Entomology Commons^™

Creating Sustainable School And Home Gardens: The Buzz About Bees, Kaitlin U. Campbell, Rita Hagevik, Kathy Cabe Trundle

All Current Publications

This fact sheet describes bees--honey bees and native bees--and the services they provide as pollinators. It describes the threats that bees face, including habitat loss, pesticide use, climate change, and diseases and parasites. It also outlines ways to help bees.

Systematics, Biogeography, And Comparative Morphology Of Emerald And Tigertail Dragonflies (Anisoptera: Synthemistidae & Corduliidae), Aaron M. Goodman

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata Fabricius, 1793) are among the most widely recognized and charismatic insect groups, whose significance have permeated throughout artwork, culture, and religion. They are highly mobile predators, currently consisting of ~ 6,500 species, and possessing some of the complex visual color systems, visual acuity, and flight patterns on Earth. Odonata are the among the earliest flying insects, with proto-odonates (Griffinflies) dating back to the Carboniferous (~360mya), with crown-odonata fossils stretching back to the Triassic (~250mya). Overall, dragonflies and damselflies are considered models of ecological and evolutionary research due to their long evolutionary history, range of habitats, and …

Native Ticks As A Model For The Effectiveness Of Fire As A Tool For The Management Of Cattle Fever Ticks In South Texas, Lauren P. Maestas, Sarah E. Mays Maestas, Kathleen M. Yeater, Manuel Zavala, Reyes Garcia, John A. Goolsby

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

The species of cattle fever ticks (CFT) present in North America, Rhipicephalus (=Boophilus) annulatus, and R. microplus, remain an important agricultural and economic burden. The use of acaricides to control CFT has been a common practice over the past half century. However, alternative strategies for control are needed to improve the options for sustainable pest control. Fire is a tool to manage vegetation, and some evidence supports its potential for use to control ticks. We evaluated the effectiveness of fire as a management tool for ticks in South Texas. Our site was a 28.2-ha property in Cameron …

From Larvae To Livelihoods: Examining The Realities Of Black Soldier Fly Farming In Malawi, Emily Herriott

Capstone Collection

Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae offer a cost-effective, nutrient-rich alternative to synthetic fertilizers and conventional feed inputs such as soy, fishmeal, and maize bran in sub-Saharan Africa. In Malawi, where smallholder farmers grapple with declining soil fertility, high input prices, chronic food insecurity, and livestock nutritional challenges, BSF farming is emerging as a promising circular agricultural innovation. Despite its technical promise, the social, economic, and ecological realities of BSF adoption remain underexplored.This study investigates the early implementation of BSF farming in Malawi through the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, focusing on farmer experiences, challenges, and the social and structural processes shaping uptake …

Book Reviews, William L. Hilsenhoff, Roger G. Bland, M. C. Nielson

The Great Lakes Entomologist

THE MAYFLIES OF NORTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA, George F. Edmunds, Jr., Steven L. Jensen, and Lewis Berner. 330 p., 432 figs. University of Minnesota Press, 1976. $28.50.

INSECTS AND THE LIFE OF MAN. Sir Vincent Wigglesworth. Halsted Press of John Wiley & Sons, N.Y. 217 p. $12.50.

A FIELD GUIDE TO THE BUTTERFLIES OF THE WEST INDIES. Normal D. Riley. A Demeter Press Book, Quadrangle-The New York Times Book Co., 1976. 224 pp., 24 colored plates. $12.50.

A Teratomorphic Stonefly (Plecoptera: Nemouridae), Allen W. Knight, Clifford A. Siegfried

The Great Lakes Entomologist

A single nymph of over 2000 specimens of Taeniopteryx nivalis collected in 1968 from Gull Creek, Kalamazoo County, Michigan (T25:R9W:S6), had a double flagellum on the left antenna (Fig. 1). The more laterally placed flagellum was perfectly formed and of normal length, whereas the inner one was less than half the normal length but appeared normally structured. The flagella shared a common pedicel.

Pollination Of Staghorn Sumac By Ants, Orin G. Gelderloos

The Great Lakes Entomologist

[Excerpt]

A population of worker ants, Prenolepis imparis Say (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), was observed pollinating the hermaphroditic flowers of staghorn sumac, Rhus nphina. at the University of Michigan-Dearborn in western Wayne County, Michigan, during the midmorning hours of 10 June, 1974, and at a height of approximately 1.75 m.

