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ABOVE: Tom Bean, Biological Scientist in the Crow Lab, retired in April. He plans to spend his time traveling, visiting his kids and grandkids, and golfing.
Dr. Adam Wong joined the Editorial Board of Journal of Economic Entomology as the Subject Editor for Molecular Entomology.
2019 UF Research Foundation Professor Awardees Announced!
Dr. Jeff Bloomquist
Dr. Jiri Hulcr
Dr. Lukasz Stelinski
All awardees will receive a $5,000 bonus to their annual pay for each of the next three years. In addition, the awardees will receive a one time stipend of $3,000 for use in supporting their research.
Dr. Phil Kaufman was named the 2019 Outstanding Advisor of the Year by the Fraternity of Alpha Zeta. Dr. Kaufman serves as the faculty advisor of the Florida chapter. The fraternity is an honorary, professional society for students and industry professionals in the agriculture and natural resources fields.
Dr. Roberto Pereira represented UF at the University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Showcase in Washington, D.C., on April 10th. The showcase was organized by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the Association of American Universities, to highlight the role of federally-funded university research in fueling entrepreneurship, innovation and economic opportunity nationwide. Members of Congress, their staff, and national economic development and innovation policy members were present at this event. While in D.C., Dr. Pereira met with several Congressional staff and with two Florida representatives.
ABOVE: Dr. Roberto Pereira, second from left, with (from left), director of UF Innovate Jim O’Connell, Italian businessman Enrico Levi, and Florida congressional representative Gus Bilirakis in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Carey R. Minteer has been elected to serve on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Board of Directors. The mission of the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council is to support the management of invasive exotic plants in Florida's natural areas by providing a forum for the exchange of scientific, educational, and technical information. Dr. Minteer will serve a 2-year term on the Board.
Dr. Alain Robert from Université de Paris Est Creteil, France, left the Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center on April 30th, after spending five weeks with the Chouvenc Lab. Dr. Robert spend two weeks more than originally planned on site, to successfully complete a collaborative project initiated in 2018 concerning termite pheromones. More than 1,500 termite glands were dissected during this time frame, but this effort paid off and the project was wrapped after two swarming seasons. Dr. Robert was able to teach great skills to the students in the termite lab. We hope to see him again the coming years for more exciting projects.
The Insectes Sociaux journal highlighted an article published by Dr. Chouvenc in their latest issue.
ABOVE: Please welcome Dr. Fiona Cross who will be joining Dr. Lisa Taylor’s Lab for the next six months. Dr. Cross is an expert in spider cognition and will be working with us on our NSF-funded project on Evarcha culicivora, a Kenyan jumping spider that specializes at feeding on blood-carrying mosquitoes. You can read more about Fiona’s work online.
UF DNA Day sent 30 graduate students and postdocs from the Entomology and Nematology Department and the UF Genetics Institute to 14 schools throughout central and north Florida. The program reached almost 1,000 high school biology students and included hands-on activities and lessons about DNA and careers in science. Some of the major goals of DNA Day are to demystify science career paths for rural high school students and nurture a desire for service and outreach in UF graduate students. Special thanks to the UF Genetics Institute, the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural Education and Communication, and NC DNA Day. This effort was coordinated by Dr. Peter DiGennaro and the UF Genetics Institute.
The Hahn Lab is proud to announce the creation of a new lab website and twitter account! Please check us out at www.HahnBugLab.com, or on twitter (@HahnBugLab).
In early May the Kawahara Lab and Dr. Lawrence Reeves appeared on PBS Nature: American Spring Live.
We are proud to announce our graduate students that are graduating this spring:
Earning a Ph.D. this semester are:
Dr. Mengyi Gu (Dr. Crow)
Dr. Lorena Lopez (Dr. Liburd)
Dr. Bethany McGregor (Dr. Burkett-Cadena)
Dr. Cory Penca (Dr. Hodges)
Dr. Holly Shugart (Dr. Rogers)Our M.S. recipients are:
James Brown (Dr. Hahn)
Laura Harmon (Dr. E. Weeks)
Chastity Perry (Dr. Mathias)
Morgan Pinkerton (Dr. Hodges)
Matthew Quenaudon (Dr. Carrillo)
Erik Roldan Salazar (Dr. Beuzelin)
We wish our graduates every success!
