Penn State Master Gardener programs promote pollinator populations

May 16, 2018

When it comes to the importance of bees, Connie Schmotzer does not mince words. "Without bees, the world's food supply would be cut drastically, threatening the survival of many plants, animals and humans," said the Penn State Extension Master Gardener coordinator and horticulture educator. "Life, as we know it, would be much different — and not for the better."

Wasp warriors: Entomologists on samurai mission to slay stink bugs

May 16, 2018

Hillary Peterson is every brown marmorated stink bug's worst nightmare. The Penn State doctoral degree student does not intend to rest professionally until she and other entomologists devise a way to reduce burgeoning populations of the invasive insect, originally from Asia, which are damaging crops and aggravating people. The goal of their research is to develop biological controls to interfere with the pest's reproduction.

Faculty Spotlight - Ben McGraw

May 16, 2018

This is the 4th 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.

How to avoid tick bites or treat them if they occur

May 10, 2018

As we head into the summer months, there are growing concerns about tick bites. Channel 11 reached out to a bug expert from Penn State to find out what people need to know to protect themselves this tick season.

Bedbugs a ‘part of your future’

May 10, 2018

Infestations common problem for first responders. Bedbugs, unlike mosquitoes, don’t spread illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — nor are they found only amidst squalor.

Spotted lanternfly swarm about to hit Berks again (PHOTO GALLERY)

May 10, 2018

They're preparing to hatch, and wreak havoc on the county, as officials mull new ideas to control them.

Researchers aim to develop best practices for organic beekeeping

May 10, 2018

A nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will support Penn State researchers in determining best management practices for organic beekeeping by comparing organic and chemical-free to conventional management systems.

Faculty Spotlight: Jason Rasgon and Christina Grozinger

May 3, 2018

This is the 3rd 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.

Penn State Insect Research Represented at the 2018 Eastern Branch Entomological Society of America Meeting

May 2, 2018

Students and faculty from Penn State’s Departments of Entomology, Biology, and Plant Science attended the 89th Annual Meeting of the Eastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America (EB ESA). The meeting was held March 17-19, 2018 at the Westin Annapolis Hotel in Annapolis, Maryland, where the National ESA Headquarters is located.

Virus inhibits immune response of caterpillars and plants

May 2, 2018

It is well known that certain wasps suppress the immune systems of their caterpillar hosts so they can successfully raise their young within those hosts. Now researchers at Penn State show that, in addition to suppressing caterpillar immune systems, wasps also suppress the defense mechanisms of the plants on which the caterpillars feed, which ensures that the caterpillars will continue to provide a suitable environment for the wasps' offspring.

Entomology professor mentors summer interns to awards, success

April 30, 2018

A summer intern from Virginia State University — working in the lab of James Tumlinson, Ralph O. Mumma Professor of Entomology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences — has presented an award-winning lecture in the Emerging Researchers National Conference in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in Washington, D.C., on the research they conducted during their summer at Penn State.

Pennsylvania bear mange epidemic focus of Penn State and Game Commission project

April 25, 2018

Pennsylvania's black bear population is experiencing a mange epidemic, and a Penn State research team will work with the state Game Commission to gain a better understanding of the disease and develop strategies to manage it.

Andrew Read elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

April 19, 2018

Andrew Read, Evan Pugh University Professor of Biology and Entomology in Penn State's Eberly College of Science and the College of Agricultural Sciences, has been elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS).

Busy Bees: Penn Staters share how they protect pollinators

April 19, 2018

Most people have probably seen the phrase “bees are dying at an alarming rate” on the internet. Most pass it off as a joke, but one Penn State organization is taking it to heart.

Faculty Spotlight - Julie Urban

April 19, 2018

This is the 2nd 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.

Penn State Extension, ag officials look to slow spread of spotted lanternfly

April 16, 2018

Grape growers, orchardists, nursery operators, homeowners and others in southeastern Pennsylvania are bracing for the spring emergence of the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect from Asia that appeared for the first time in the United States in Berks County nearly four years ago. Penn State Extension educators and College of Agricultural Sciences researchers are working with state and federal agriculture officials to stop the pest's spread.

