Kim Hoelmer, a research entomologist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit, is exploring the use of a tiny parasitic wasp to control the brown marmorated stink bug, a nuisance insect pest and a threat to fruit and vegetable growers in the eastern part of the U.S. Hoelmer keeps a collection of the wasps and the stink bugs alive so he can test the potential for a predator-prey control.

Neil Tsutsui, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and Cameron Currie, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, are featured in this article about decoding ant genomes. Click here for the full article.
 

W. Joe Lewis, a retired research entomologist who worked for nearly 40 years for the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, is featured in this New York Times article about the Wasp Hound, a device he invented with Glen C. Rains. The Wasp Hound is a hand-held device containing five parasitic wasps. These flying, stinger-less insects have outperformed dogs in tests that measure scent detection of cadavers, but research shows that they can be taught to sniff out anything: explosives, drugs and even that newly resurgent scourge: bedbugs.

Nancy M. Troyano, who works for Ehrlich Pest Control, is featured in this local TV news video from Pennsylvania on the brown marmorated stink bug. Click here for the video and the article.

David G. Hall, a research leader at the USDA-ARS Subtropical Insects Research Unit in Fort Pierce, Florida, was featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams during a report on the effects of the Asian citrus psyllid and the disease it transmits, citrus greening disease. More than 150,000 acres of abandoned groves exist in Florida, and these groves serve as a reservoir of psyllids and disease for spread into commercial citrus groves, threatening Florida's nine-billion dollar citrus industry.

Maureen Coetzee, director of the Malaria Entomology Research Unit at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa, has had a subgenus of the Aedes mosquito named after her in recognition of her contribution to the field.  Read the full article.

Tracy Leskey, a U.S. Department of Agriculture entomologist, talked about the voracious and ubiquitous brown marmorated stink bug, or BMSB, as nearly 400 homeowners, gardeners, and commercial fruit and vegetable growers listened. The  session took place at the National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia. The stink bugs have now been spotted in 30 different states.

Laura C. Harrington, a professor at Cornell University, recently discovered that mosquitoes sing to each other during mating in a “delicate duet” and that the ability to sing well is correlated to mating success. The findings could help control Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmits yellow fever, dengue fever, and Chikungunya. Click here for the full article.

James Glasier, a student at the University of Alberta, has discovered more than 40 new ant species in Alberta. Altogether, he has more than doubled the number of known ant species in Alberta from 40 to 89. Click here for the full article.

A career of studying beetles has earned Brett Ratcliffe an honorary membership into the Coleopterists Society. The award was presented during the organization's annual meeting in December in San Diego. The international society is devoted to the study of beetles. The award is the Coleopterists Society's highest honor, given in recognition of devotion to the study of beetles and dedication to the discipline.