Ph.D. student Kristen Bowers attended the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council annual conference in Daytona Beach, FL March 27th to 29th. Kristen participated in the student competition and gave a presentation titled “Evaluating the Impact of Two Herbivores on Brazilian Peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolia)”. Kristen won second place in the competition. Kristen is working in Dr. Carey Minteer’s lab.
Congratulations to Zach Emberts, a graduate student in Dr. Christine Miller’s Lab, for having his NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology recommended for funding. For his postdoc, Zach will investigate speciation and weapon evolution in the leaf-footed bug (Hemiptera: Coreidae) clade at the University of Arizona. This work will expand upon the foundational leaf-footed bug research conducted by Dr. Miller and her lab.
Lesley Schumacher, a Ph.D. Candidate in Dr. Zane Grabau’s Lab, won second place in the poster competition at the 2019 National Sustainability Summit in Tampa, FL that took place April 16th to 19th. The title of Lesley’s poster was “Can Pesticide Application be Reduced in Sod-Based Rotation?”
ABOVE: On April 13th, Entomology students Bethany McGregor, Kristin Sloyer, and technician Alfred Runkel attended the annual Southeastern Trophy Deer Association meeting in Orlando, FL. along with several graduate students and technicians from the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation (not pictured), they represented UF's Cervidae Health Research Initiative (CHeRI). They presented information regarding the ecology of Culicoides spp., which transmit epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus and bluetongue virus to white-tailed deer in Florida.
SKYPE brings Florida classrooms to the world. Rachel Atchison in the news!
Nicole Abruzzo, a Wildlife Ecology major and an Entomology and Nematology minor, is a recipient of a 2019-2020 University Scholars Program award. Nicole will complete her research on dog heartworm detection in mosquitoes under the direction of Dr. Phil Kaufman and Dr. Emma Weeks.
Matthew Miller (MS student, with Dr. Chouvenc and Dr. Lucky), presented his thesis proposal on April 11th at the FLREC, about the biology of a new invasive ant (Plagiolepis alluaudi) in Florida.
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.
ABOVE: We all know that lots of exotic pest insects make their way into Florida, but sometimes beneficial insects do the same. The ladybird beetle Thalassa montezumae was first found in Florida in 2009 in Homestead. In south Florida it feeds on croton scales. Lyle has seen this beetle several times here in Gainesville, where it feeds on another large soft scale, the tuliptree scale. The larvae are covered with an interesting pattern of white wax.
If you need insect images for a publication or presentation for your UF/IFAS Extension or teaching work, 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. Billy Crow.
Bibbs CS, Bloomquist JR, Hahn DA, Kaufman PE, Xue RD. 2019. Gone in 60 seconds: Sub-lethal effects of metofluthrin vapors on behavior and fitness of resistant and field strains of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae). Journal of Medical Entomology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjz048.
Bibbs CS, Hahn DA, Kaufman PE, Xue RD. 2018. Sublethal effects of a vapour-active pyrethroid, transfluthrin, on Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus fecundity and oviposition behavior (Diptera: Culicidae). Parasites & Vectors. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-018-3065-4.
Goode AB, Minteer CR, Foley JR, Tipping PW, Valmonte RJ, Knowles BK, Gettys LA. 2019. Host range of Lepidelphax pistiae (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) and its potential impact on Pistia stratiotes L. (Araceae). Biocontrol Science and Technology. 6:1-9. DOI: 10.1080/09583157.2019.1587738
Goode AB, Minteer CR, Tipping PW, Knowles BK, Valmonte RJ, Foley JR, Gettys LA. 2019. Small-scale dispersal of a biological control agent- Implications for more effective releases. Biological Control. 132:89-94. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocontrol.2019.01.016
Hoyer IJ, Acevedo C, Wiggins K, Alto BW, Burkett-Cadena ND. 2019. Patterns of abundance, host use, and Everglades virus infection in Culex (Melanoconion) cedecei mosquitoes, Florida, USA. Emerging Infectous Diseases. 25(6): 1093-1100. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2506.180338
McGregor BL, Erram D, Acevedo C, Alto BW, Burkett-Cadena ND. 2019. Vector competence of Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) for epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus serotype 2 strains from Canada and Florida. Viruses. 11: 367. DOI: 10.3390/v11040367.
