Entomology Commons^™

Forensic Entomology: Insect Succession, Northern Colorado, Thomas Nissen

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

Forensic entomology is considered a relatively new field of entomology yet insects have been around for millions of years. Insects have been associated with dead animals and humans for centuries. The remains of insects have been recorded from Ancient Egypt to the present time. Recent advancements have been with data presented to the courts that show that there is a specific order to insects arriving on a corpse and that order helps to determine time of death. This study investigates the order of insect succession in the northern front range area of Colorado.

Butterfly Life Cycle: Curriculum, Lesson Plans And Resources, Matthew D. Trujillo

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

This curriculum and guide contains lessons, each with exercises and activities, a science-based word bank and glossary, and Missouri content standards and descriptions. This is a centers-based curriculum intended to be used in conjunction with a science center such as the Butterfly Palace or Butterfly House. There are three major themes in this curriculum: The Life Cycle of Butterflies, Butterfly Habitats, and Adaptations for the Units. This curriculum is unique in that each lesson can serve as a stand alone which can be taught in a classroom whether home based, or school based and does not require sequencing with the …

Bedbug Education, Treatment, And Prevention, Elizabeth Bedford

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

Cimex lectularius (bedbug) has become a severe issue in more recent years due to travel, immigration, and importation of products. Unfortunately, most people do not know their biology hence do not treat these arthropods correctly. Many myths and misinformation are currently available to people on the internet and with pest professionals. Education and proper treatment must eradicate these pests in homes, commercial buildings, and other places. To prove whether or not education with treatment garners better results,ten homes were treated with the same heating and chemical process, with only five being educated before, during and after. All homes were inspected …

Trapping, Identification And Rearing Of Edible Palm Weevils In Kenya And Uganda, J. P. Egonyu, K. J. Gitonga, F. M. Khamis, R. S. Copeland, P. Finyange, R. Odhiambo, G. Ddamulira, C. M. Tanga, S. Subramanian

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Palm weevils, Rhynchophorus spp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) double as devastating invasive pests of palms, and delicacies in many communities. This study evaluated ethyl acetate and 3-methyl-octan-4-ol for trapping palm weevils from coconut, oil and raffia palms in Kenya and Uganda; taking into account the distance of traps on oil palm from a forest or raffia palm. Eggs from the weevils from different locations were incubated and their larvae reared on sugarcane under laboratory conditions. All the 285 weevils collected were identified by morphological and molecular techniques as Rhynchophorus phoenicis, and the catch was female-biased. 3-methyl-octan-4-ol attracted more weevils than ethyl acetate. …

Contents, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Faculty Editor, Beth Kegley

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 22 2021, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Featured Faculty Mentor And Student Explore The Dynamics Of This Research Relationship, Alejandro Rojas, Evan Buckner

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Trends And Opportunities In Tick-Borne Disease Geography, Catherine A. Lippi, Sadie J. Ryan, Alexis L. White, Holly D. Gaff, Colin J. Carlson

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Tick-borne diseases are a growing problem in many parts of the world, and their surveillance and control touch on challenging issues in medical entomology, agricultural health, veterinary medicine, and biosecurity. Spatial approaches can be used to synthesize the data generated by integrative One Health surveillance systems, and help stakeholders, managers, and medical geographers understand the current and future distribution of risk. Here, we performed a systematic review of over 8,000 studies and identified a total of 303 scientific publications that map tick-borne diseases using data on vectors, pathogens, and hosts (including wildlife, livestock, and human cases). We find that the …

Scoping Review Of Distribution Models For Selected Amblyomma Ticks And Rickettsial Group Pathogens, Catherine A. Lippi, Holly D. Gaff, Alexis L. White, Sadie J. Ryan

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The rising prevalence of tick-borne diseases in humans in recent decades has called attention to the need for more information on geographic risk for public health planning. Species distribution models (SDMs) are an increasingly utilized method of constructing potential geographic ranges. There are many knowledge gaps in our understanding of risk of exposure to tick-borne pathogens, particularly for those in the rickettsial group. Here, we conducted a systematic scoping review of the SDM literature for rickettsial pathogens and tick vectors in the genus Amblyomma. Of the 174 reviewed articles, only 24 studies used SDMs to estimate the potential extent …

