Flor Acevedo, Asst. professor of Entomology/Arthropod ecology, receives Strategic Networks & Initiatives Program Award

November 24, 2020

A total of eleven teams were awarded SNIP grants to help them build a network of colleagues and form an area of strength in the college for transformative research.

Spring symposium, seed grants to promote transdisciplinary biodiversity research

November 17, 2020

The Sustainability Institute at Penn State is hosting transdisciplinary symposia on biodiversity throughout the spring 2021 semester.

Virtual Graduate Student Recruitment Week

November 12, 2020

Join us February 1– 5, 2021, for our Virtual Graduate Student Recruitment Week

Could SARS-CoV-2 evolve resistance to COVID-19 vaccines?

November 11, 2020

Similar to bacteria evolving resistance to antibiotics, viruses can evolve resistance to vaccines, and the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 could undermine the effectiveness of vaccines that are currently under development, according to a paper published Nov. 9 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by David Kennedy and Andrew Read from Penn State. The authors also offer recommendations to vaccine developers for minimizing the likelihood of this outcome.

Mind the Bees – Ralf Nauen and Colleagues Protect Pollinators Through Neonicotinoid Research

November 10, 2020

By definition and design, insecticides kill insects. The term “pest” is generally defined by a human-driven need and desire to eliminate an unwanted organism within a range of contexts. In agriculture, there will always be a need to protect crops from insect pest pressures.

Pa. in peak season for number of ticks carrying Lyme disease

November 10, 2020

While most Lyme disease cases are confirmed in the summer, October and November are when the number of adult ticks carrying Lyme disease is highest and they are most active.

10-year-old Shaler student stops spotted lanternfly in its tracks

November 10, 2020

Ten-year-old Ludi Aguera didn’t realize the significance of the bug she squashed at the Shaler Area Elementary School track – she just thought it was a cool-looking moth.

Penn State spotted lanternfly study reveals insights on effective use of insecticides

November 10, 2020

Extermination during the spring egg hatching season may help, new research found

Podward State: Inside Penn State’s Coronavirus Response

November 6, 2020

On our second collaborative episode with Cole Hons of the Huck Institute of Life Sciences’ Symbiotic Podcast, Podward State hosts Matt Ogden and Matthew Paolizzi are joined by Andrew Read and Catharine Paules to discuss their roles as members of Penn State’s coronavirus task force.

Penn State experts address what should be done with lanternfly egg masses

November 5, 2020

In the world of the spotted lanternfly, autumn cues egg-laying season, which leads homeowners perturbed by the pest to ponder, “What should I do about egg masses?”

Penn State Startup ConidioTec Expands Distribution to 50 States and Canada

October 30, 2020

Born out of research conducted in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences by Associate Research Professor Dr. Nina Jenkins, ConidioTec‘s patented bed bug control product, Aprehend®, is now available in all 50 states and Canada.

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.