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ABOVE: The drugstore beetle, Stegobium paniceum. Picture:
Dr. Thomas Chouvenc
Dr. Lawrence Reeves gave the keynote address “insights into the host associations of North American Mosquitoes” for the Texas Mosquito Control Association Annual Meeting on October 13, 2021, in Austin, TX.
Dr. Lawrence Reeves gave the keynote address “new insights into the host associations of North American Mosquitoes” for the Texas Mosquito Control Association Annual Meeting on October 13, 2021, in Austin, TX.
Dr. Lawrence Reeves presented “Resources for identifying mosquitoes in Florida” at the Florida Mosquito Control Association 6th Annual Entomologist/Biologist Meeting (virtual) on October 20, 2021.
On October 6, Drs. Billy Crow and Adam Dale and their labs presented their turfgrass pest management research at the annual North-Central Florida turfgrass field day at the UF Plant Science Unit in Citra, FL. There was a great crowd and lots of interest in Entomology and Nematology research.
Barry Alto releases new research on Zika transmissions: Insecticide targeting juvenile mosquitoes can enhance Zika transmissions.
A film crew from Hooded Crow Pictures visited the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station and the laboratory of Dr. Christine W. Miller on November 9th, 10th, and 11th to film the reproductive behavior of Narnia femorata, the main study species in the Miller Lab. Producer Kimberley Bartholomew, and Wildlife Cameraman Kevin Flay are contributing to a three part series on the evolutionary success of the insects, similar to the Life in the Undergrowth series.
ABOVE: Dr. Miller with Kevin Flay and Kim Bartholomew at the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station
The Taylor lab's work was featured in a recent Science News article: Jumping spiders’ remarkable senses capture a world beyond our perception.
ABOVE: Photo taken by Thomas Shahan
Congratulations to our Entomology student presentation award winners and their faculty mentors!
Xiaodi Wang - Dr. Derrick Mathias - MUVE: Diptera Biology and Control - 2nd Place
William Long - Dr. Adam Dale - P—IE: Plant - Insect Ecosystems - 2nd Place
Amanda Markee - Dr. Akito Kawahara: SysEB: Genetics and Molecular Biology - 1st Place
Gagandeep Kaur - Dr. Sriyanka Lahiri - P—IE: Chemical Ecology - 1st Place
Emilie Demard - Dr. Jawwad Qureshi: P—IE: Biocontrol - Predators - 2nd Place
Kelly Carruthers - Dr. Carey Minteer: P—IE: Biocontrol - General 2 - 2nd Place
Kristin Sloyer - Dr. Nathan Burkett - Cadena: MUVE: Mosquitos, Biting Midges, and Flies - 2nd Place
Sarah Maestas - Dr. Phil Kaufman: MUVE: Ecology - 1st Place
Robert Grosdidier - Dr. Phil Hahn - P—IE and SysEB: Biodiversity, Ecology, and Invasive Species - 1st Place
Shannon McAmis - Dr. Amanda Hodges - P—IE: Invasive Species and Vectors -1st Place
Yasmin Tavares - Dr. Lindsay Campbell - MUVE: Mosquito Biology, Management and Disease - 2nd Place
Toshita Barve - Dr. Akito Kawahara - MUVE and SysEB: Miscellaneous - 1st Place
Debate team with other members from Michigan State and Purdue University
Congratulations to PhD student, Kelly Carruthers, on winning second place
in the BioControl- General 2 section of the student competition at the Entomological Society of America’s annual meeting. Kelly’s paper was titled, “Assessing emigration of the biocontrol agent, Pseudophilothrips ichini,
from herbicide-treated Brazilian peppertree.” Kelly is working in Dr. Carey Minteer’s lab.
UF Entomology and Nematology is launching Make It Count, a mentorship program for students in the department. The program is a student led initiative designed for REC and Gainesville campus students. Our mission is to build professional networks amongst students and to support students navigating early careers in entomology.
We are currently recruiting 2nd year master's and 3rd – 5th year PhD students to mentor undergraduates and first-year graduate students in the department. We are seeking people who are interested in gaining mentorship experience or are already mentoring/supervising other students but looking for a way to formalize that experience.
Mentors will have the opportunity to build their professional networks and gain mentorship experience that is valuable in both academic and industrial job markets. Each year, our program will highlight outstanding mentors with an annual award given to recognize excellence and commitment in mentorship.
If you are interested in joining Make It Count as a mentor, please visit our website at to sign-up. If you have questions, reach out to our program chair, Sarah Anderson Weaver at andersonsarah@ufl.edu to learn more about the program.