Olafson P, Kaufman PE, Duvallet G, Solórzano J, Taylor D, Trout Fryxell R. 2019. Frequency of kdr and kdr-his alleles in stable fly (Diptera: Muscidae) populations from the United States, Costa Rica, France, and Thailand. Journal of Medical Entomology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjz012.
Ray HA, Stuhl CJ, Kane ME, Ellis JD, Daniels JC, Gillett-Kaufman JL. 2019. Aspects of the pollination biology of Encyclia tampensis, the commercially exploited butterfly orchid, and Prosthechea cochleata, the endangered clamshell orchid, in south Florida. Florida Entomologist. 102(1): 154-160.
Schmidlin K, Kraberger S, Fontenele RS, De Martini F, Chouvenc T, Gile GH, Varsani A. 2019. Genome sequences of microviruses associated with Coptotermes formosanus. Microbiology Resource Announcements. 8: e00185-19. DOI: 10.1128/MRA.00185-19.
Tucker NSG, Kaufman PE, Weeks ENI. 2019. Identification of permethrin and etofenprox cross-resistance in Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (Latrielle) (Acari: Ixodidae). Pest Management Science. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.5391.
Waldo BD, Grabau ZJ, Mengistu TM, Crow WT. 2019. Nematicide effects on non-target nematodes in bermudagrass. Journal of Nematology. DOI: 10.21307/jofnem-2019-009.
New on Featured Creatures:
Salvinia weevil, Cyrtobagous salviniae (Calder & Sands) Authors: Patricia Prade, Eutychus Kariuki, and Adam G. Dale.
Giant burrowing mayfly, Hexagenia limbata (Serville, 1829). Authors: Alexander B. Orfinger and Andrea Lucky.
Do you have a favorite creature? Learn how to make it into a Featured Creatures!
Dr. Lawrence Reeves was an invited speaker at the Florida Mosquito Control Association 5th Annual Entomologist/Biologist Meeting in Naples, Florida, where he presented "Host-Use Patterns of Uranotaenia sapphirina" on April 17th.
Dr. James P. Cuda was invited to give a presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Technical Advisory Group on Biological Control of Weeds held in Davie, FL, April 9th to 11th. Dr. Cuda’s presentation was titled “Test Plant List for Candidate Biological Control Agents of Cogongrass, Imperata cylindrica.” The presentation was co-authored by Dr. William A. Overholt.
Dr. James P. Cuda was an invited speaker for the Annual Meeting of the Florida Vegetation Management Society held in Daytona Beach, FL, April 10th to 12th. Dr. Cuda gave a presentation titled, “Can Insects Really Affect Growth and Reproduction of Brazilian Peppertree?” The presentation was co-authored by doctoral student Patricia Prade.
Dr. James P. Cuda attended the Southwest Chapter Workshop of the Florida Lake Management Society held in Tarpon Springs, FL, on April 15th.
Dr. Billy Crow presented “How nematicides work” to golf course audiences in Lakeland FL, The Woodlands TX, Sugar Land TX, Orlando FL, and Plantation FL on April 10th, 16th, 17th, 23rd, and 24th, respectively.
Dr. Billy Crow presented “Diagnosis and management of nematodes in lawns and landscapes” at the Duval County Extension Office in Jacksonville FL on April 9th.
