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ABOVE: Dr. Jeff Bloomquist received the International Award for Research in Agrochemicals from the American Chemical Society at the National Meeting in Washington D.C., August 22nd to the 25th. The award is for his outstanding contributions to the field at the international level. The award was accompanied by a symposium that included colleagues and former lab members from around the world.
Dr. Billy Crow and Dr. James P. Cuda are recipients of a three-year University Term Professorship Award in recognition of their achievements in research, Extension and teaching at UF. These awards are in recognition of excellence for recent contributions along with potential for future accomplishment.
Dr. Phil Lounibos and Dr. Glenn Hall have retired from UF effective June 30th and are now Emeritus Faculty members of our Department. Congratulations to both and thanks to each for their years of service to UF Entomology and Nematology Department.
Dr. Adam C.N. Wong is welcoming two new members to his team: Jenny Gavilanez-Slone is the new lab manager, with a masters degree in entomology from Oregon State University and over 15 years of work experience at universities and with the USDA. Alexander Thompson joins as an undergraduate research intern, a biology major with an interest in microbiome and insect nutrition.
Dr. Adam C.N. Wong has been accepted as a new faculty member of the University of Florida Genetics Institute (UFGI)
Dr. Adam C.N. Wong has recently been interviewed twice by a leading scientific journal, BioTechniques, on emerging research themes of microbiome and animal behavior. See article 1 and 2 in the publications section below.
Dr. Jennifer Gillett-Kaufman was awarded the Epsilon Sigma Phi (ESP) Alpha Delta Chapter Outstanding Specialist Award for 2017. The award was presented at the EPAF meeting in August.
Dr. Phil Kaufman and Dr. Jennifer Gillett-Kaufman delivered a presentation, Feast or Famine: Curriculum development and refinement for a study abroad course, at the 2017 CALS Teaching Enhancement Symposium held at the Best Western Gateway Grand, on August 15th. The presentation addressed the development, delivery, and refinement of a 6-week study abroad course taught in Florence, Italy. Attendee’s learned about Study Abroad program expectations, opportunities, challenges, and the benefits to internationalizing your teaching portfolio.
Dr. James P. Cuda was an invited speaker for a Horticulture Workshop sponsored by the Manatee County Extension Service, Palmetto, FL, August 24th. Dr. Cuda gave a presentation titled “Biological Control of Weeds.”
Dr. James P. Cuda attended the Inaugural Invasive Species Advisory Team Meeting held at the Austin Cary Forest Campus Education Building on August 16th. The purpose of the meeting was to review the current position duties of Ms. Rose Godfrey, the Florida Invasive Species Extension/Outreach Coordinator.
Dr. Thomas Chouvenc was hired as an Assistant Professor (80% Research, 20% Extension) at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, to continue and expand the research program on subterranean termites, especially the problem exclusive to South Florida: the spread of Coptotermes gestroi (Asian subterranean termite), and its potential hybridization with C. formosanus (Formosan subterranean termite). For the past few years, Dr. Chouvenc worked with Dr. Su and Dr. Scheffrhan, addressing emerging problems with invasive termite species in south Florida. Johnalyn Gordon, who previously worked with Dr. Koehler, is now a Master student with Dr. Chouvenc and Dr. Su.
ABOVE: So much service!!! Elena Alyanaya 5 years! Dr. Ke Wu 25 years! Glinda Burnett 45 years! Thank you for your commitment to UF and our Department!
Dr. Marc Branham co-organized and moderated the symposium “Insect morphology and phylogeny: diverse data to answer new questions” at the Annual Meeting of the Willi Hennig Society, August 26th to the 30th in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Dr. Marc Branham was featured in a 40 minute podcast "The Fundamentals of Fireflies", produced by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The series Sauropodcast: Science Out Loud is hosted by award-winning science journalist John Mangels. Check out Sauropodcast Episode 8 learn more about fireflies… https://www.cmnh.org/sauropodcast
Pest Management University’s team is the recipient of the “International IPM Award of Recognition,” to be presented at the 9th International IPM Symposium (Baltimore, MD, Mar 2018). Our teaching team includes: Dr. Faith Oi and Dr. Adam G. Dale, Entomology and Nematology; Donald Grant, FDACS; G. Joseph Jonovich, PMU Program Coordinator; Dr. G. Shad Ali, MREC, Plant Pathology; Joseph Parker, FDACS; Dr. Laurie E. Trenholm, Environmental Horticultyre; Mark H. Ruff, Law Offices of Mark H. Ruff; Dr. Michael J. Page, FDACS (retired); Paul Mitola, FDACS; S. Chris Marble, Ornamental and Landscape Weed Management.
