The Entomological Society of America is pleased to announce the winners of its 2017 awards. The awards recognize scientists, educators, and students who have distinguished themselves through their contributions to entomology. Winners were honored at Entomology 2017, November 5-8, in Denver, Colorado.
Yesterday (November 8, 2017), researchers at Penn State University released new information about one of Earth’s weirdest natural phenomena: zombie ants. These are carpenter ants in tropical locations, infiltrated and controlled by Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu lato, sometimes called zombie ant fungus. This fungal body-snatcher forces ants to a forest understory and compels them to climb vegetation and bite into the underside of leaves or twigs, where the ants die. The invasion culminates with the sprouting of a spore-laden fruiting body from a dead ant’s head. The fungus thereby benefits because infectious spores are released onto the ground below, where they can infect other foraging ants. The new research shows that the fungal parasite accomplishes all this without infecting the ants’ brains.
An early episode of the beloved BBC show Planet Earth made it clear that Cordyceps fungus is one of the most gruesome killers in the world. Forget sharks, bears, lions, or whatever that gleaming pair of eyes hiding in the bushes might be. Targeting insects, the terrifying parasitic fungus infects their bodies and controls their movements, eventually killing them and using their discarded corpses to breed its spawn.
Beekeeping was simpler 30 years ago, when Ron Bogansky first set up hives on the small hobby farm he shares with his wife.
Technology will help farmers identify crop diseases and the nearest support system
Beware the white hickory tussock moth caterpillar. It’s the time of year the crawling critters, with their distinctive furry white and black markings, are most noticeable, said Dr. Michael Skvarla, Ph.D., director of the Penn State Department of Entomology Insect Identification Lab. Despite the fuzzy appearance, contact with the caterpillar and their hair could leave people with a red, itchy rash similar to the results from a close encounter with poison ivy, Skvarla said.
By invitation only - Travel expenses for eligible applicants will be paid by the Penn State Entomology Department. Apply by December 20th for priority consideration!
Amanda Ramcharan, Ph.D. candidate in agricultural and biological engineering, and David Hughes, associate professor of entomology and biology, talk about a mobile app they helped to develop that can help farmers diagnose crop diseases.
Harrisburg, PA – Farmers, gardeners and other Pennsylvanians concerned about the health of pollinators given their critically important role growing and producing food now have the chance to comment on a draft of the state’s proposed Pollinator Protection Plan. The plan, developed by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State University is designed to protect bees and other insects that pollinate nearly 75 percent of the commonwealth’s food crops.
We are proud to present the five winners of our US$100K Inspire Challenge grant.
Thousands of families turned out for the annual Great Insect Fair in Penn State’s Snider Ag Arena on Saturday, September 23. They encountered strange insects they thought only existed in movies, tasted fired waxworms and baked crickets, and learned about the often unseen of insects.
Campus may seem quiet on an away game weekend, but on Saturday, just north of Beaver Stadium, the Snider Agricultural Arena was buzzing with excitement. Every year, the Department of Entomology hosts The Great Insect Fair, a celebration of all things creepy and crawly that aims to both amuse and educate. Stations lined the arena with activities for bug enthusiasts young and old, including honey tasting, insect-related crafts, a butterfly tent, and educators excited to share their knowledge.
With the decline of insect pollinators alarming scientists, Emily Erickson, a Penn State doctoral student in entomology, is focused on a conservation solution.
It cannot run away from the fly that does it so much damage, but tall goldenrod can protect itself by first "smelling" its attacker and then initiating its defenses, according to an international team of researchers.
The Colorado potato beetle had Gary Felton stumped. Felton, an entomologist at Pennsylvania State University, has built his career on revealing how plants defend themselves against voracious insects. Plants often detect chemicals in an insect’s oral secretions and respond by producing proteins that wreak havoc on insect digestion and nutrient absorption.
RAIN grants from the College of Agricultural Sciences' Entrepreneurship & Innovation Program aimed at moving solutions from lab to marketplace
A virus that infects a species of malaria-transmitting mosquito could help scientists gain a better understanding of mosquito biology and eventually could lead to methods for stopping or slowing the spread of the disease, according to a researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.
John Tooker and Elizabeth Rowen from the Penn State Department of Entomology talk about insects: what they are, why we need them, and why reaching for your shoe when you see a bug might not be the right move. This is the first installment of a monthly entomology series that will air on the second Wednesday of each month.
Infestations common problem for first responders. Bedbugs, unlike mosquitoes, don’t spread illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — nor are they found only amidst squalor.
Cases of vector-borne disease have more than doubled in the U.S. since 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported, with mosquitoes and ticks bearing most of the blame.
The crop plants recruit zombie-maker wasps, but one pest has a desperate work-around
A fungus that turns infected ants into powerless ‘zombies’ has adapted to climate conditions in different locales by modifying its victims’ behaviour.
This Associated Press story, which also appeared in the New York Times and other outlets, quotes Jason Rasgon, professor of entomology.
Jared Ali and Sara Hermann are entomologists at Penn State, and they’re also married. Their research is focused on growing safer food. We also learn how they met.
In a macabre discovery, scientists have found that a parasite, which creates armies of zombie ants, does so by hijacking their bodies—not their brains as was previously thought.
Rhea County native Megan Wilkerson is nearing the completion of her work in the graduate studies program at Penn State University, but the time she has spent in the program has included much more than classroom work and library study.
Carpenter ants don’t attack or isolate their nest mates infected with a specialized parasitic fungus, and instead continue to share the colony’s food resources until the infected ants leave the nest for the last time to die, according to a new study.
Andrew Read, Evan Pugh University Professor of Biology and Entomology in the Eberly College of Science and the College of Agricultural Sciences, has been awarded the 2018 President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Integration.
This is the 13th, and final, of the short news articles written by students, during the professional development class, about each other's research.
Wednesday evening the Wild Center with AdkAction hosted a presentation by Dr. Christina Grozinger, distinguished professor of entomology and director of the Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State University. The research center is home to the largest group of pollinator researchers in the world. Following a reception at 6 p.m., Groizinger addressed an attentive audience from 7-8 p.m., a lecture that will be repeated Thursday evening at the View in Old Forge. The lecture is free and open to the public.
