Ixodes scapularis Tick Parasitizing Dog in Dawson County, Montana, USA, 2023.

In October 2023, a partially engorged female Ixodes tick was removed from a dog in Bozeman, Montana, USA, that had recently spent time in eastern Montana. The tick was identified as I. scapularis according to morphologic characteristics and genomic sequencing, suggesting an expanded geographic distribution requiring continued public health surveillance.

Larval mosquito management and risk to aquatic ecosystems: A comparative approach including current tactics and gene-drive Anopheles techniques.

Genetic engineering of mosquitoes represents a promising tactic for reducing human suffering from malaria. Gene-drive techniques being developed that suppress or modify populations of Anopheles gambiae have the potential to be used with, or even possibly obviate, microbial and synthetic insecticides. However, these techniques are new and therefore there is attendant concern and uncertainty from regulators, policymakers, and the public about their environmental risks.

A Taxonomic Checklist of the Mosquitoes of Montana With Notes On New Geographic Distributions.

An updated checklist of 50 species of mosquitoes found in Montana is presented and includes 2 new records (Aedes niphadopsis and Anopheles walkeri) that can be added to the 2005 state list by Darsie and Ward. The results of a statewide mosquito surveillance program, conducted annually from 2004 to 2015, facilitated the establishment of an abundance rating of the species in the state and expanded the known geographic range for Coquillettidia perturbans, Ae. nigromaculis, and Culiseta minnesotae.

Using undergraduate researchers to build vector and West Nile virus surveillance capacity.

Vector surveillance for infectious diseases is labor intensive and constantly threatened by budget decisions. We report on outcomes of an undergraduate research experience designed to build surveillance capacity for West Nile Virus (WNV) in Montana (USA). Students maintained weekly trapping stations for mosquitoes and implemented assays to test for WNV in pools of Culex tarsalis.

Effects of livestock grazing on grasshopper abundance on a native rangeland in Montana.

Livestock grazing can affect habitat quality for grasshoppers through effects on food and oviposition site availability, microclimate, and other factors. Because of this, some authors have suggested that grazing programs can be used to help manage pest grasshopper populations. In a 6-yr study, we controlled access of cattle to replicated experimental plots on an Agropyron spicatum/Poa sandbergii pasture to create consistent year-to-year differences in postgrazing plant cover, with resultant affects on microclimate.

Short-term dynamics of behavioral thermoregulation by adults of the grasshopper Melanoplus sanguinipes.

The short-term behavioral responses of adult grasshoppers, Melanoplus sanguinipes (F.) (Orthoptera: Acrididae), were examined after they experienced changes in microclimate when beingforced to change positions in their habitat. It was also determined if and when behavioral tactics allowed adults to achieve body temperatures within their preferred range.