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ABOVE: June bug pictured in the halls of Steinmetz Hall. Photo by Jenny Carr.
Dear Friends at UF
Dr. Fred Bennett passed away peacefully at home in his bed on the afternoon of Friday May 7th. Fred Bennett was a legend in biological control before he was hired by the University of Florida. Dr. Howard Frank wrote a biography for him, “A brief history of Frederick D. Bennett’s entomological career” published in December 2019 in Florida Entomologist 102(4): (763-766). He and his wife, Betty arrived in Gainesville in October 1985, and his arrival was followed by a headline in The Miami Herald saying that "Black Parlatoria Scale" had just been detected in Miami and was, of course, of great concern to citrus producers. He and Ru Ngyen (of DPI) and Howard Frank set off to Miami to investigate, followed by a visit to China by Fred to look for parasitoids. Welcome to Florida, Fred: you will be busy here. Sadly for Florida, he stayed less than eight years, during which he seemed to stay constantly calm and helpful and busy. Before his arrival in Florida he had been Director of the Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control, the head office of this organization was in Trinidad, and Fred had a string of successful projects under his belt.
-Dr. Howard Frank, Emeritus Professor
The Florida Green Building Coalition granted the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory the Platinum level certification. The facility was also awarded the highest 2020 rating for an FGBC commercial project in the state of Florida. Congratulations HBREL!!! Read the full WCJB story here.
The subterranean termite Lab with Dr. Nan-Yao Su and Dr. Thomas Chouvenc at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center had a very busy termite season in south Florida. This spring, they established a record 1,400 incipient laboratory colonies of Coptotermes species for research and to compensate for colony losses during COVID-19 restrictions.
We are very proud of our new spring, 2021 graduates!
Earning a Ph.D. degree this semester are:
Kristen Bowers (Dr. Minteer)
Reina Tong (Dr. Su)
Jason Williams (Dr. Lucky)
Graduating with an MS degree are:
Shannon Barry (Dr. DiGennaro)
Riley Gott (Dr. J. Miller)
Tyler Shaw (Dr. Paula-Moraes)
Bryce Shirk (Dr. Siegfried)
Lindsay Wheeler (Dr. Crow)
Our BS graduates are:
Samantha Demers
Decyo McDuffie
Dante Feliciano
Jacob Hornfeldt
Lucas Micheels
Caitlin Sollazzo
Mark Wilhelm
Jasleen Kaur, Ph.D. Student in Dr. Phil Hahn’s lab, was awarded the Florida Invasive Species Council (FISC) Julia Morton Invasive Plant Research Scholarship for her proposal titled, “Understanding Drivers of Variation in Biocontrol Efficacy of Invasive Plants Across Environmental Gradients.” Way to go Jasleen!
Congratulations undergraduates Brett Labella and Jordyn Ranfone for making College of Agricultural and Life Sciences Ambassadors for the 2021-2022 academic year!
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.
This year is expected to be a big one for periodical cicadas. The largest brood of 17-year cicadas, named Brood X, will start emerging in May. Periodical cicadas don’t occur in Florida, so you’ll have to drive to northern Georgia or farther to see and hear them. Many cicada enthusiasts and photographers will be traveling to experience millions of singing cicadas, and photograph wildlife feasting on the buffet.
ABOVE: Here's a comparison of a 17-year, Brood X periodical cicada, Magicicada septendecim, alongside one of our annual dogday cicadas. Figure by Dr. Lawrence Reeves.
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.
Antolinez CA, Moyneur T, Martini X, Rivera MJ. 2021. High Temperatures Decrease the Flight Capacity of Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae). Insects 12:394.
Brudvig LA, Turley NE, Bell-Dereske L, Breland S, Damschen EI, Evans SE, Gibbs J, Hahn PG, Isaacs R, Ledvina JA, Orrock JL, Sorenson QM, Stuhler JD. 2021. Restored ecosystems bear the long-lasting legacy of their agricultural past. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118:e2020935118.
