Graduate student awardees celebrated at annual luncheon

April 15, 2019

Penn State President Eric Barron presented 11 awards to more than 30 graduate students in recognition of outstanding achievement during the annual Graduate Student Awards Luncheon held April 11 at the Nittany Lion Inn.

CPR researchers awarded grants from the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign

April 11, 2019

North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) Task Force for Honey Bee Health Selects 2019 Research Projects

Protecting Pollinators

April 11, 2019

Penn State’s Christina Grozinger and the Center for Pollinator Research are implementing creative approaches to protecting bee populations in Pennsylvania and beyond.

Beescape is ‘just the beginning’ for beekeepers and researchers alike

April 9, 2019

Researchers at Penn State and around the country have come together to create a website that will offer an inside look into the lives of nature’s pollinators.

New pollinator plant selection tool

April 8, 2019

Trying to decide which plants to include in your garden? The USDA-SCRI funded, "Protecting Bees" project has developed a pollinator plant selection tool that lets you search for flowering plant species according to zip code, bloom time, sun exposure, soil moisture levels, and relative attractiveness to different types of pollinators - including flies, which are the second most important group of pollinating insects, after bees!

Spotted lanternflies found to be flyers, not gliders

April 8, 2019

The spotted lanternfly is not a strong or frequent flyer, weaknesses that may hinder its ability to travel long distances by air, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Ottar Bjørnstad Elected as an Ecological Society of America 2019 Fellow

April 8, 2019

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) is pleased to announce its 2019 Fellows. The Society’s fellowship program recognizes the many ways in which its members contribute to ecological research and discovery, communication, education and pedagogy, and management and policy.

Student Research Spotlight - Julie Golinski

April 8, 2019

This is the 4th of eight short news articles written by students, during the professional development class, about each other's research.

Package Bee Installation

April 5, 2019

Spring is a busy time of the year for beekeepers as it marks the arrival of bee packages. Package bees have become a staple for beekeepers in North America as more people take up beekeeping as a hobby and overwinter colony losses have increased.

Insect-deterring sorghum compounds may be eco-friendly pesticide

April 3, 2019

Compounds produced by sorghum plants to defend against insect feeding could be isolated, synthesized and used as a targeted, nontoxic insect deterrent, according to researchers who studied plant-insect interactions that included field, greenhouse and laboratory components.

The Latest Information on a Hitchhiking Pest

April 3, 2019

The Spotted Lanternfly represents a new pest challenge to those in the horticulture industry due to its wide host range and potential for damage. In our previous coverage, we had preliminary information about this pest, as it had just been detected and not much was known about it. But the first, and arguably most important, update is that the geographic range has increased.

New online tool and community to support bees

April 3, 2019

A new online tool and community, called Beescape, enables beekeepers, or anyone interested in bees, to understand the specific stressors to which the bees in their managed hives, home gardens or farms are exposed, according to researchers at Penn State.

Voracious hordes of destructive insects on the horizon: Here's what it means to NY

April 3, 2019

Spotted lanternflies, the feared invasive insect that could wreak havoc in the Finger Lakes, have been found in at least eight New York counties since last summer, including Monroe, Chemung, Yates and Westchester.

Online tool identifies best and safest places to keep bees

April 2, 2019

Honeybees play essential roles in pollinating plants that humans and animals rely on for food. Declines in bee populations - including 20 percent of honeybee colonies per year in Indiana - threaten our food supply. Insecticide exposure, loss of flowering plants, and fewer nesting habitats, disease and parasites are all factors.

When and where in Pennsylvania will 17-year cicadas emerge this year?

April 2, 2019

Hordes of 17-year cicadas will be making an appearance in Pennsylvania in May and June, but only in the southwestern corner of the state.

Introducing Beescape: A new online tool and community to support bees

April 1, 2019

Beescape.org provides a tool for beekeepers, gardeners, growers and land managers to assess the quality of their landscapes for supporting managed honey bees and wild bees. It was developed through a partnership led by Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, Center for Pollinator Research and Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.

Pennsylvania growers struggle with spotted lanternfly

March 27, 2019

The Mid-Atlantic and Midwest are better known for apple production than wine, but it is winegrape growers who perhaps have the most to lose from the latest pest threatening that region.

Student Research Spotlight - Nathan Derstine

March 25, 2019

This is the 3rd of eight short news articles written by students, during the professional development class, about each other's research.

Raising a stink for BMSB research

March 21, 2019

Almost a decade after the first brown marmorated stink bug outbreak cost Mid-Atlantic apple growers millions, the pest is no longer inducing panic, thanks to advancements in targeted management for orchardists.

Pea-planting, lanternfly scraping, and lawn preparations: This Weekend in the Garden

March 21, 2019

Sunday’s arrival of St. Patrick’s Day is the milepost that many long-time vegetable gardeners use to determine the season’s first planting – peas.

Spotted lanternfly quarantine zone expanded to Dauphin County

March 21, 2019

Pennsylvania’s spotted lanternfly quarantine zone has been expanded to include Dauphin County, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced today.

Study tracks the rise of mange in black bears

March 19, 2019

Research projects have increased in recent years to determine how many black bears are affected and what the best remedy is. The state handles between 50 and 60 cases of severe mange each year, Ternent said.

Bug off! Penn State takes proactive approach in dealing with pesky pests

March 19, 2019

Warm weather at Penn State’s University Park campus sprouts scenes of flowers in bloom, students playing frisbee on the Old Main lawn and folks strolling around campus as they enjoy Berkey Creamery ice cream.

What Makes Them Tick

March 14, 2019

Researchers in the college investigate tick behavior and molecular biology with a goal of preventing tickborne illnesses.

Winter chill won’t affect mosquitoes, ticks

March 14, 2019

Did this winter’s cold weather lessen the numbers of disease-carrying mosquitoes and ticks?

Pennsylvania will have 150 researchers trying to eradicate the spotted lanternfly in 2019

March 14, 2019

Penn State University and the state and federal departments of agriculture are committing resources to combat the invasive insect

Nematode odors offer possible advantage in the battle against insect pests

March 14, 2019

Gardeners commonly use nematodes to naturally get rid of harmful soil-dwelling insects. A new study published today in the journal Functional Ecology revealed that these insect-killing nematodes also produce distinctive chemical cues, which deter Colorado potato beetles and make potato leaves less palatable to them.

WTAJ Originals: PSU research team discovers how beetle stores toxins without being harmed

March 11, 2019

Everybody has a self-defense system. Some use brute force...others like Ground Beetles prefer to use their own nasty combination of chemicals to ward off predators.

Student Research Spotlight - Nina Dennington

March 11, 2019

This is the 2nd of eight short news articles written by students, during the professional development class, about each other's research.

Penn State Berks center supports spotted lantern fly research

February 28, 2019

The Center for the Agricultural Sciences and a Sustainable Environment (CASSE) at Penn State Berks is the “killing fields” for spotted lantern flies. At least that’s the goal of researchers from Penn State University’s College of Agriculture Sciences, who have been working with researchers from Penn State Berks and Penn State Cooperative Extension to study the biology and also the effectiveness of various insecticides on the pests that have invaded and wreaked havoc on Berks County since 2014.