Congratulations to all of our UF winners!!!
John Henry Comstock Graduate Student Awards- Ph.D. Candidate Ashley Mortensen (Southeastern Branch winner)
ECP Research Award- Alumni Dr. Daniel R. Swale
ECP Teaching Award- Alumni Dr. Erika Machtinger
Ms. Vanessa Simoes Dias de Castro, a Ph.D. candidate in the Hahn Lab, has accepted a consultant position with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Austria. She will conduct studies on phytosanitary treatments with fruit flies.
Ms. Patricia Prade, a Ph.D. student in the laboratory of Dr. James P. Cuda, successfully presented her dissertation proposal on August 21st. Patricia’s dissertation is titled “Impact of local insect herbivores and comparison of three potential biological control agents of Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolia (Anacardiaceae), in Florida.”
Welcome our new graduate students to the Department this fall!
New MS students in Gainesville: Randy Buckley, Don Foster, Zach Kaplan, Gabrielle LaTora, Sierra Short, Hannah Talton, Roxie White, and Daniela Wilner.
New MS students at our Research and Education Centers: Jessica Baldwin, Wilfrid Calvin, Johnalyn Gordon, and Richard West.
New distance MS students: Friede Bauder, Samantha Gallagher, Kristi Lee, Chealsey Lynch, Chastity Perry, and Derek Yan.
New Gainesville Ph.D. students: Anil Baniya, Vincent Colantonio, Kristin Dunn, Nich Martin, Shinichi Nakahara, and Dylan Tussey.
New Ph.D. students at the Research and Education Centers: Kristen Bowers, De-Fen Mou, Diana Rojas, Binita Shrestha, and Iris Smith.
Our outstanding students recognized with CALS scholarships!
Graduate
A.S. Herlong Scholarship: $2,000 Casey Parker, $2,000 Cory Penca, $2,000, Vanessa Simoes Dias de Castro, $2,000 Kristin Sloyer.
William C. and Bertha M. Cornett Fellowship: $1,500 Haleigh Ray
Undergraduate
CALS Scholarship: $1,000 Madison Cook
Central Florida Fair Scholarship: $1,000 Paige Carlson
Coca Cola Scholarship: $1,000 Sarah Nguyentran, $1,000 Kaleela Thompson
Florida Rural Rehabilitation Corporation Scholarship: $1,000 Johanna Schwartz
SHARE Scholarship: $1,000 Katherine Arguez
Southeast Produce Council Scholarship: $2,500 Gabriella Steele
DPM student Matt Borden (Landscape Entomology Lab, Dr. Adam Dale) gave several presentations to 25 Master Gardeners in Citrus County on August 10th (IPM, Identifying plant damage, Horticulturally-important insect orders, and Resources and results). On August 30th he spoke to a class of 20 new Master Gardeners in Marion County, introducing landscape IPM. He was also a featured guest at a Back-to-School event in Jacksonville on July 29th, hosted by the Eastside Environmental Council. Matt shared insect specimens with enthusiastic kids and Extension resources with parents.
Need to name that bug? A host of experts are available to help Floridians identify any insect or related arthropod. If a mystery creature has six or more legs, the UF Insect ID Lab is the place to call.
Need insect images? You can go to this direct link, pictures are copyrighted material and intended for official UF use only, log onto the website using your Gatorlink credentials.
Lyle Buss is the UF/IFAS Insect ID Lab manager.
Think it might be a nematode problem? The Nematode Assay Laboratory serves Florida and other states by providing nematode assays and expert advice regarding nematode management.
For more information on the Nematode Assay Laboratory, please contact the lab manager Dr. Tesfa Mengistu.
Calibeo D, Oi F, Oi D, Mannion C. 2017. Insecticides for Suppression of Nylanderia fulva. Insects 8(3): 93 doi:10.3390/insects8030093.
