Beescape Monthly Update for November

October 30, 2020

Greetings, once again, from the Beescape Team! This is another entry in our monthly updates from us here at Beescape!

Pollinator Photography Project

October 27, 2020

As the 2020 Dutch Gold Honey Undergraduate Scholarship recipient, I worked with Dr. Natalie Boyle, an Assistant Research Professor of Entomology, to create an insect photography project.

Penn State, Freiburg offer virtual course on pest and pollinator management

October 23, 2020

In February 2020, as part of a mutual effort to enhance a strategic partnership between the Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg and Penn State that dates back to 1998, the two universities announced the selection of two joint proposals for novel online classroom projects.

Penn State, Freiburg offer virtual course on pest and pollinator management

October 22, 2020

Penn State and Freiburg University are offering a public-facing, three-credit graduate course titled, “Global Perspectives in Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management.”

Penn State Extension to offer a new Beekeeping Winter Webinar Series

October 19, 2020

Join us for the Beekeeping Winter Webinar Series organized moderated by Tom Butzler, Robyn Underwood, and Margarita López-Uribe from Penn State Extension. These six webinars will cover a number of timely topics about beekeeping biology, basic and advanced management practices.

Grant supports study of how carnivorous plants repurpose genes to digest prey

October 19, 2020

A Penn State researcher has received funding to examine the genetic mechanisms that enable carnivorous plants to repurpose defense proteins to digest their insect prey.

Don’t kill that large mosquito: It’s just a crane fly looking for sex

October 19, 2020

They won’t bite you, but crane flies — which look like large mosquitos — are out in full force, reportedly covering a putting green at a Pittsburgh area golf course and maybe cavorting in your backyard.

Grant supports study of how carnivorous plants repurpose genes to digest prey

October 14, 2020

A researcher in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has received funding from the National Science Foundation to examine the genetic mechanisms that enable carnivorous plants to repurpose defense proteins to digest their insect prey.

2020/2021 Science to Practice Grants recipients announced

October 14, 2020

Ten integrated research and extension teams were awarded grants of up to $10,000. These grants support the formation and development of teams proposing to explore innovative methods, structures, and projects that foster the translation of research into outputs for dissemination and implementation.

Pennsylvania Master Naturalists explore pollinator syndromes at Shaver’s Creek

October 5, 2020

As the days get shorter and temperatures begin to drop this fall, there is still plenty of insect and pollinator activity to be seen. This October, monarch caterpillars and milkweed bugs can be observed munching on milkweed plant tissues, honey bees are making honey from fall goldenrod blooms, and katydids continue to sing each night.

Beescape Monthly Update for October

October 5, 2020

Greetings, once again, from the Beescape Team! This is another entry in our monthly updates from us here at Beescape!

Designated 'no-mow' turf grass areas provide environmental, economic benefits

October 5, 2020

University Park campus practice has resulted in reduced carbon dioxide emissions and overall mowing costs, while providing stormwater protection and habitats for local wildlife

Spotted Lanternfly Reports Up 147%, PA Department of Agriculture Says

October 5, 2020

Temperatures might have dropped across the Lehigh Valley, but reports of the Spotted Lanternfly are reaching a new high.

What eats spotted lanternflies?

October 5, 2020

Penn State researchers have launched a search for native wildlife that kills and eats the non-native spotted lanternfly, which has spread to at least 26 counties in Pennsylvania.

Squash Spotted Lanternflies today for future food security

October 5, 2020

Following months of hyper-focus on the availability of food, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding was joined by Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences Dean Richard Roush and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Executive Director for Field Operations Carlos Martinez at Cherry Hill Orchards, where they urged Pennsylvanians to act now against the Spotted Lanternfly for the sake of food security.

Dinniman: New findings in lanternfly research

October 5, 2020

Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences hosted a research tour which reported new Spotted Lanternfly findings, said state Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19th, of West Whiteland.

Diversity Statements in Entomology: What, Why, and How

October 2, 2020

Academic institutions constantly interact with and serve the changing demographics of our increasingly globalized and multicultural world.

Insect Trap Finishes Month-Long Deployment

October 2, 2020

Our prototype non-lethal insect trap, developed in collaboration with Penn State’s Center for Pollinator Research, has successfully completed a month long deployment in Oregon.

Gender Fellows support research on gender differences in agriculture

October 2, 2020

A Gender Fellows Cohort, which began last fall under the auspices of the College of Agricultural Sciences' Gender Equity through Agricultural Research and Education initiative, examines gender equity in rural sociology, soil science, plant science and entomology as part of the International Agriculture and Development dual-title graduate degree program.

Researchers hear more crickets and katydids 'singing in the suburbs'

October 2, 2020

The songs that crickets and katydids sing at night to attract mates can help in monitoring and mapping their populations, according to Penn State researchers, whose study of Orthoptera species in central Pennsylvania also shed light on these insects' habitat preferences.

Bug of the Month - October 2020

October 1, 2020

Bug of the Month is a student–run monthly post which highlights the diversity of insects found in Pennsylvania.

Researchers hear more crickets and katydids 'singing in the suburbs'

September 29, 2020

The songs that crickets and katydids sing at night to attract mates can help in monitoring and mapping their populations, according to Penn State researchers, whose study of Orthoptera species in central Pennsylvania also shed light on these insects' habitat preferences.

Spider-Naming Contest: We Have a Winner!

September 29, 2020

Entomologist Kirsten Pearsons, who received her doctorate in entomology in August from Pennsylvania State University, submitted the winning name, “kawtak.”

Pennsylvania makes strides to protect its pollinators

September 25, 2020

Pollinator populations in the United States and throughout the world are in decline. Research shows that nearly one in four native bee species is imperiled and at increasing risk of extinction, while other pollinators such as butterflies, moths, beetles and various birds face similar threats.

Can Scientists Stop the Plague of the Spotted Lanternfly?

September 24, 2020

Every day the nurseryman rises and prays and walks the rows of his trees.

Lanternfly insecticide showing promise

September 24, 2020

Experts are saying this has been the worst year for the spotted lanternfly, which among other things can decimate crops.

Insect Predators Can Be a No-Till Farmer’s Best Friend

September 24, 2020

Pesticides can wipe out insects that can in turn wipe out a field of corn in a matter of days.

The Stink Bug Invasion Is Coming and Here's What You Need to Know

September 24, 2020

While the fall brings changing leaves, apple picking, and cooler weather, the changing season also brings out one major nuisance that so many of us try to keep from our minds in the summer months: stink bugs.

Deadly beauty: Lawmakers unite at Va La Vineyards to shine light on local decimation caused by spotted lanternfly

September 24, 2020

Friend or foe? As wise people often warn, never trust a book by its cover.

Fall webworm nests spotted in Pennsylvania

September 24, 2020

No, not the eastern tent caterpillars. Those make their nests in the spring in the area where branches meet together or connect with the tree trunk.