Southern Pine Beetle-Specific Rna Interference Demonstrates No Effects On Nontarget Insects, Hannah Marie Hollowell

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

The endemic southern pine beetle (SPB), Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann, is a highly destructive bark beetle that has devastated coniferous forests of the southern United States for decades. Traditional management strategies have been unable to respond effectively to largescale SPB outbreaks, prompting exploration of novel techniques including RNA interference (RNAi). Double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) are effective at triggering gene silencing and inducing mortality in SPB, but determining delivery methods and demonstrating specificity of the treatments is necessary before this technology may progress to deployment.

I evaluated three SPB-specific dsRNAs on model nontarget insects to assess potential lethal effects, sublethal effects such as …

Distribution And Diversity Of Heliothine And Other Lepidopteran Nudiviruses, Emrah Ozel

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Helicoverpa zea nudivirus 2 (HzNV-2) is the only known sterilizing and sexually-transmitted insect virus and causes pathological symptoms in H. zea reproductive tissues. HzNV-2 has features that make it a candidate as a H. zea (corn earworm) control agent, such as the ability to cause asymptomatic (latent) and symptomatic (lytic) infections and the ability to influence mating behavior of its host to favor virus spread. HzNV pathology has been studied and its genome sequenced, however, its prevalence in natural populations is largely unknown. In this study, we developed and used a low-cost PCR-based molecular survey to investigate HzNV-2 prevalence and …

Lower Socioeconomic Status Neighborhoods In Puerto Rico Have More Diverse Mosquito Communities And Higher Aedes Aegypti Abundance, Nicole A. Scavo, Roberto Barrera, Limarie J. Reyes-Torres, Donald A. Yee

Faculty Publications

Mosquito community dynamics in urban areas are influenced by an array of both social and ecological factors. Human socioeconomic factors (SEF) can be related to mosquito abundance and diversity as urban mosquito development sites are modified by varying human activity, e.g., level of abandoned structures or amount of accumulated trash. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationships among mosquito diversity, populations of Aedes aegypti, and SEF in a tropical urban setting. Mosquitoes were collected using BG Sentinel 2 traps and CDC light traps during three periods between late 2018 and early 2019 in San Juan, Puerto …

Horn Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) - Biology, Management, And Future Research Directions, Gary Brewer, Dave J. Boxler, Luisa D. Domingues, Rebecca T. Trout Fryxell, Chris Holderman, Kelly M. Loftin, Erika Machtinger, Brandon Smythe, Justin L. Talley, Wes Watson

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The horn fly, Haematobia irritans irritans (L.), is one of the most important external parasites of cattle in North America and elsewhere. Horn fly adults have an intimate association with cattle, their primary host. With their often-high numbers and by feeding up to 38 times per day per fly, horn flies stress cattle. The resulting productivity loss is valued at more than 2.3 billion USD in the United States. Insecticides are commonly used to mitigate direct injury from feeding and indirect injury from disease transmission. This paper discusses horn fly biology, distribution, and management. Emphasis is on promising new approaches …

Pyrethroid Exposure Reduces Growth And Development Of Monarch Butterfly (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) Caterpillars, Annie Krueger, Kathryn J. Hanford, Thomas Weissling, Ana M. Vélez, Troy D. Anderson

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Insecticide exposure has been identified as a contributing stressor to the decline in the North American monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) population. Monarch toxicity data are currently limited and available data focuses on lethal endpoints. This study examined the 72-h toxicity of two pyrethroid insecticides, bifenthrin and β-cyfluthrin, and their effects on growth and diet consumption. The toxicity of bifenthrin to caterpillars was lower than β-cyfluthrin after 72 h. Survival was the most sensitive endpoint for bifenthrin, but diet consumption and caterpillar growth were significantly reduced at sublethal levels of β-cyfluthrin. Using AgDRIFT spray drift assessment, the aerial …