Emberts Z, Miller CW, Kiehl D, St. Mary CM. 2017. Cut your losses: Self-amputation of injured limbs increases survival. Behavioral Ecology 28: 1047-1054.
Parker CN, Pereira RM, Baldwin RW, Chaskopoulou A, Koehler PG. 2017. Laboratory evaluation of a novel lethal ovitrap for control of Aedes aegypti. Journal of Medical Entomology https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjx161
Su NY, Monteagudo EJ. 2017. Hyperecdysonism in the Formosan subterranean termite and eastern subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Journal of Economic Entomology 110: 1736-1739.
Su NY, Osbrink WLA, Kakkar G, Mullins J, Chouvenc T. 2017. Foraging distance and population size of juvenile colonies of the Formosan subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in laboratory extended arenas. Journal of Economic Entomology 110: 1728-1735.
Wong ACN, Wang Q, Morimoto J, Senior A, Lihoreau M, Neely G, Simpson SJ and Ponton F. 2017. Gut microbiota modifies olfactory-guided microbial preferences and foraging decisions in Drosophila. Current Biology 27: 2397-2404. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.07.022
This recent paper from Dr. Adam C.N. Wong (published in Current Biology) reveals the impacts of microbiome in fruit fly foraging preferences towards microbes and nutrients. The findings are mentioned by major news outlets and top journals, including Phy.org, ScienceDaily, labroot, Natural News, Current Biology Dispatch and Nature Review Microbiology. The work also highlights the importance of multidisciplinary research, involving collaborators from the University of Sydney, Macquarie University, and the CNRS.
New on Featured Creatures:
Robust crazy ant, Nylanderia bourbonica (Forel). Authors: Jason Williams and Andrea Lucky, Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida.
Do you have a favorite creature? Learn how to make it into a Featured Creatures!
The annual meeting of the Society of Nematologists was held August 13th to 16th.
ABOVE: UF Entomology and Nematology attendees included: Dr. Don Dickson, Dr. Billy Crow, Dr. Tesfa Mengistu, Dr. Zane Grabau, Dr. Peter DiGennaro, Dr. Maria Mendes, Dr. Alex Habteweld, Dr. Johan Desaeger (GCREC), Dr. Joe Noling (CREC), Dr. Robin Giblin-Davis (FLREC), and graduate students Mengyi Gu, Benjamin Waldo, Lesley Schumacher, Shova Mishra, Gideon Alake, Anil Baniya, Ruhiyyih Dyrdahl-Young, Alex Dritsoulas, Homan Regmi, and Sheng-Yen Wu.
ABOVE: UF fielded two teams in the annual Cobb Bowl Graduate Student Competition of Nematological Knowledge. Team Gator (Gideon Alake, Mengyi Gu, and M.S. Alumnus Kanan Katsuwa) came in 4th place and Team Methyl Bromide Alternatives (Benjamin Waldo, Lesley Schumacher, and Shova Mishra) won FIRST PLACE!
UF presentations at the meeting included:
Alake G, Timper P, Wright DL, Duncan LW, Crow WT, Alborn HT, Mekete T. From genes to biological control: A high-throughput sequencing approach to identifying potential nematode suppressive-soil microbial communities.
Gine N, Noling J, Rankine C. Use of color vegetation indices from UAV aerial mapping to evaluate Nimitz® efficacy controlling Belonolaimus longicaudatus in Florida strawberry.
Crow WT. Management of Meloidogyne incognita on Pittosporum tobira with fluensulfone and fluopyram.
Deseager J. Evaluation of new non-fumigant nematicides in Florida.
Grabau Z, Wright DL. Nematicides and crop rotation for management of plant-parasitic nematodes in Florida cotton.
Noling J. In-field evaluations of nematicidal compounds using simulated drip irrigation approaches for control of the sting nematode, Belonolaimus longicaudatus.
Mishra S, Abdelsamad N, DiGennaro PM. Examination of root-knot nematode responses to host circadian and diurnal rhythms.
Waldo B, Crow WT, Grabau ZJ, Mengistu TM. Nematicide effects on non-target nematode populations in Bermudagrass.
Wu SY, El-Borai FE, Duncan LW. The capacity of the saprophytic fungus Fusarium solani to affect the population dynamics and insecticidal efficiency of Steinernema diaprepesi.
