Entomology News
Eight professors at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, to include Entomology's and EEB's Andrew Suarez, have been elected 2019 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Suarez, a professor of entomology and head of the department of evolution, ecology and behavior, is a leading figure in conservation and invasion biology.
Scientists, including Adam Dolezal, placed honey bee hives next to soybean fields in Iowa and tracked how the bees fared over the growing season. To the researchers’ surprise, the bees did well for much of the summer. The colonies thrived and gained weight, building up their honey stores. But in August, the trend reversed. By mid-October, most of the honey was gone and the overwintering brood was malnourished, the team discovered.
Iridescent appearance is ubiquitous in the insect world, and is used for a variety of functions, such as signaling to a mate or providing camouflage. A new study from the University of Illinois is exploring the link between iridescence and the biomechanical properties of beetles’ cuticle, in an effort to better understand what other functions iridescence might serve.
Making important commercial or financial decisions can be a very difficult task, especially with a variety of perspectives and stakeholders to consider. Dr. Marianne Alleyne, assistant professor in entomology, and Molly Sturgis, graduate student researcher in industrial and enterprise systems engineering, have turned to bees to see what kinds of insights could be translated to human decision-making.
Five University of Illinois professors at the Urbana-Champaign campus, including Brian Allan, have been named University Scholars in recognition of their excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. They will be honored at a Sept. 12 ceremony at the I Hotel and Conference Center, 1900 S. First St., Champaign.
While the brains of honey bees are tiny compared to those of humans, the insects are capable of some surprisingly advanced thinking.
In Kenya, cattle reduce tick populations and help protect wildlife
Struggling to right themselves when stranded on their backs, click beetles have a remarkable correction strategy. Arching the joint between the front and second section of the thorax, the beetles suddenly release the deformation and spring spontaneously into the air. Entomologist Marianne Alleyne collaborated with Aimy Wissa, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and others to examine the structure holding the latch structure together.
Congratulations to Scott Clem, doctoral candidate in Dr. Alex Harmon-Threatt's lab, for being awarded the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Education and Workforce Development (EWD) Predoctoral Fellowship for $119,990 (award no. 2019-67011-29504). This is a two-year fellowship coupled with funding to continue his research on hover fly (Diptera: Syrphidae) migration and other winter survival strategies.
The risk of some mosquito-borne diseases can go up with increased rainfall, entomology professor Brian Allan said. However, excess rainfall can reduce the number of mosquitos that hatch in stormwater catch basins, such as the Culex species that carry West Nile virus.