Pictured above are the 2021 members of the Mentor Matching Program Committee. Top row from left to right: Decyo McDuffie (IDEA board representative), Sarah Anderson (committee chair), and James Brown (membership coordinator). Bottom left from top to bottom: Brett LaBella (Bug Club board representative), Andrea Lucky (faculty representative). Bottom right: James Pinkney (ENSO board representative).
________________________________________________________________________Kristin Dunn, a Doctoral Candidate in the Branham Lab, participated in the Scientist in Every Florida School program on October 20th and 21st. The program is organized by the Thompson Earth Systems Institute and works to connect scientists with K-12 classrooms.
Kristin presented four remote lectures titled "Animal Classification: Levels of classification and their importance in science" to 83 eighth grade students at Ponce de Leon Middle School in Miami-Dade County.
Kristin presented the talk "Morphological changes in the tracheal system during subsequent life stages of Photinus pyralis (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)" virtually at the Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting.
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: Scolia dubia, Scoliid Wasps
Andrei Sourakov recently took these photos of Scolia dubia visiting goldenrod. Scoliid wasps are usually considered to be beneficial since they parasitize scarab beetle grubs, including some pest species that feed on the roots of turfgrasses.
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.
Johnalyn Gordon, who graduated with a MSc, and Joseph Velenovsky, currently a PhD student, both under Thomas Chouvenc at the FLREC, recently published a termite control paper that used 1.68 million termites for their experiment, a scale not previously seen in this field of research for a laboratory experiment. The work of both students was publicized in various news outlet including PCT: Click here to read the article.
ABOVE: Johnalyn Gordon and Joseph Velenovsky working on their contril termite experiment.
Alomar AA, Eastmond BH, Alto BW. 2021. Juvenile hormone analog enhances Zika virus infection in Aedes aegypti. Scientific Reports 11(1): pp. 1-9
Avery PB, Duren EB, Qureshi JA, Adair Jr RC, Adair MM, Cave RD. 2021. Field efficacy of Cordyceps javanica, white oil and spinetoram for management of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri. Insects 12, 824. doi.org/10.3390/insects12090824
Pick DA, Avery PB, Qureshi JA, Arthurs SP Powell CA. 2021. Field persistence and pathogenicity of Isaria fumosorosea for management of Diaphorina citri. Biocontrol Science and Technology (In press; doi.org/10.1080/09583157.2021.1976727)
Habteweld A, Mendes ML, Inserra RN, Crow WT. 2021. Phylogenetic relationships of Belonolaimus longicaudatus populations associated with turfgrasses in the southeastern USA. Nematropica 51: 41-55.
Crow WT. 2021. Diagnosing lance nematodes on bermudagrass. Golf Course Management October 2021: 60-64
Norrbom AL, Muller A, Gangadin A, Sutton BD, Rodriguez EJ, Savaris M, Lampert S, Rodriguez Clavijo PA, Steck GJ, Moore MR, Nolazco N, Troya H, Keil CB, Padilla A, Wiegmann, Cassel B, Branham M, and Ruiz-Arce R. 2021. New species and host plants of Anastrepha (Diptera: Tephritidae) primarily from Suriname and Pará, Brazil. Zootaxa 5044 (1): 001–074.
Cerritos-Garcia DG, Avery PB, Martini X, Candian V, Cano LM, Cave RD. 2021. In vitro effects of leaf extracts from Brassica rapa on the growth of two entomopathogenic fungi. Journal of Fungi 7(9), 779.
Yanchula KZ, Alto BW. 2021. Paternal and maternal effects in a mosquito: A bridge for life history transition. Journal of Insect Physiology 131: 104243.
Bellamy S, Alto BW. 2021. The role of predation in determining traits of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) and infection with Zika virus. 58(3): 1197-1201.
Zimler RA, Yee DA, Alto BW. 2021. Transmission potential of Zika virus by Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) and Ae. mediovittatus (Diptera: Culiciae) populations from Puerto Rico. Journal of Medical Entomology 58(3): 1405-1411.
Mullins A, Chouvenc C, Su N-Y. 2021. Soil organic matter is essential for colony growth in subterranean termites. Scientific Report 11: 21252. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00674-z
Cerritos-Garcia DG, Avery PB, Martini X, Candian V, Cano LM, Cave RD. 2021. In Vitro Effects of Leaf Extracts from Brassica rapa on the Growth of Two Entomopathogenic Fungi. Journal of Fungi, 7(9), 779.
Erick J. Rodriguez, graduate student in the Branham lab, was invited to present the talk titled “Exceptional larval morphology of nine Anastrepha species and their distribution across the mucronota species group (Diptera: Tephritidae)” at the 2021 ESA Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado.
Erick J. Rodriguez co-organized and moderated the Symposium “Tephritidae Systematics, Diagnostics, Phylogeny, Evolution and Natural History” at the 2021 ESA Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado.
