NEWSLETTER
11/19/96 Entomology and Nematology News - Vol. 2, No. 3
A University of Florida Publication

AWARDS

Kevina Vulinec is a 1996 Certificate of Merit Designee by the Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation for her project, "Dung beetles, rain forest conservation, and biological control of dung-breeding pests in Rondonia, Brazil." On October 18 she received a Turner grant for $3,000 in support of her research.

Andrei Sourakov has received a grant from the Committee for Research and Exploration of the National Geographic Society for $9,000 in support of his project, "Biology, Biogeography, and Systematics of the Genus Calisto (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae)," which he is pursuing in the Dominican Republic. He has also received a Turner Fellowship for Fall 1996, and an Association for Tropical Lepidoptera/Lepidoptera Research Fund grant of $3,000 in support of his field research in the West Indies.

Mr. Jason P. W. Hall and Mr. Keith R. Willmott, doctoral students with Dr. Emmel, received word on September 9 of the award of a grant of $19,606 from the Committee for Research and Exploration of the National Geographic Society in support of their three-year project, "Systematics, ecology and biogeography of the butterflies of Ecuador." Keith is currently in Ecuador in the field and Jason is working at the British Museum in London. The two students plan to publish a major book on the butterflies of Ecuador.

FACULTY, STAFF AND STUDENTS NEWS

Congratulations to Tammy and William Browning for the birth of their son, Wyatt Douglas, who was born November 15. He is 19.75 inches long and weighs 7 lbs., 10 oz. Tammy and the baby are doing fine.

Dr. Smart will assume his duties as Graduate Coordinator on January 1, 1997. His term is for a two-year period.

Dr. Regina Carneiro returned to Pelotas, RS, Brazil after spending 13 months as a visiting scientist in Dr. Dickson's laboratory working on Pasteuria penetrans. Regina's e-mail address for those who would like to contact her is regina@sede.embrapa.br.

Dr. Ernest Bernard visited the department and presented a seminar on endophytes of fescue. Ernie will assume the duties of editor-in-chief for the Journal of Nematology January 1, 1997. He takes over the duties currently administered by Dr. Don Dickson.

Dr. Khuong Nguyen was invited to interview for an open position in nematode systematics with the USDA ARS in Beltsville, MD. We wish him luck in his professional quest.

Dr. Don Dickson attended Regional Technical Committee meetings on nematodes in Ithaca, NY, and Knoxville, TN during the past month. He is a member of both committees, NE171 and the S253. While at Cornell University, he visited with Bill Brodie on the golden nematode project.

Dr. Pauline Lawrence was invited to present a seminar titled "Viruses in parasitic wasps" in the Department of Entomology, University of Nebraska, in early November.

Dr. Pauline Lawrence was appointed to the Editorial Board of the Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology. Her term begins in January 1997.

An alumni of the Dept. of Entomology and Nematology, Dr. Robin Huettel, has taken a new position with the CSRES in Washington. She will handle duties relating to plant pathology and nematology.

Dr. Marjorie A. Hoy will travel to Lagos, Nigeria and to Cotonou, Benin on November 23 to serve on an external review team for the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture's IPM projects. The team will review IPM in cassava, IPM in maize, IPM in legumes and biological control projects.

Dr. Marjorie A. Hoy will attend the national ESA meeting in Lexington, Kentucky. She will present an invited symposium talk, "Transgenic Arthropods for Pest Management Programs: Pragmatism, Prophecy and Prudence," in the Genetics and Molecular Biology Formal Conference. She will be a co-author, with Lindsey Flexner, of an invited symposium talk, "The Myths of Managing Resistance."

Dr. Thomas C. Emmel received a grant from the North American Butterfly Association, Inc., in support of his project on the captive propagation and reintroduction of the endangered Schaus' swallowtail butterfly in the Florida Keys.

This past summer, Dr. Emmel traveled with graduate student Andrei Sourakov and undergraduate Steven D. Schlachta to Russia and Republic of Armenia during late June and early July, studying the ecology of butterflies in several large nature reserve areas and collecting butterfly material for chromosome analysis. Three Russian scientists from Moscow and one Armenian scientist from Yerevan joined them in the field.