Gu, M, Crow WT, Harmon PF. Bermudagrass root rot disease complex associated with two plant-parasitic nematodes and Pythium spp.
Schumacher L, Grabau, ZJ, Liao HL, Wright DL, Small IM. Sod-based rotation for Rotylenchulus reniformis management and effects on nematode community structure in peanut-cotton systems.
Filgueiras CC, Willett DS, Duncan LW. The role of plant defense pathways in mediating nematode interactions belowground.
Willett DS, Stelinski LL, Duncan LW, Shapiro-Ilan DI, Alborn HT. Learning about learning: Educating entomopathogenic nematodes for biological control.
Noling J, Vallad GE, Boyd N. Acheiving sting nematode control in Florida strawberry using vertical management zones.
Kanzaki N, Giblin-Davis RM, Gonzalez R, Manzoor M. Nematodes associated with palm and sugarcane weevils in south Florida with notes on a new species of Acrostichus.
Baniya A, Joseph S, Duncan LW, Crow WT, Mekete TM. Functional characterization of MI-TRA-1 and MI-SDC-1 in sex determination of Meloidogyne incognita.
Qui s, Chaparro J, Beckman T, Brito JA, Dickson DW. Evaluation of Meloidogyne floridensis and M. arenaria on resistant peach rootstock cv. Flordaguard.
Regmi H, Land C, Vallad GE, Hutton SF, Desaeger J. Impact of root knot nematodes and Fusarium wilt on tomato isolines that have or lack resistance to these pests.
Grabau Z, Treadwell DD, Perez JJ, Hochmuth RC. Nitrogen fertilizer rate affects the nematode community in organic and conventional carrot production.
Ide T, Kanzaki N, Parra Giraldo PP, Giblin-Davis RM. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) for detection of the red ring nematode, Bursaphelenchus cocophilus.
Mendes M, Dickson DW, Crow WT. Host status of yellow and purple nutsedge to Meloidogyne graminis.
Habteweld, A, Akyazi F, Joseph S, Crow WT, Mekete T. Description of Hirschmanniella (Nematoda: Pratylenchidae) population from rhizosphere soil of limpograss from Florida.
Courtney Stachowiak, who worked for Dr. Emma Weeks and Dr. Jim Cuda presented her undergraduate research at the American Fisheries Society conference in Tampa, FL (August 19th to the 24th). Courtney’s poster was titled “Influence of Predation by Mosquitofish on the Success of Hydrilla Biological Control Agent.” Courtney has recently started her MS research at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, University of Southern Mississippi. Courtney’s research will be on pelagic Sargassum in the Gulf of Mexico, specifically its nursery role function and relationship to recruitment of tripletail, gray triggerfish, mahi mahi and amberjack, among other taxa.
On August 24th Dr. Billy Crow taught a nematode management workshop for athletic field managers at the Austin Tindall Park Complex in Kissimmee, FL.
ABOVE: During the Farm Field Day at WFREC, Dr. Paula-Moraes presented results of the preliminary date of occurrence of the Lepidoptera in Florida Panhandle associated with field crops. The event had the participation of more than 100 farmers. The event was August 22nd.
Dr. Paula-Moraes was invited to present the seminar “Helicoverpa armigera in Americans: experiences and challenges going forward.” The presentation was at Entomology and Plant Pathology Department, at Auburn University to grad students and faculty. The presentation was August 28th.
Congratulations to Pest Management University’s September “hurricane class” of 2017, Termite Foundations! Companies represented: ABC Pest Control, Anderson Pest Control, Atlantic Pest Control, Bingham's Professional Pest Management, Blacks Spray Service, Bug Out Service/EPS, Dean's Services, Diligent Services, Ecologix, Geiger Pest Services, Good News Pest Solutions, Hoskin's Pest Control, Nozel Nolen, Paul Pest Control, Petri’s Positive Pest Solutions, Slug-A-Bug, and Vulcan Pest Control. The class was full despite Irma making her way to Florida. They worked through evenings in order to adjourn early. Extra kudos for perseverance!