Chouvenc T, Šobotník J, Engel MS, Bourguignon T. 2021. Termite evolution: mutualistic associations, key innovations, and the rise of Termitidae. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 78:2749-2769.
Pearson DE, Clark TJ, Hahn PG. 2021. Evaluating unintended consequences of intentional species introductions and eradications for improved conservation management. Conservation Biology (in press). doi:10.1111/cobi.13734.
Tong RL, Aguilera-Olivares D, Chouvenc T, Su NY. 2021. Nitrogen content of the exuviae of Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae). Heliyon 7:p.e06697.
Shu R, Hahn DA, Jurkevitch E, Liburd OE, Yuval B, Wong A. 2021. Sex-Dependent Effects of the Microbiome on Foraging and Locomotion in Drosophila suzukii. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.656406
New on Featured Creatures:
Rednecked peanutworm, Stegasta bosqueella (Chambers) written by Ethan Carter and Silvana V. Paula-Moraes.
Sealworm nematode, Pseudoterranova decipiens (Krabbe, 1878) written by Chad L. Cross and Peter DiGennaro.
Fig psyllid, Homotoma ficus (L.) written by Alexander Tasi and Tolulope Morawo.
Do you have a favorite creature? Learn how to make it into a Featured Creatures!
Dr. Thomas Chouvenc provided a series of virtual workshop sessions,
- Virtual workshop for the Texas Pest Control Association on the biology of the Formosan subterranean termite on April 21st.
- Virtual session for the Southeastern Pest Management Conference on the biology of termite king and queen on April 26th.
- Virtual training event for the Manatee Co. extension office at a pest control on April 9th.
- Workshop training on how to ID termite species in Florida to a large pest control company branch based in South Florida on April 13th.
Dr. Lawrence Reeves presented "Mosquito Diversity and Ecology in the Sky Islands Region of Southern Arizona" at the 2021 Arizona Vector Conference (virtual).
Entomology Education and Outreach News
return to topDon’t forget the Entomology and Nematology Education and Outreach Program is available and will accommodate to both virtual presentations and approved in person presentations too!
Recent Outreach events:
Future Outreach events:Throughout the month of April: Jennifer Standley, the UF Entomology and Nematology Student Outreach Coordinator and Dr. Rebecca Baldwin, the faculty Outreach Director, continued to provide virtual presentation to classes for the Alachua County School Board. Thank you to our volunteer Michele Himadi who attended.
April 5th – UF Seminar Art Class, Entomophagy Demonstration: Dr. Rebecca Baldwin, Jennifer Standley, and Sarah Tafel attended the event. There were all sorts of insect related things to eat and Dr. Baldwin provided a presentation of entomophagy.
April 24th – Earth Fest Marion County, Tuscawilla Park: In celebration of Earth Day, this festival had various environmental vendors with the UF Entomology included. Jennifer Standley and volunteers Chloe Pate, Ashley Morris, Danie Ysaguirrel attended the event. There were over 2,000 visitors and the entomology booth was quite popular with all of the live critters they brought.
April 29th – Plato Academy, Virtual Presentation: Jennifer Standley gave a presentation to preschoolers on being an entomologists. The students were very excited to see a female entomologist in training. They even sang her a song in the end about insects.
April 30th – Career Day Video: Dr. Rebecca Baldwin and Jennifer Standley made a short video for Alachua County School career day. Here’s to all the future entomologists it will inspire.
May 4th – Baby Gators visited the UF Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab: Jennifer Standley and Chris Oster, the HBREL Manager, gave the 5 year old youth a live demonstration inside a bee hive. Please see below the super cute photos of them in the bee suits. There was also a filming of the event by Baby Gators for future educational purposes. On top of it all, the littles got to see a swarm of honey bees collect on a nearby tree!