In August, the same research team traveled to West Africa to visit a number of national parks and nature reserves in the country of Ghana, surveying butterfly biodiversity for a project on the butterflies of West Africa and collecting chromosome material for long-term studies on the evolution of lepidopteran chromosomes.

From mid-May to early June, Dr. Thomas C. Emmel and undergraduate Steven D. Schlachta traveled through Malaysia with a research team of lepidopterists, collecting material for butterfly chromosome studies and surveying butterfly biodiversity in various peninsular mainland reserves and the Langkawi Islands group.

RETIREMENT PARTY

Nearly 200 people attended the retirement dinner for Dr. Dale Habeck at the Austin Carey Forest Lodge on October 26. Dr. Habeck was roasted and toasted by several of his colleagues and presented with a very nice spotting scope which will be useful for observing nature, especially birds, on the prairie and elsewhere. Former students showed up from as far away as North Carolina, Tennessee and New Mexico.

Dr. Habeck was genuinely overwhelmed by the turnout. He wishes to thank all of those who contributed toward the gift, sent a letter and/or attended the dinner. Current plans include spending some time as emeritus professor to finish some of the manuscripts and to encourage his students to complete their dissertations. He also plans to spend more time traveling, bird watching, collecting stamps and postcards with insects on them, and growing and identifying cactus.

BRINGING SCIENCE TO THE SCIENTISTS OF TOMORROW

Every year the Entomology and Nematology Department receives numerous requests from Alachua County area schools and youth organizations for entomological programs. ENSO is pleased to announce that Claudia Riegel (Ph.D. student with Dr. Dickson) has volunteered to coordinate these programs and assist us with individual requests. Those seeking Claudia's help should be willing to participate in the program to be presented.

Last month Hugh Smith, Yasmin Cardoza and Claudia Riegel gave a Bug Birthday Party to a group of second graders. They said it was a lot of fun and at the same time a great learning experience. "We won't have to practice if we want to teach our own children about bugs and nematodes," Claudia said.

Hugh Smith also taught about insects to two junior classes from Westwood Middle School and to a group of 9th graders from The Rock school.

Claudia wants to thank those students that helped on the presentations and ask that anyone wishing to help in this program contact her.

PUBLICATIONS

E. Weibelzahl-Fulton, D.W. Dickson, and E. B. Whitty. 1996. Suppression of Meloidogyne incognita and M. javanica by Pasteuria penetrans in the field soil. Journal of Nematology 28: 439649.

C. Riegel, F. A. Fernandez, and J. P. Noe. 1996. Meloidogyne incognita infested soil amended with chicken litter. Journal of Nematology 28:36996378.

K. B. Nguyen and G. C. Smart, Jr. 1996. Identification of Entomopathogenic Nematodes in the Steinermatidae and Heterorhabditidae (Nemata: Rhabditida). Journal of Nematology 28: 286-300.

THANKSGIVING AND CHRISTMAS PARTY

Faculty, staff and students are invited to the Thanksgiving feast on Wednesday, November 27 at the concession area. If you plan to attend, and would like to help, please see Myrna Litchfield.

The department is also planing a Christmas party for December 15 at the Austin Cary Forest Lodge. There will be contests for the best Christmas cookie and the best bug tree ornament. If you would be willing to join us in setting everything up for the party please drop by and let Myrna know.

COCKROACH TUTORIAL

Thomas Fasulo, Philip Koehler, and Dini Miller completed a computer-based tutorial for the National Pest Control Association. This one is on our friends, those wonderfully cuddly insects, the cockroaches. The Cockroaches Tutorial joins the Fleas and Termites Tutorials that NPCA currently sells. Detailed information on the Cockroaches tutorial is available through the Department's WWW site under Publications and Insect Software. The Cockroaches Tutorial, less the tests, is installed on two computers in the Teaching Lab, CTLMobile and CTL8. At the recent NPCA national meetings, all available copies of the tutorial quickly sold out.