From the Outreach Coordinator
Here are our events from August:
- August 16th – Boulware Springs Charter School – Laurel Lietzenmayer
Upcoming Events
- September 20th – STEM is Elementary Showcase
- September 21st – Glen Springs Elementary School
- September 23rd – Fun 4 Gators Touch-a-Truck
- October 8th – ButterflyFest
- October 15th – Alachua County Library
- October 21st – Brooker Creek Preserve
- October 28th- Tallahassee Science Festival
- November 2nd – Science Night at Metcalfe Elementary
- November 9th – Oak Hall Lower School
The live critters are always a hit with children and adults alike. The critters are available for you to check out should you be leading an outreach event. We have doubles of our most popular critters, as well as various native insect species depending on the time of year. We have large wood and Plexiglas cages for viewing our native orb weaving spiders. There is one travel cage and one larger static cage. Please be sure to contact us and review the protocol on transporting and handling the critters if you are not already familiar with it. If you lead an outreach, be sure to fill out a documentation form so your event can be included in the newsletter and we can log all outreach events.
If you have any questions, please email me.
Thank you — Laurel Lietzenmayer, Outreach Coordinator.
If you would like to schedule an event or have any outreach questions, go to the Outreach pages on our Bug Club website and contact us. Getting social!
Ms. Patricia Prade, a Ph.D. student in the laboratory of Dr. James P. Cuda, was awarded $9,000 from the FWC/IFAS mini-grant program to support her biological control research on Brazilian peppertree.
Dr. Mathews Paret (PI, Plant Pathology) and Dr. Xavier Martini (Co-PI, North Florida Research and Education Center) received the following grant from USDA-NIFA (Crop Protection and Pest Management Area; Applied Research and Development Program). Title: Development of an IPM Program for Rose Rosette Disease Using Systemic Acquired Resistance Inducer and Biocontrol Agents. Amount awarded: $195,456.
Edward Traczyk (M.S. student with Dr. Xavier Martini) was awarded a $9,788.81 grant from the Southern SARE Graduate Student Grant program to study the effects of herbivore-induced plant volatiles in various maturity stages of pepper on the attractiveness of Orius insidiosus.
Become a Global Gator!
Study abroad programs have the potential to help students of all academic fields to develop global competencies within the context of their discipline in another country. With that in mind, the UF International Center is pleased to invite colleges and departments to attend the Fall Study Abroad Fair at the Reitz Union North Lawn on Wednesday, September 20th from 10am to 3pm.
- UF study abroad program directors and independent program providers will have table displays and be available to answer questions.
- Former study-abroad students will share their international experiences.
- The UF Study Abroad Services staff will be available to explain the application process and to help students find the right program.
- Faculty members will learn about successful programs and be encouraged to sign up for a seminar on how to design their own faculty-led program
The International Center encourages prospective "Global Gators" to visit http://www.ufic.ufl.edu/sas/index.html or call (352) 273-1539 for more information. Overseas internship opportunities are available. Study abroad can be used to satisfy summer residency requirements and most financial aid can be used!
Getting social!
We have several social media sites for the Entomology & Nematology Department. To make them easily searchable, all three (YouTube, Facebook and Twitter) have the same page name: UFEntomology. Please share these links with past students or colleagues who may have an interest in departmental activities.
Want to stay up to date? Check out our website home page for a link to our Google calendar.
Dr. Jennifer Gillett-Kaufman is the newsletter editor and does the HTML coding. Issues usually are published by mid-month. Submit items for an issue by the seventh of that month.
We like to share news when it happens using our social media outlets: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. Follow us on these sites for daily updates! When you send news, we will post it on one or more of these sites and again in the monthly newsletter. Please be sure you have permission from people in photographs you submit for publication.
UF-Bugnews-L listserv subscribers receive notices when issues are posted. Our home page has instructions for subscribing and unsubscribing.
Special thanks to Haleigh Ray and Nancy Sanders, who reviewed the newsletter for errors, and to Jane Medley and Don Wasik, who built the web page design.
Give Back
Want to support the UF Entomology & Nematology Department? Consider making an online gift today! Questions can be directed to Christy Chiarelli at (352) 392-1975 or ccw@ufl.edu.
PO Box 110620, 970 Natural Area Drive, Steinmetz Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611
Phone: 352-273-3901, Fax: 352-392-0190
© UF/IFAS Entomology and Nematology Department. All rights reserved.