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.
In mid-June, Florida’s department of agriculture and consumer services approved a plan to release millions of genetically modified mosquitoes into the wild. The idea is that, when released, these mosquitoes will venture out and mate with wild mosquitoes in the area, and due to their genetic modifications, produce offspring that never fully mature — thereby reducing the mosquito population over time.
A study documenting bees that are reported to occur in Pennsylvania has found the presence of 437 species, including 49 never before recorded in the state. Researchers said the resulting checklist of bees in the commonwealth also identifies species not native to North America and several native species that may be of conservation concern.
Bug of the Month is a student–run monthly post which highlights the diversity of insects found in Pennsylvania.
As summer progresses — and spotted lanternflies make themselves at home just about anywhere, including on residential properties — frustrated homeowners might find themselves wrestling with the idea of using insecticides to vanquish the insect interlopers.
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.
Viral TikTok videos dubbed the ''Strawberry Challenge’’ have some consumers squirming.
The spotted lanternfly (SLF) is an invasive insect that feeds on grapevines and trees. There are a variety of options for SLF management, but one way to kill a lot of SLF without using insecticides is to trap them. The immature lanternflies (called nymphs) are often blown out of the canopy of the trees where they are feeding. Nymphs then walk to the trunk of trees and climb back up to start feeding again. We can take advantage of this predictable behavior of the nymphs by using traps to catch them as they climb up trees.
In introducing the speaker for the first ASEV webinar on invasive pests on June 3, moderator Michelle Moyer, a board member of the American Society for Enology and Viticulture and associate professor of viticulture and extension specialist at Washington State University, commented that grape growers on the East Coast are very concerned about the problems presented by the spotted lanternfly (SLF) and that those on the West Coast should be. She then introduced the webinar presenter, Heather Leach, extension associate in entomology at Penn State’s College of Agriculture Sciences, who focuses specifically on the SLF.
If there was one good thing about farmers delaying planting this year, it created less of a buffet for pesky slugs to feed on emerging corn and soybeans.
A printable checklist developed by Penn State Extension and the state Department of Agriculture can help citizens tick all the boxes when it comes to preventing the spread of the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect that is threatening the agricultural, timber and ornamental industries.
An eight-part webinar series developed by Penn State Extension aims to teach people all about bees, discussing topics as diverse as colony survival, queen bee rearing and transforming one’s garden into a pollinator-friendly habitat.
We are now accepting applications for the for the 2021 Apes Valentes Graduate Student Award for research and other projects in pollinator biology and health!
Recent alarming news reports aside, Asian giant hornets — sometimes referred to, hyperbolically, as "murder hornets" — are not an immediate concern in the Northeast, nor are they likely to be for a long time, if ever, according to an entomologist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.