BEETLE MANIA

No, not John, Paul, George and Ringo, but the six-legged kind. PCT Books, 4012 Bridge Ave., Cleveland, OH 44113 is now offering two books on destructive beetle pests. Vol. I is on Hide and Carpet Beetles/Wood-Boring Beetles, and Vol. II is on Stored Product Beetles/Overwintering Beetles. Each are $9.95 or you can buy both for $16.95. Shipping is $2 for the first book, $0.50 for each additional book. PCT can be reached at (216) 961-4130 or (800) 456-0707. PCT also offers books on Structure-Infesting Ants, Structure-Infesting Flies, and Urban Spiders. (Hopefully, there will soon be one on Country Spiders). All five can be purchased for $39.95. Tom Fasulo has the last three if you'd like to look at them.

NEW BOOK

"Biotechnology and Integrated Pest Management," edited by Gabrielle J. Persley of the World Bank, published by CAB International. The book is a proceedings volume from a conference funded by The World Bank, The Rockefeller Foundation, the United Nations Development Program and the Australian Center for International Agricultural Research, which took place at the Bellagio Center in Italy in October 1993. Proponents of IPM advocate the use of IPM systems to reduce or eliminate the use of chemical pesticides in agriculture. Proponents of biotechnology believe that the use of transgenic plants with insect resistance, will reduce the need for chemical pesticides. The use of such novel products within IPM systems is not welcomed by all advocates of IPM, who see potential risks in their deployment. This dichotomy of views led to the conference, at which 25 scientists and policy-makers presented a spectrum of views on the benefits and risks in the use of biotechnology in IPM systems. Dr. Hoy has a copy of the book for those interested in examining it.

HOT WEB SITE

For a unique web site, take a look at the APIS newsletter site under construction in its new instar, pardon the exuvium. http://apis.ifas.ufl.edu/ has 94 interlinked issues of beekeeping newsletters dating back to 1989. Thus, threads of interest can be followed over a time line. Also you can see indices side by side for perusing through the site which also contains links to other internet resources.

For a display of APIS from paper to WWW see the fine exhibit by Jane Medley in the display cases. Also look at the bulletin board next to Room 3004 for a comprehensive article on the digital information revolution as it applies to beekeepers.

NATURAL AREA TEACHING LAB

The construction you may have noticed in the Natural Area Teaching Lab (NATL) was the burying of four large data conduits from a source at the Performing Arts Center to a hookup with the conduits that run along the south boundary of Entomology/Nematology's lot.

This year's prescribed burn of upland pine in NATL will be the area south of the DPI compound and north of the gas-line right-of-way-about six acres. The burn will be supervised by Alan Long and Sam Jones and will occur between Thanksgiving and Easter. The target time is between Christmas and New Year's, but favorable weather (it happens only occasionally) and no major concert in the Performing Arts Center are prerequisites. The Austin Cary water truck will be on hand to put out smoldering logs and stumps after the burn. Those entering the Entomology/Nematology building the morning after the burn should NOT smell smoke.

Another project under way is the installation of a fence along the south and east boundaries of NATL. If you get the chance, take a stroll along the south boundary, and you will see why a fence with NO DUMPING signs is needed. The fence should also deter the vagrants that used to enter and camp via a path from Bennigan's parking lot.

ABOUT INSECT TRAPS

A study at the University of Delaware once again proves that the fancy electric insect traps homeowners use are counterproductive. Researchers monitored insects caught in six traps in suburban Newark over a summer. The homes were near lowland, wooded sites rich in aquatic breeding habitats with plenty of mosquitoes and no-see-ums.

Of the 13,789 insects counted, only 31 were biting flies (a mere 0.22%). Nearly half were non-biting aquatic insects such as caddisflies and midges. More importantly, 1,868 (13.5%) were predators and parasites representing 27 families of predators and nine families of parasitoids. Ground beetles, rove beetles and braconid wasps were common victims.

By their calculations, 71 billion to 350 billion nontarget insects are needlessly destroyed in the United States every year without any control of nuisance pests. (Midwest Biological Control News, Vol. III, No. 10, Oct/96).

 


A hard copy of this newsletter is given to department members in Building 970 only. All others can obtain an electronic subscription by joining the listserv.

The next newsletter will be published Monday, December 16. Deadline for contributions is Friday, December 13.

Editor: Enrique Perez

This version of the newsletter is published for the Web by Tim McCoy.


November 1996. Updated March 2003.