August 13, 2018
A technology designed to improve CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing in mosquitoes and other arthropods succeeds with a high degree of efficiency, while eliminating the need for difficult microinjection of genetic material, according to researchers.
August 8, 2018
Entomologist and urban bee specialist Doug Sponsler joins Billy and Tony early in the morning in a community garden spot in West Philadelphia to observe squash bees and talk about what counts as native. Squash are not strictly native to Philadelphia. They were introduced by Indians before European colonization. The bees followed the squash cultivation from its original distribution. Are they native? How much does it matter?
August 7, 2018
By invitation only - Travel expenses for eligible applicants will be paid by the Penn State Entomology Department. Apply by December 14th for priority consideration!
August 6, 2018
Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences helped to assemble a multistate, interdisciplinary task force of more than 80 university, regulatory and agricultural industry representatives to fight the looming threat presented by the spotted lanternfly.
August 3, 2018
The looming threat posed by the invasive spotted lanternfly will take center stage in the College of Agricultural Sciences Exhibits Building and Theatre during Penn State's Ag Progress Days, Aug. 14-16.
August 2, 2018
Eight graduate students in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are among the 101 recipients of fellowships from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
August 2, 2018
State health and agriculture officials are urging the public to be vigilant in checking humans and animals for ticks after a new invasive species was found in Centre County.
August 1, 2018
This is the 10th of eleven short news articles written by students, during the professional development class. This year we had the students interview their advisor(s), in an effort to help them better understand the larger context of their projects.
July 31, 2018
Research underway at the Joseph Valentine Turfgrass Research Center on the University Park campus is focusing on the effectiveness of a neonicotinoid insecticide — imidacloprid — in controlling grub populations.
July 31, 2018
The benefits of creating pollinator-friendly landscapes is a focus of the Yard and Garden Area this year at Ag Progress Days, Aug. 14-16.
July 31, 2018
The Governing Board of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) has elected 10 new Fellows of the Society for 2018. Election as a Fellow of ESA acknowledges outstanding contributions to entomology in research, teaching, extension and outreach, administration, or the military.
July 30, 2018
Communicating the intricate structure of pollinator communities can be a difficult task, but thanks to a collaboration between the School of Visual Arts and the Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State, there is a new tool that could have success both inside and outside of the classroom.
July 30, 2018
If you grow blueberries on your farm, please consider participating in this short survey.
July 30, 2018
An exotic tick turning up in some neighboring states has yet to be documented in Pennsylvania, but two Penn State professors researching the invasive bloodsucker say it’s probably here, too.
July 20, 2018
Dennis Calvin, director of Penn State Extension and associate dean in the College of Agricultural Sciences since 2009, has assumed a new role overseeing the college's efforts to combat the invasive spotted lanternfly. His appointment, which comes with the title of associate dean and director of special programs, was effective July 1.
July 18, 2018
This is the 9th of eleven short news articles written by students, during the professional development class. This year we had the students interview their advisor(s), in an effort to help them better understand the larger context of their projects.
July 13, 2018
Zombies are real—and they'll be at Penn State's Art of Discovery Booth at the Arts Festival from 11 to 1 p.m on July 13. Learn how a parasitic fungus turns ants into its mindless zombie servants through multimedia sculpture and augmented reality!
July 13, 2018
A field of flowers in Carlisle isn't being grown for its beauty. It's a pollinator garden and is now being used for bigger research.
July 12, 2018
This is the 8th of eleven short news articles written by students, during the professional development class. This year we had the students interview their advisor(s), in an effort to help them better understand the larger context of their projects.
July 10, 2018
It’s not just about honey. Cities are full of bees, and in this double episode we hear about Brisbane bees and the Australian native alternative to European honey bees from Tim Heard of Sugarbag Bees, we talk with urban bee researcher Scott MacIvor from Toronto, and we go on an urban bee field trip on top of a chocolate factory with researcher Doug Sponsler and bee keeper Don Shump of the Philadelphia Bee Company.
July 10, 2018
David Hughes, Penn State professor of entomology and biology, studies the effects of something that sounds like it’s straight out of a science fiction story: a fungus that infects living ants, takes control of their muscles against their will, and forces the ant to become a mindless zombie driven to help spread the fungus to take over even more ants. Now, “The Zombie Ant Experience,” an installation in the Millennium Science Complex at University Park, brings this research to life through art.
July 5, 2018
Some of you may have heard of the spotted lanternfly. Even if you have, I want to revisit this insect pest to enlist you in the effort to monitor its movement in our area.
July 5, 2018
As Japan rebuilt its economy in the decades following World War II, it shipped goods to U.S. consumers who loved the low prices. In more recent decades, China has taken Japan’s role as the low-cost shipper to the U.S. The way Hannah Burrack sees it, it just makes sense we have all these invasive pests from Asia.
June 28, 2018
This is the 7th of eleven short news articles written by students, during the professional development class. This year we had the students interview their advisor(s), in an effort to help them better understand the larger context of their projects.
June 27, 2018
Planting season for corn and soybeans across the U.S. corn belt is drawing to a close. As they plant, farmers are participating in what is likely to be one of the largest deployments of insecticides in United States history.
June 26, 2018
When Daryl Branford — one of the minds behind the groundbreaking multimedia instillation “The Zombie Ant Experience” — first came to Penn State in the 90s, it was the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts that convinced him Penn State was the place for him.
June 26, 2018
Penn State and the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization launch new mobile app to fight fast-spreading pest
June 22, 2018
Study represents largest effort to date to identify novel pathogens in global bee populations. An international team of researchers has discovered evidence of 27 previously unknown viruses in bees. The finding could help scientists design strategies to prevent the spread of viral pathogens among these important pollinators.
June 21, 2018
The spotted lanternfly is starting to sour the grape and wine industries in southeastern Pennsylvania, and research underway in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences aims to spoil the invasive pest's party.
June 21, 2018
What do you want to know about the invasive spotted lanternfly?