6/21-6/25: This will be in person…yes, we said IN-PERSON! The ghost-BUG-sters camp will be a week-long event for youth between the ages of 10-18. Campers will learn all about arthropods with ghostly names, see the ghost ant change colors based on diet, learn why the ghost mantis is not permitted in Florida, search for phantom bugs (stick insects) as they field collect, meet a “Scientist of the Day”, and get started on an insect collection they can submit at the Florida 4-H Insectathon. If entomology students wish to volunteer as camp leaders, please speak with Dr. Baldwin to receive a Bug Camp Volunteer Guide and register for mandatory youth conference training.
Entomology on the Go -
What’s better than a live show and tell of some really cool arthropods?! Our live petting zoo consists of: tarantulas, scorpions, vinegaroons, bess beetles, Madagascar hissing cockroaches, and native insects, when in season. With a short training program, they are available for you to check out should you be leading an outreach event, even if it is virtual. The critters are always popular with both youth and adults and are used as a tool to expose the public to STEM disciplines. We have large wood and Plexiglas cages for viewing our native orb weaving spiders. There is one travel cage and one larger static cage. We also have activity kits and lesson plans that are available as well. Please be sure to contact us and review the protocol on transportation and handling of the animals. If you lead an outreach event, be sure to fill out a documentation form so your event can be included in the newsletter and we can log all outreach events. Also, note that volunteering to assist with outreach events will count as departmental service for ENSO travel grants. (Please note that some venues require background checks or additional screening.)
If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please email us.
Cheers – Jennifer Standley, Outreach Coordinator
ABOVE: Sarah Tafel showing off the insect delicacies being offered for the entomophagy event to the UF Seminar Art Class on April 5th: Photo by Jennifer Standley.
ABOVE: Earth Fest Marion County on April 24th. Pictured from left to right: Danie Ysaguirrel, Chloe Pate, and Ashley Morris were troopers and volunteered all day with Outreach Coordinator Jennifer Standley at this Earth Day environmental festival.
ABOVE: Baby Gators visited the UF Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab on May 4th. Jennifer Standley (right) showing a live bee hive demo and Todd Ireland/Baby Gator Staff (center left). Photo by Brynn Johnson.
Getting social!
Use #UFBugs so our department can find and share your social posts easily!
Marcelo Mendes Rabelo, a post-doc working in Dr. Paula-Moraes program at the West Florida Research and Education Center has been award with the 2021 travel award from the Journal Toxins for their work “Demographic performance of Helicoverpa zea populations on dual and triple-gene Bt cotton”
Want grant writing tips? Check out the UF Libraries Grants Management Program
The ESA annual meeting will take place in Denver, Colorado October 31st to November 3rd. Registration will open in June.
UF Entomology Field Camp: June 21st to the 25th. If entomology students wish to volunteer as camp leaders, please speak with Dr. Baldwin. Find out more here.Want to stay up to date? Check out our website home page for a link to our Google calendar.
Postdoctoral spotlight – Dr. Erin Powell
Erin received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Florida with a minor in Entomology and Nematology. Erin then completed her Master of Science in the Entomology and Nematology with a thesis focusing on spider-hunting mud dauber wasps. During her time in the department, she also served as the outreach and education coordinator. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. Erin explored the evolution and ecology of endemic New Zealand harvestmen, in which males have extraordinarily exaggerated chelicerae (jaws) used as weapons in male-male competition. Intriguingly, a single species may have up to three male morphs, where chelicerae vary both in size and shape. Now, Erin is working with Dr. Lisa Taylor on a National Science Foundation-funded project examining the fitness benefits of color vision in jumping spiders. Erin has been interested in arthropods since she was a child and her curiosity for entomology continues to grow the more she learns. With her current research, she is excited to understand how the variation in visual systems of salticids might affect their foraging success. Outside of work, Erin enjoys macro photography, competing in agility trials with her dog, Wally, and fostering rescue dogs.
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Give Back
Want to support the UF Entomology & Nematology Department? Consider making an online gift today! Questions can be directed to Cody Helmer at (352) 392-1975 or chelmer@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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