Octavio Menocal, PhD Candidate in Dr. Carrillo’s lab gave a talk titled “Hidden life history traits of an ambrosia beetle,” at the Annual Meeting of the Entomological Society of America held in Denver, Colorado.
Entomology Education and Outreach News
return to topDon’t forget the Entomology and Nematology Education and Outreach Program is available and will accommodate with both virtual presentations and in person presentations!
Recent Outreach events: The weather is finally cooling off and the requests are coming in for outreach activities 😀
October 12th – FL Museum of Natural History Nature Walk, Paynes Prairie: Jennifer Standley participated in a guided hike and presented on arthropods for the museum. The presentation was turned into part of a video series featured on their website https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/kids/museum-in-the-parks/
October 13th – UF Major Minors Fair: This was a great event headed by Dr. Rebecca Baldwin that I’m sure will recruit some new students to the Entomology Department. Thank you to volunteers: Brett LaBella, Jordyn Ranfone, Sarah Tafel, Robert Grosdidier, Nikita Patel, Clebson Tavares, Rosleen Herrera, Rhys Campo, Nikita Patel, and James Pinkney.
October 14th – UF CALS Navigator: Dr. Rebecca Baldwin outdid herself with one awesome display. This was a huge turnout, and it was a great time introducing students to the Entomology Department. Thank you to volunteers: Brett LaBella, Jordyn Ranfone, Cameryn Lein, Cameron Zuck, Sarah Tafel, Wilhelm Piwowarek, Nolan Missigman, Rosleen Herrera, Helen Beiriger, Rhys Campo, Nikita Patel, Kenna Stone, and Lauren Roberts.
October 16th – Tallahassee Science Festival Booth: This event has a heavy focus on STEM and we made the journey to be a part of it. We joined up with Dr. Xavier Martini and his students. Thank you to volunteers: Joey Gonsiorek, Nikita Patel, & Alex B. Orfinger.
October 24th – Ft. Clarke UMC Campuses (Grace and Trinity) “Trunk or Treat”: This was a huge event that Dr. Amanda Hodges organized and we were lucky enough to accompany. There were well over 1,000 visitors to both events. Thank you to volunteers: Sarah Tafel, Sarah Birkmire, Adam Pitcher, Jennifer Gavilanez-Slone, Alexander McMillian, Clayton Bania, and Shannon McAmis.
October 26th – Baby Gators visit: Jennifer Standley visited the 3 and 4 year old Baby Gators and gave them a crash course into entomology and the petting zoo.
October 28th – Master Gardeners Tour: Dr. Phil Koehler organized this event with a great introduction to urban entomology. Jennifer Standley discussed honey bees and Luke Prescott discussed termites to the group.
Future Outreach Event
***VOLUNTEERS NEEDED*** Save the date and volunteer! You won’t want to miss this totally rad event. This is the largest fair in Florida State Fair, starting on Thursday Feburary 10th and ending on the 21st, 2022! What’s better than hanging with fellow students, eating fair food, riding rides, looking at farm/exotic animals, and so much more. Volunteers are needed and this is a perfect opportunity to earn your Outreach volunteer hours to be eligible to apply for scholarships.
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.
https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/outreach/department-outreach-information/
ABOVE: Left to right: Dr. Rebecca Baldwin, Rosleen Herrera, Rhys Campo, Clebson Tavares, Sarah Tafel, Jennifer Standley, and James Pinkney at the UF Majors and Minors Fair
ABOVE: Left to right: Rhys Campo, Kenna Stone, Rosleen Herrera, Lauren Roberts, Cameron Zuck, and Dr. Rebecca Baldwin at the UF CALS Navigator.
ABOVE: Left to right: Kathi Malta, Iris Strzyzewski, Rowda Altamimi, Dr. Zavier Martini, Joey Gonsiorek, Jennifer Standley, and Nikita Patel at the Tallahassee Science Festival
ABOVE: Left to right: Adam Pitcher, Sarah Birkmire, Dr. Amanda Hodges, Sarah Tafel, Alexander McMillian, and Jennifer Standley at the Ft. Clarke “Trunk or Treat” event
Getting social!
Use #UFBugs so our department can find and share your social posts easily!
Dr. Kirsten Pelz-Stelinski (PI) and Dr. Bryony Bonning (co-PI) have been awarded a USDA grant for $1.02 million entitled: “SP: Targeting the Asian Citrus Psyllid Gut to block Candidatus Liberibacter Asiaticus Transmission.
Dr. Martini’s lab received a $29,455 grant from the Florida Tomato committee. Title: “Using colored kaolin clay and natural repellents to control whitefly populations in tomato crop
Want grant writing tips? Check out the UF Libraries Grants Management Program
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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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