Infected 'zombie ants' face no discrimination from nest mates

March 13, 2018

Carpenter ants infected with a specialized parasitic fungus are not subjected to aggression or isolation from their nest mates, and they continue to share in the colony's food resources until they leave the nest for the last time to die, according to a study led by Penn State researchers.

Researchers to study ramps' market, flavor profile, vulnerability to pest

March 12, 2018

A good way to describe ramps, it has been said, is to note what they are not. Ramps are not leeks, nor are they scallions or shallots. Ramps look like scallions, but they're smaller and have one or two broad, flat leaves.

Curious Wasp Specimen Leads Entomologist to Find a First

March 5, 2018

When Michael Skvarla, Ph.D., started at his job as Insect Identifier and Extension Educator at Penn State University in 2017, it wasn’t long before he had a mystery on his hands.

Newly Discovered Fungi Turn Ants Into Zombies and Use Them to Breed

February 28, 2018

Mushrooms have always been a risky dinner menu option: Sure, plenty of them are delicious, but some are deadly. Ants stumbling on the wrong type of fungus can meet an even grimmer fate: These organisms can take control of the insects, forcing them to kill themselves. And scientists have just identified another 15 fungi with this gruesome talent.

Maryland braces for invasion of lanternflies, races to slow their spread

February 28, 2018

Mary Kay Malinoski has seen plenty of harmful insects swarm into Maryland during her long career, from the tree-eating gypsy moth, which invaded in the 1980s, to the malodorous brown marmorated stink bug, which arrived in 2006.

Four new faculty members bring expertise to Penn State's entomology department

February 23, 2018

The Department of Entomology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has announced the addition of four faculty members who have joined the department during the current academic year.

A bad new bug, a glowing plant, and flytraps without flies: The latest in gardening research

February 21, 2018

Let's peek into the science labs this week to see what gardening researchers have discovered lately that affects how we garden:

College of Agricultural Sciences offers look at ag careers for STEM program

February 21, 2018

Faculty and staff from Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences provided students at Harrisburg High School's SciTech campus with a comprehensive look at the variety of disciplines that students can pursue in the agricultural sciences.

Terrifying Parasitic Wasps Knife Their Way Out of Bug Corpses With Spikes on Their Backs

February 8, 2018

Wasps have a bad reputation for their sharp stingers, but a new species of wasp appears to take inflicting pain to a whole new level. Scientists believe the parasitic wasp grows up in another animal's body and then, once it reaches adulthood, saws its way through the host's body to freedom, according to a recent paper published in Biodiversity Data Journal.

PolliNation Podcast: Mehmet Ali Döke – How Honey Bees Survive The Winter

February 8, 2018

Mehmet Ali Döke earned his bachelor’s in Molecular Biology and Genetics, and master’s in Biology from Middle East Technical University in Turkey. During his junior year, he started working with honey bees and was a part of the group who surveyed the beekeepers in Turkey to document bee losses and possible reasons in coordination with the COLOSS effort. In his master’s, Mehmet investigated the seasonal variation of a metabolic enzyme in honey bees.

Penn State Beekeepers Club And The Quest To #SaveTheBees

February 1, 2018

We all know the hashtag #SaveTheBees as a meme that has infiltrated the internet and taken Twitter by storm. We’ve even seen students at home football games hanging signs advocating for the little guys. But why do the bees need saving? How can we save the bees? And why should we care about the dwindling populations of the stinging, buzzing insects?

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visits Penn State

January 25, 2018

As Congress prepares to enact a new five-year farm bill, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue paid a visit to Penn State's University Park campus Jan. 24 as part of a tour through Pennsylvania to unveil the Department of Agriculture's legislative principles. Perdue met with College of Agricultural Sciences faculty, students and administrators and visited research facilities.

Land-grant ag research and education highlighted during visit by USDA Secretary

January 24, 2018

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue paid a visit to Penn State's University Park campus on Jan. 24 as part of a tour through Pennsylvania to unveil the Department of Agriculture's legislative principles as Congress prepares to enact a new five-year farm bill.

Wilkerson reaps more than knowledge from Penn State’s graduate program

January 16, 2018

Rhea County native Megan Wilkerson is nearing the completion of her work in the graduate studies program at Penn State University, but the time she has spent in the program has included much more than classroom work and library study.

