Department of Entomology
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Department of Entomology Newsletter | Fall 2020

12/21/2020

 
Picture
Check out our Fall 2020 Department of Entomology Newsletter to see what we've been up to! Content includes news on virtual meetings, publications, awards, defenses and much more. 
​
​Is there something you'd like to see in the Spring 20201 edition? Let us know by sending an e-mail to umdentomology@umd.edu. 

Raupp Quoted in New York Times

7/30/2020

 
Entomology's Mike Raupp weighs in on enormous wasps about to emerge en masse throughout the eastern half of the U.S. to hunt cicadas—and to worry people. They are black with caution-yellow markings and the size of a USB stick.

Read the full story in the The New York Times. 

[College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences]

No evidence spraying Listerine repels mosquitoes

7/30/2020

 
Does spraying Listerine in your yard repel mosquitoes? That idea may be popping up in your social media, but Entomology's "Bug Guy" Mike Raupp says there's no official evidence it would work. And it could be harmful. 

Learn more via WUSA 9
​

[College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences]

Shrewsbury Quoted in Horticulture Week

7/29/2020

 
Paula Shrewsbury, Professor and University of Maryland Extension Specialist, id's three invasive insects that have yet to reach the UK but have the potential to cause widespread disruption should they cross the pond.
​

https://www.hortweek.com/pests-diseases-concern-uk-arborists/arboriculture/article/1690411  

Leo Shapiro Promoted to Senior Lecturer

7/20/2020

 
Picture Leo Shaprio
Congratulations to Entomology faculty member Dr. Leo Shapiro who has been promoted to the rank of Senior Lecturer!

Since joining the UMD Department of Entomology in 2014, Leo has made significant contributions to teaching and service. He teaches two of the core BSCI undergraduate courses, BSCI160 (Principles of Ecology & Evolution) and BSCI207 (Organismal Biology) and has been very involved with BSCI 161 (Principles of Ecology & Evolution Lab). These high enrollment classes have Leo engaging with several hundred Terps each semester! He is actively engaged with teaching innovation for the core BSCI curriculum and was a UMD Teaching & Learning Transformation Center Elevate Fellow in 2018, working to redesign key parts of his BSCI 160 course. Leo advises numerous Biology majors each semester, supporting their academic pursuits and often providing important broader guidance and mentoring as well. He has served on a range of departmental committees and regularly serves on Entomology and Biology Honors thesis committees, supporting undergraduate research activities. 
​
In addition to teaching and service, Leo continues to be involved in research. Over the past several years, he has published a study on methodological and statistical considerations for large-scale sampling of bee communities and a paper elucidating the species identity of a visually striking terrestrial alga from coastal California that is regionally common but taxonomically confusing. He is currently working on a new insect biology textbook for Sinauer/Oxford University Press.

Congratulations again Leo on reaching this important, well-deserved milestone!

Are murder hornets in Maryland? - Raupp has the answer

6/1/2020

 
There has been much confusion about whether murder hornets are in Maryland. No, the murder hornet is not in the DMV yet but there are hornets that look similar, says UMD​ Professor Emeritus, Mike Raupp. He shows viewers how to ID common MD look a-likes.

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/murder-hornets-maryland-cicadas/32718891?fbclid=IwAR25o8eP0trjNkbLJelzaHqq_KzaX4q48eFzgMttYnpdH0iWRX482MlKPBc

Tan Successfully Defends Honors Thesis

5/28/2020

 
Maggie Tan
Congratulations to Environmental Science and Policy major, Maggie Tan (Palmer Lab), who successfully defended her entomology honors thesis last week. Her thesis entitled, “Changes in Hydrology and Water Quality Resulting from a Regenerative Streamwater Conveyance System in Campus Creek", received honors. Under the supervision of Michael Williams, her honors thesis investigated how Campus Creek’s regenerative stream conveyance restoration project influences the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay. Maggie used hydrological and water chemistry data to document changes that occurred in Campus Creek, on the north side of campus, when step pools were placed in the stream in 2019. Their data provides a preliminary picture that RSC may reduce runoff as well as nutrient and sediment concentrations.

