Using Red Panel Traps to Detect Spotted-Wing Drosophila and its Infestation in US Berry and Cherry Crops.

Spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is an invasive pest of thin-skinned fruits in the United States. Monitoring traps are an integral part of SWD integrated pest management, allowing early detection and timely management of this pest. An ideal monitoring trap should be easy to use, effective in capturing SWD, sensitive and selective to male SWD which are easy to identify due to their spotted wings, and able to predict fruit infestation from trap captures.

Honey Bee Exposure to Pesticides: A Four-Year Nationwide Study.

Pollinators, including honey bees, are responsible for the successful reproduction of more than 87% of flowering plant species: they are thus vital to ecosystem health and agricultural services world-wide. To investigate honey bee exposure to pesticides, 168 pollen samples and 142 wax comb samples were collected from colonies within six stationary apiaries in six U.S.

Impacts of the Invasive European Red Ant (Myrmica rubra (L.): Hymenoptera; Formicidae) on a Myrmecochorous System in the Northeastern United States.

We investigated the impact of an invasive ant species from Europe, Myrmica rubra (L.), on a myrmecochorous system (seeds dispersed by ants) in its invaded range in North America. We assessed: 1) how M.

Locally dispersing populations in heterogeneous dynamic landscapes with spatiotemporal correlations. I. Block disturbance.

Locally dispersing populations are generally favorably affected by increasing the scale of habitat heterogeneity because they can exploit contiguous patches of suitable habitat. Increasing the spatial scale of landscape disturbances (such as by applying a pesticide to control an unwanted species) drives down population density because of reasons including dispersal-limited recolonization and the resulting increase in temporal variability. Here, we examine how population density changes as the spatial scale of landscape disturbance increases: does it increase due to increases in spatial correlations in landscape habitat type, or does it decrease due to the various spatial and temporal effects of larger-scale disturbances? We use simulations, mean field approximations, pair approximations, landscape-improved pair approximations (LIPA), and block probabilities to investigate a model of a locally dispersing species on a dynamic landscape with spatiotemporally structured heterogeneous habitat.

Using Nonmetric Multidimensional Scaling to Analyze Bee Visitation in East Tennessee Crops as an Indicator of Pollination Services Provided by Honey Bees (Apis mellifera L.) and Native Bees.

This study investigated bee visitation on 10 agricultural crops grown on diverse small farms in Tennessee to determine the abundance of native bees and honey bees and the partitioning of visitation among crops. Summaries for each crop are used to generate mean proportions of bee visitation by categories of bees. This shows that native bee visits often occur as frequently, or in greater proportions than non-native honey bee visits.

Assessing Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Foraging Populations and the Potential Impact of Pesticides on Eight U.S. Crops.

Beekeepers who use honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) for crop pollination services, or have colonies making honey on or in close proximity to agricultural crops, are concerned about the reductions of colony foragers and ultimate weakening of their colonies. Pesticide exposure is a potential factor in the loss of foragers.

Suppression of Escherichia coli O157:H7 by Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) using the lowbush blueberry agroecosystem as a model system.

Wildlife as a source of microbial contamination is a food safety concern. Deer feces (scat) have been determined as a point source for Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination of fresh produce. The ecological role of the scooped scarab (Onthophagus hecate (Panzer)), a generalist dung beetle species common in Maine blueberry fields, was explored as a biological control agent and alternatively as a pathogen vector between deer scat and food.

Using peer discussion facilitated by clicker questions in an informal education setting: enhancing farmer learning of science.

Blueberry growers in Maine attend annual Cooperative Extension presentations given by university faculty members. These presentations cover topics, such as, how to prevent plant disease and monitor for insect pests. In 2012, in order to make the sessions more interactive and promote learning, clicker questions and peer discussion were incorporated into the presentations.

Homopterans and an invasive red ant, Myrmica rubra (L.), in Maine.

Myrmica rubra (L.), is an invasive ant that is spreading across eastern North America. It is presently found in over 40 communities in Maine and areas in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and several provinces in the Canadian Maritimes and Ontario.

Role of climatic factors on damage incidence by Dermolepida albohirtum (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), in Burdekin sugarcane fields, Australia.

Inconsistent control of Dermolepida albohirtum (Waterhouse) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in the period after the removal of organochlorines allowed us to study the impact of climatic variables and insecticide application on subsequent damage in sugarcane (Saccharum spp.). D.