Lanternfly Research to Aid Grape Growers

April 11, 2018

When the spotted lanternfly showed up in Berks County four years ago, grapes were one of the first crops researchers worried about.

5 ways you can offset declining bee populations with your garden

April 4, 2018

As you plan your spring garden, consider adding pollinator-friendly trees and plants to provide food and habitat for bee populations that are in decline across the country and worldwide.

Faculty Spotlight - Tanya Renner

April 4, 2018

This is the 1st of ten 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.

Discovery Space’s Bee Hive Exhibit

April 4, 2018

The new Hive exhibit at Discovery Space allows young children to act out the social lives of bees. Children can wear a bee costume, buzz over to larger-than-life flowers to collect pollen and nectar, take the nectar into the hive and do the waggle dance.

Read recognized with 2018 President’s Award for Academic Integration

April 3, 2018

Andrew Read, Evan Pugh University Professor of Biology and Entomology in the Eberly College of Science and the College of Agricultural Sciences, has been awarded the 2018 President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Integration.

Cockroach infestation on campus leaves student residents plagued with pests.

April 3, 2018

Thousands of unwanted guests have moved into Cal State LA’s campus housing, forcing Cal State LA residents to fight off an infestation of American cockroaches.

Penn State-developed plant disease app recognized by Google

April 2, 2018

A mobile app designed by Penn State researchers to help farmers and others diagnose crop diseases has earned recognition from one of the world's tech giants. PlantVillage, developed by a team led by David Hughes, associate professor of entomology and biology, was the subject of a keynote video presented at Google's TensorFlow Development Summit 2018, held March 30 in Mountain View, California.

Wyman’s of Maine: 2017 Sustainability Report

March 29, 2018

Sustainability rests on the principle that the needs of the present must be met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It is Wyman’s core belief that Economic Profitability, Environmental Health, and Social Equity together build a sustainable company future.

WAMU-FM (NPR), Washington, D.C.: Pollinator -- Judgment Day

March 28, 2018

Margarita Lopez-Uribe, assistant professor of entomology, was a guest on the "1A" program to discuss pollinator health and the importance of feral bee species

$2.1 million enables creation of decision-support tools for pollinator health

March 27, 2018

The Center for Pollinator Research at Penn State, in collaboration with researchers at the University of California, Davis; the University of Minnesota; and Dickinson College will receive more than $2 million from the Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research and the United States Department of Agriculture to translate basic research into online decision support tools to help beekeepers and land managers maintain and expand populations of managed and wild bees.

$1M gift from Galen and Nancy Dreibelbis to support Pollinators' Garden

March 27, 2018

A generous commitment from local leaders will help The Arboretum at Penn State to move forward with its plans for a world-class pollinators’ garden. State College real estate developer Galen Dreibelbis, and his wife, Nancy, have committed $1 million to support construction of the new Pollinators’ Garden in the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens. The Dreibelbises’ gift — together with a major investment from Skip Smith and gifts from other donors — completes the project’s initial fundraising goal and will allow the University to break ground on the project.

Investment from Skip Smith to launch construction of Pollinators' Garden

March 21, 2018

Investment from Penn State alumnus and leading philanthropist Charles H. “Skip” Smith will enable The Arboretum at Penn State to fulfill its longstanding vision for a garden that will attract and sustain native pollinator species of birds and insects. Smith, whose founding gift launched construction of the Arboretum in 2010, has made a series of gifts totaling $4.5 million to support construction of a new and enhanced Pollinators’ Garden in the H.O. Smith Botanic Gardens. The gifts — together with commitments from other donors — complete the project’s initial fundraising goal of $5.3 million and will allow construction to begin.

Zombie Apocalypse: Ants Can't Tell When Their Colony Is Overrun by a Deadly Fungus

March 21, 2018

Carpenter ants appear to have a hard time figuring out when one of their own is infected with a parasite that will eventually make it kill itself. Researchers from Pennsylvania State University published their findings February 23 in PLoS One.

Invasive insect spreads beyond Pennsylvania farms and orchards to backyards

March 21, 2018

Add another invader to the list of destructive insects that have infiltrated Pennsylvania: The spotted lanternfly has joined the ranks of emerald ash borers and brown marmorated stink bugs.