Color Variation In Strangalia Bicolor (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), D. C.L. Gosling

The Great Lakes Entomologist

[Excerpt]

Many species of Lepturinae are noted for their great variation in color, while some are quite uniform in coloration. Strangalia bicolor (Swederus) is one of the Iatter type and usually shows virtually no variation. The elytra are uniformly blue-black with the exception of the inflexed corner of the humerus which is reddish-yellow. The wings and eyes are black, and the rest of the beetle is entirely reddish-yellow. Until recently, the only variation I had observed was one female with a small, triangular, reddish-yellow spot on the basal margin of each elytron near the scutellum. Linsley and Chemsak (1977) recorded …

Boyeria Grafiana, A Rare Ohio Dragonfly (Odonata: Aeshnidae), T. E. Perry

The Great Lakes Entomologist

[excerpt]

The intent of this paper is to record the dragonfly Boyeria grafiana Williamson as a resident Ohio species. The previous Ohio record for grafiana was based on a single male taken by E. E. Bogue at Orwell, Ashtabula County, Ohio, in September, 1894, and listed by Kellicott (1899) as Boyeria vinosa (Say). Hine (1913) updated some of Kellicott's work and identified the Orwell record as Boyeria grafiana, which had been described by Williamson in 1907.

Rev. Modestus Wirtner: Biographical Sketch And Additions And Corrections To The Miridae In His 1904 List Of Western Pennsylvania Hemiptera, A. G. Wheeler Jr., Thomas J. Henry

The Great Lakes Entomologist

[Excerpt]

The Rev. Modestus Wirtner's (1904) list of western Pennsylvania Hemiptera remains as the only useful general account of this group for the state. Earlier, Rathvon (1869) had published a short list of species from Lancaster County, but because the identity of species referred to cannot be established, his list has limited value.

The Distribution Of Some Soil Arthropods In A Manipulated Ecosystem, James H. Shaddy, James W. Butcher

The Great Lakes Entomologist

[Excerpt] Soil cultivation practices and agricultural utilization affect soil animal populations in various ways. Gisin (1955) and Schalk (1968) concluded that the effect was minimal. Others observed a deleterious effect (Karg, 1956; Sheals, 1956; Strebel, 1957; Aleinikova and Utrobina, 1975; Edwards and Lofty, 1975). However, some soil animals appear to be benefited (Aleinikova and Utrobina, 1975; Edwards and Lofty, 1975). The effects of cultivation and many other factors have been discussed thoroughly in reviews by Christiansen (1964), Burges and Raw (1967), Butcher, et al. (1971), Ghilarov (1975), and Wallwork (1976).

Survey For Parasites Of The Introduced Pine Sawfly, Dlprlon Slmllls (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae), In Minnesota, L. C. Thompson, H. M. Kulman, W. D. Valovage

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Diprion similis (Hartig) cocoons were collected at 24 sites in 14 counties in north and central Minnesota in 1975 to determine the current status of the parasite complex. The ichneumon Exenterus amictorius (Panzer) was by far the most abundant of the 16 parasites, with parasitization in excess of 44% in both sawfly generations. Parasitization by E. amictorius did not decrease substantially in the second generation, as was anticipated from previous studies. Monodontomerus dentipes (Dalman) (Torymidae) and Delomerista japonica diprionis Cushman (Ichneumonidae) were common only in the second generation. One specimen of Perilampus hyalinus Say (Perilampidae) was reared for the fust …

Distribution Of Acalymma Vittata And Diabrotica Virgifera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) On Cucurbits, Catherine E. Bach

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The striped cucumber beetle, Acalymma vittata (Fabricius) and the western corn rootworm, Diahrotica virgifera LeConte, are of economic importance and utilize cucurbits, but to a different extent. A. vittata is a specialist on cucurbits during all stages of its life cycle, whereas D. virgifera feeds on cucurbits only as an adult. Much is known about the life history, feeding preferences, and control of each of these species (A. vittata: Gould, 1944, 1962; Harcourt and Cass, 1955; Wiseman, Hall, and Painter, 1962; D. virgifera: Chiang, 1973; Ludwig, 1975). However, no study has looked at possible interactions such as competition between the …

Invertebrate Predators Of Michigan Lepidoptera, M. C. Nielson

The Great Lakes Entomologist

[Excerpt]

For many years this author has been actively collecting Michigan Lepidoptera and generally observing insects in the field. Almost every season some predation of Lepidoptera by insects and their allies is seen. Unfortunately, many early observations went unrecorded in my field notebooks, but since the late 1950's I have made notations of these interesting encounters.

