and report them this year, according to a Penn State researcher.
Spotted lanternflies damaged more than a quarter of Pennsylvania’s vineyards last year, and the persistent pest isn’t showing any sign of retreat this year.
Penn State scientists have found new ways to track the spotted lanternfly and slow the spread of the plant damaging insect.
Over time goldenrod plants and the gall flies that feed on them have been one-upping each other in an ongoing competition for survival. Now, a team of researchers has discovered that by detecting the plants’ chemical defenses, the insects may have taken the lead.
Thanks to a $1 million gift from an anonymous donor, the College of Agricultural Sciences and the Department of Entomology have established the Publius Vergilius Maro Professorship.
Bug of the Month is a student–run monthly post which highlights the diversity of insects found in Pennsylvania.