It Takes a Colony - The value of supporting research for the greater public good

January 11, 2018

Surveys of U.S. beekeepers have documented a 28 percent decline (on average) in honey bee colonies each winter during the last ten years, and a 28-45 percent decline (on average) during the full year. In Pennsylvania, beekeepers reported a loss of 52 percent of their colonies over the last winter (2016-2017).

Stink Bug Enemy a Welcome Find

January 10, 2018

A major natural enemy of the destructive brown marmorated stink bug has been found in Pennsylvania, but don’t expect pest pressure to lessen any time soon.

Agriculture Department, Penn State Release Recommendations to Maintain Healthy, Diverse Pollinator Populations

January 10, 2018

Standing in front of one of the more popular exhibits at the Pennsylvania Farm Show—an educational display on the importance of bees to society—state Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding today helped unveil a new report intended to support healthy pollinator populations in the face of challenges that have decimated some species.

New research agenda for malaria elimination and eradication

January 10, 2018

Two Penn State researchers have participated in the formulation of a new updated research agenda for global malaria elimination and eradication. Together with more than 180 scientists, malaria program leaders, and policy makers from around the world, Manuel Llinás, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and Jason Rasgon, professor of entomology and disease epidemiology, contributed to the Malaria Eradication Research Agenda (malERA) Refresh Collection, which defines a forward-looking research and development agenda that will accelerate progress towards malaria elimination and global eradication. The malERA Refresh collaboration resulted in seven research papers that were recently published as a special collection in the journal PLOS Medicine.

State officials work to contain spread of destructive lanternflies

January 3, 2018

Over the past three years, an invasive insect, native to China and eastern parts of Asia, has been recognized as a serious threat to agriculture and businesses in Pennsylvania.

Online beekeeping course offered

December 13, 2017

Beginner and experienced beekeepers and those thinking about taking up backyard beekeeping can get the information they need to be successful from Beekeeping 101, an online beekeeping course offered by Penn State Extension.

Doug Sponsler Talks about the Risk of Pesticides to Honey Bees and Ecotoxicology

December 7, 2017

Listen in as we go over pesticide’s effects on pollinators, the difficulties in testing, and the advantages certain insects have in fighting pesticides.

Bed Bug Prevention Method Developed In Pennsylvania Seeing Positive Results

December 6, 2017

Move over stink bugs, bed bugs are back in the prime pest spotlight. They actually never went away, but instead have continued to grow as an issue for anyone who lays their head down at night to sleep.

Ways to protect against bugs from coming in on Christmas trees

November 29, 2017

Each year nationwide, families bring trees into their homes hoping to bring some Christmas joy and cheer, but what some people don't know is that they might be bringing in some unwanted house guests.

Penn State Department of Entomology offers insect identification services

November 29, 2017

With more than a million different species of insects in the world, it is no wonder that bugs "bug" us.

Researchers Develop App to Alert Farmers of Crop Diseases

November 27, 2017

A grant to refine a mobile application (app) that will use artificial intelligence to detect crop diseases and the alert farmers on the diagnosis has been secured.

COMB, Conventional & Organic Management of Bees Stakeholder Meeting

November 21, 2017

On November 17, 2017 stakeholders from across Pennsylvania converged to State College to discuss beekeeping protocols for our upcoming research project.

Penn State team receives $7M award to enlist insects as allies for food security

November 20, 2017

A Penn State-led research team is hoping to enlist insects as allies in an effort to make crops more tolerant of environmental stressors, after the crops are already growing in the greenhouse or field.

New species of wasp found in Maine

November 17, 2017

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Maine Forest Service announced that a new species of wasp has been found in Maine. Hillary Morin Peterson of Brunswick Maine discovered a new species of Pteromalidae wasp while conducting her thesis work in collaboration with the Maine Forest Service. The new discovery is detailed in a recently published paper.

Researchers aim to develop best practices for organic beekeeping industry

November 17, 2017

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. The funding comes from the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative of USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

Puppeteer Parasite That Creates Zombie Ants Hijacks Their Bodies—Not Brains

November 15, 2017

In a macabre discovery, scientists have found that a parasite, which creates armies of zombie ants, does so by hijacking their bodies—not their brains as was previously thought.