From the Outreach Coordinator
April Outreach Events:
April 1-3rd- Cornell Entomology Club visit: Dr. Baldwin, Clayton Bania, Johanna Schwartz
April 6th- Bugfest!: Dr. Baldwin, Clayton Bania, and the undergraduate Entomology Club
April 6th- Bug walk Alachua County: Dr. Lucky, Sarah Steele Cabrera, Rachel Atchinson, Jessica Diaz, David Campbell, Sean McKay
April 12th- ESE Sidney Lainer Visit: Dr. Baldwin, Clayton Bania
April 12th- Field and Fork: Clayton Bania
April 19th- Clay County Emerging leaders tour: Dr. Baldwin
April 20th- Earth Day at Dudley Farms: Clayton Bania
April 23rd- Cornerstone Academy: Dr. Baldwin
April 25th- STEAM night at Talbot ES: Dr. Weeks
ABOVE: The Florida Museum’s Butterfly Gardens at Elementary Schools project led by Dr. Andrei Sourakov has conducted a record seven plantings this season. Schools include P. K. Yonge Elementary, Micanopy Area Cooperative school, Sidney Lanier learning center, Morning Meadows, and several others.
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 —Clayton Bania, 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!
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 grant writing tips? Check out the UF Libraries Grants Management Program!
In collaboration with Dr. Samantha Wisely in the Department of Wildlife Ecology, Dr. Phil Kaufman and doctoral student Sarah Maestas were awarded an Ordway Swisher Biological Station Jump Start Award for $56,973. The project, A comparison of ectoparasites of sylvatic and urban wildlife in northern Florida, will provide valuable data on the ectoparasites and associated zoonotic pathogens circulating in urban and rural Florida ecosystems.
Announcing the 102nd meeting of the Florida Entomological Society
Hold the date and plan to attend the annual meeting of the Florida Entomological Society, July 21 to the 24th in Jupiter, Florida!
This year will be back at the Jupiter Beach Resort and Spa which has been a wonderful venue for our meeting in the past (https://www.jupiterbeachresort.com/). Rooms will be $139/night (single/double occupancy or quad for students), with no resort fee, and government rate rooms will also be available. Plan to bring your family and enjoy the same room rates for up to three days before or after the meeting. Look for announcements soon requesting symposia topics, your submitted and student competition papers, member honors and awards nominations, and student scholarships, travel awards and mini-grants. We will be working hard to assemble an exciting and diverse scientific program and look forward to seeing you there.
Your FES annual meeting organizing team,
Heather McAuslane, Jawwad Qureshi, Gregg Nuessly and Teresa Duchene
FES Honors and Awards 2019
The Florida Entomological Society Honors and Awards Committee is requesting nominations for 2019 in the following categories:
- Entomologist of the year
- Annual Achievement Award for Research
- Annual Achievement Award for Extension
- Annual Achievement Award for Industry
- Annual Achievement Award for Teaching
- Annual Achievement Award for Regulatory Entomology
- Achievement Award for a Collaborative Research Team
Each nomination should be accompanied by a clear justification for why the nominee is deserving of the award and a concise justification narrative that will be read at the awards luncheon. Winners will be announced at the 2019 Annual Meeting in Jupiter.
The deadline for nominations is June 20, 2019.
Nominations should be sent to,
Adam Dale [Chair, Honors and Awards Committee]
University of Florida, IFAS
Entomology and Nematology Department
Gainesville, FL 32611
Ph: 352-273-3976
Fax: 352-392-0190
E-mail: agdale@ufl.edu
The 2019 Termite Course registration is open for non-credit students. This weeklong course is an in-depth session on general termite biology, and will focus on evolution, ecology, symbiosis, behavior, and control. The course will be provided by a panel of 12 international instructors with robust knowledge of termite biology. The course will take place on June 3rd to the 8th, 2019 at the Ft. Lauderdale Research and Education Center. The registration for the termite course 2019 closes on May 10th!
The program for the 2019 international termite course is now completed and registration is open. This session will feature 12 speakers from all around the world, and will have an large international student attendance. Seats are limited in number.
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 Eleanor Phillips and Dr. Phil Kaufman, 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
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