A Distinctive Dune Form Of The Marbled White Butterfly, Euchloe Olympia (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) In The Great Lakes Area, Warren Herb Wagner Jr.

The Great Lakes Entomologist

[Excerpt]

The dunes along the shores of Lake Huron in the vicinity of Ipperwash Provincial Park, Port Franks, and Pinery Provincial Park, Ontario, are notable for their unusual vegetation and a number of interesting plants and animals. During studies of the peculiar, disjunctive populations of the dwarf hackberry tree (Celtis tenuifolia Nutt.) (Wagner, 1974), I became aware that the local population of marbled white, Euchloe olympia (Edwards), differed in a number of respects from the usual form with which I was familiar. Preliminary observations during the spring of 1975 suggested that the butterflies might even represent a distinct subspecies, so …

Development And Survival Of Saratoga Spittlebug Nymphs On Alternate Host Plants, Louis F. Wilson, George C. Heaton, Patrick C. Kennedy

The Great Lakes Entomologist

\!hen abundant, the adult Saratoga spittlebug, Aphrophora smatogensis (Fitch), injures or kills young red pine, Pinus rerinovr Ait., and jack pine, P. banksiana Lamb. Its abundance depends greatly on the quantit). and quality of woody plants and forbs of the forest floor that senre a5 alternate hosts during the nymphal stages (Anderson, 1947; Ewan, 1961: Kennedy and Wilson, 1971; Secrest, 1944). Sweet-fern, Comptonia peregrina Coult., is the principal and most important alternate host (Kennedy and Wilson, 1971), but little is know-n about the value of other woody plants and forbs for supporting nymphal development. Therefore, \ve sought to examine the …

Parasites Of Lepidopterous Larvae In Alfalfa And Soybeans In Central Illinois, S. J. Roberts, W. K. Mellors, E. J. Armbrust

The Great Lakes Entomologist

During the 1971-72 soaing season sweep-net samples were taken to determine the major species of parasites and lepidopterous host larvae present in central Illinois soybeans and alfalfa. A trod of 27 primary Hymenoptera and Diptera parasites was collected from nine Lepidopterous species. Parasites were associated with all nine species of Ian-ae m alfalfa and soybeans. Apanteles flaviconchae Riley was responsible for over 87% of &e parasitism of Colias spp. larvae in both alfalfa and soybeans in 1971. The hyperparasites Mesochorus discitergus (Say) and M. arnericanus Cresson were recovered from fou~of dep rim= parasites Pathogens were found in six species of …

Influence Of Diverse Forage Environments On Honey Bee Colony Health, Angus Catchot Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Honey bees are important pollinators that face a multitude of stressors in their environment such as pathogens, parasite pressure, forage availability and pesticide exposure. This study examined how the makeup of different environments and the stressors related to those environments are affecting honey bee health in Mississippi. A field experiment was conducted during the first year of the study across four distinct landscapes ranging from intensively cultivated cropland to predominantly natural forage habitats to assess the impact of landscape availability on varying honey bee colony health parameters. Locations that had cultivated crops within foraging range produced more honey and brood …

Understanding Pollinator-Forb Interactions And Evaluating Trapping Methods For Pollinator Monitoring In Lawns Of The Southeastern United States, Sara Rose Kirby

Theses and Dissertations

Urban turfgrass landscapes are widespread across the southeastern United States but offer limited ecological value under conventional management. This thesis evaluates the pollinator support potential of ten forb species commonly found in low-maintenance lawns and assesses the effectiveness of two insect sampling methods, sweep netting and pan trapping. Over two years of field surveys, native forbs such as Symphyotrichum divaricatum and Claytonia virginica supported significantly greater insect abundance and diversity than introduced species. Network and modularity analyses revealed that native plants facilitated more specialized pollinator interactions, including those involving oligolectic bee species. In a complementary study, pan traps effectively sampled …

Sweetpotato Insect Pests: Virus Vector Management And Rearing, Rachel Emily Morrison

Theses and Dissertations

Sweetpotatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are vegetatively propagated through slips, making them prone to viral buildup. Aphids are insect pests known for transmitting viruses to crops, which reduces yield. This study examined different options for aphid management to reduce the spread of potyviruses: crop borders, crop oils, and insecticides. However, the results of this research showed that treatments were not successful at reducing the spread of the four potyviruses tested. An additional objective was to establish a colony of banded cucumber beetles (Diabrotica balteata) in the laboratory. These beetles are a leaf-feeding and root-feeding pest of sweet potatoes. Two colonies of banded …