The Utility Of A Bumble Bee (Bombus Spp. [Hymenoptera: Apidae]) Brood Test For Evaluating The Effects Of Pesticides, Annie Krueger, Tara M. Early, Randy J. Ripperger, Ana R. Cabrera, Daniel R. Schmehl

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Risk assessment for chemicals in the United States relies upon the honey bee (Apis meliffera L. [Hymenoptera: Apidae]) as a surrogate for other bee species. There is uncertainty in extrapolating honey bee toxicity data to bumble bees due to differences in life history strategies, food consumption, and nest structure. Here we evaluated the design of a queenless bumble bee microcolony test that could be considered for generating larval toxicity data. Three microcolony studies were conducted with Bombus impatiens to evaluate the effects of exposure to 1) diflubenzuron in pollen, 2) dimethoate in pollen, and 3) dimethoate in sucrose. Immature drone …

Toxicological Analysis Of Stilbenes Against The Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera Frugiperda, Sarah E. Mccomic, Leslie C. Rault, Troy D. Anderson, Daniel R. Swale

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, is a global pest of multiple economically important row crops and the development of resistance to commercially available insecticidal classes has inhibited FAW control. Thus, there is a need to identify chemical scaffolds that can provide inspiration for the development of novel insecticides for FAW management. This study aimed to assess the sensitivity of central neurons and susceptibility of FAW to chloride channel modulators to establish a platform for repurposing existing insecticides or designing new chemicals capable of controlling FAW. Potency of select chloride channel modulators were initially studied against FAW central neuron …

Technological Advances To Address Current Issues In Entomology: 2020 Student Debates, Lina Bernaola, Molly Darlington, Kadie Britt, Patricia Prade, Morgan Roth, Adrian Pekarcik, Michelle Boone, Dylan Ricke, Anh Tran, Joanie King, Kelly Carruthers, Morgan Thompson, John J. Ternest, Sarah E. Anderson, Scott W. Gula, Kayleigh C. Hauri, Jacob R. Pecenka, Sajjan Grover, Heena Puri, Surabhi Gupta Vakil

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The 2020 Student Debates of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) were live-streamed during the Virtual Annual Meeting to debate current, prominent entomological issues of interest to members. The Student Debates Subcommittee of the National ESA Student Affairs Committee coordinated the student efforts throughout the year and hosted the live event. This year, four unbiased introductory speakers provided background for each debate topic while four multi-university teams were each assigned a debate topic under the theme ‘Technological Advances to Address Current Issues in Entomology’. The two debate topics selected were as follows: 1) What is the best taxonomic approach to …

Transcriptomic And Volatile Signatures Associated With Maize Defense Against Corn Leaf Aphid, Lise Pingault, Suresh Varsani, Nathan Palmer, Swayamjit Ray, W. Paul Williams, Dawn S. Luthe, Jared G. Ali, Gautam Sarath, Joe Louis

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Background: Maize (Zea mays L.) is a major cereal crop, with the United States accounting for over 40% of the worldwide production. Corn leaf aphid [CLA; Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch)] is an economically important pest of maize and several other monocot crops. In addition to feeding damage, CLA acts as a vector for viruses that cause devastating diseases in maize. We have shown previously that the maize inbred line Mp708, which was developed by classical plant breeding, provides heightened resistance to CLA. However, the transcriptomic variation conferring CLA resistance to Mp708 has not been investigated.

Results: In this study, we contrasted …

Aboveground Herbivory Influences Belowground Defense Responses In Maize, Lise Pingault, Saumik Basu, Prince Zogli, W. Paul Williams, Nathan Palmer, Gautam Sarath, Joe Louis

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The European corn borer (ECB; Ostrinia nubilalis) is an economically damaging insect pest of maize (Zea mays L.), an important cereal crop widely grown globally. Among inbred lines, the maize genotype Mp708 has shown resistance to diverse herbivorous insects, although several aspects of the defense mechanisms of Mp708 plants are yet to be explored. Here, the changes in root physiology arising from short-term feeding by ECB on the shoot tissues of Mp708 plants was evaluated directly using transcriptomics, and indirectly by monitoring changes in growth of western corn rootworm (WCR; Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) larvae. Mp708 defense responses …