Eric Benson, an entomology professor at Clemson University, and Nick Seiter, a Clemson graduate student, are featured in this news video on the kudzu bug, an invasive insect originally from Asia. The insects get their names because they like to eat kudzu, but they are also potential pests of soybean and other crops. Watch the video below. 

Philip G. Koehler, a professor of urban entomology with the University of Floridas Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, and Roberto M. Pereira, an IFAS associate research scientist, worked with US Navy entomologist Jeffrey C. Hertz to create an innovative new fly control device.

As a carrier of as many as 100 types of germs, the common house fly is hardly as innocuous as its name might suggest.

Carl Jones, professor and head of the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of Tennessee and a former ESA Governing Board member, passed away Friday, February 1.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, February 18, at First United Methodist Church of Maryville, 804 Montvale Station Road, Maryville, Tennessee. Visitation will follow in the church fellowship hall.

Jon K. Gelhaus, an evolutionary biologist at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, recently received the Best Scientist in Nature and Environment Medal for his “significant contribution in Mongolian Environmental Science.” The award was issued by the Mongolian Ministry of Nature, Environment and Tourism through the Mongolian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Gelhaus is leading a multinational effort to improve water quality monitoring and standards in Mongolia.

Jody L. Gangloff-Kaufmann, a senior extension associate with the New York State Integrated Pest Management Program at Cornell University, is the author of Wasp and Bee Management: A Common-Sense Approach. The 88-page, full-color book includes detailed identification information for wasp, hornet, yellow jacket, and bee species common in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Great Lakes states and adjoining Canadian provinces. It is recommended for landscapers, homeowners, and pest management professionals.

Jessica L. Ware, an assistant professor at Rutgers University, has been selected to join an international team of more than 50 scientists embarking on a massive project to unravel the secrets of the evolutionary history of insects.

The 1KITE (1K Insect Transcriptome Evolution) project will unravel the secrets of the evolutionary history of insects using a molecular data set of unparalleled dimensions and quality.

Henry Fadamiro, Alumni Professor & Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Coordinator at Auburn University, has been named Auburn University’s Presidential Administrative Fellow for 2012. The Presidential Administrative Fellowship Program is designed to help individual faculty members gain senior administrative experience while applying his or her faculty experience to issues and programs that impact a broad segment of the university community.
 

Thomas Miller, an entomologist at the University of California, Riverside, has joined a team of Rwandan researchers to examine why a sizable portion of their coffee crop is being compromised by a defect called "potato taste." There is growing evidence that the potato taste may be in part caused by the antestia, or "stink bug."

Click here to read or listen to the interview.

Stuart Mitchell, principal technical specialist at PestWest Environmental, will complete a PhD in Clinical Psychology in September of this year.

His other degrees include Doctor of Science Osteopathic Medicine, PhD in Complimentary and Alternative Health Care, PhD in Entomology, PhD in Zoology, PhD in Biology, and Master of Public Health.

Dr. Mitchell is the only board certified (BCE) physician working full-time in the pest management industry. He also serves as a part-time volunteer observing physician.

      Dr. Rogers Leonard (right)

Dr. B. Rogers Leonard of Louisiana State University was named the 2012 winner of the Insect Research and Control Conference Award for Excellence in Cotton Integrated Pest Management.