It has been wonderful having Maggie in the Entomology Honors Program. She graduated from UMD Environmental Science and Policy program this Spring with a concentration in Geosciences and Restoration and minoring in Geochemistry. Maggie has plans to start graduate school this fall in Arizona. ​

Department of Entomology Newsletter |Spring 2020

5/28/2020

 
Despite challenges presented, Entomology kept teaching, kept learning and kept working during the spring 2020 semester. Check out research & teaching during COVID, promotions, publications, awards, defenses, workshops and much more.
​
​Link: https://indd.adobe.com/view/d123a720-6a05-433c-9cf5-f1cd5cf7eb2a

Internship Opportunity in the Lamp Lab

5/27/2020

 
Dr. Bill Lamp is seeking an undergraduate student, sophomore or junior, to join his lab as a part-time intern, 10-15 hours/week, to focus on molecular approaches applied to the study of plantinsect interactions of an invasive insect, the spotted lanternfly. The position requires a current University of Maryland student who has experience with molecular biology and basic molecular techniques, or has a strong desire to learn them. The student will use molecular techniques to aid in the identification of host plants of the spotted lanternfly using DNA barcoding of their gut contents. Entomological experience is not required, but an interest in or willingness to learn about insects is useful. 

Follow link to read more>>

Raupp Talks Giant Gypsy Moths with USA Today

5/14/2020

 
Giant gypsy moths could bring 'serious, widespread damage' to the US. "Were it to become fully established and spread widely, it would affect forests and landscape trees and shrubs in the invaded range," says Prof. Emeritus Mike Raupp.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/12/giant-asian-gypsy-moths-attack-washington-state/3111191001/?fbclid=IwAR3VVYQHV5WZnJ0wBLy8btAN_i7SOz29wXKq2uNSGn7mTrz_JhupFhdKptY

Entomology major helped open the door for women at UMD

5/14/2020

 
​As we lead up to Spring 2020 graduation, celebrating the success of our entomology grads and honors undergrads, UMD Today reminds us, the first woman to graduate with a four year degree shared their interest, a passionate pursuit of knowledge about the natural world. Discover more about entomology major Elizabeth Hook and how she helped set the stage for future generations to follow.

https://today.umd.edu/articles/marylands-leading-lady-13908450-7512-4e0c-9d8c-31b555afc903  

So Eun Moon Successfully Defends Honors Thesis

5/13/2020

 
So Eun Moon
Congrats to So Eun Moon (Sophia) for her successful honors defense!  

Environmental Science & Policy - Wildlife Ecology and Management student, Sophia Moon joined Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp’s in January of 2018. She has been actively involved in research with the Bee Lab, under mentor-ship of Grad Student Anthony Nearman, ever since. In 2019, Sophia was awarded the Ernest N. Cory Undergraduate Scholarship for her extraordinary efforts in Entomology. This week we congratulate her once more, this time for successfully defending her entomology honors thesis, "The Effects of DMPF on Honey Bee Pathophysiology."

Read More

Kaminsky Successfully Defends Honors Thesis

5/7/2020

 
Rebecca Kaminsky
Congratulations to Public Health Science at University of Maryland, College Park student, Rebecca Kaminsky (Fritz Lab), who successfully defended her entomology honors thesis, "Larval rearing conditions conducive for Aedes aegypti autogeny expression and theoretical population growth." She received high honors for her research into autogeny - the ability of a mosquito to lay eggs without a blood meal. Becky found that increased larval nutrition was consistent with increased phenotypic expression of autogeny.
​
It has been wonderful having Becky in the Entomology Honors Program actively engaging in research these last few years. We wish her all the best in her future pursuits!

Raupp weighs in on asian giant hornets

5/7/2020

 
​What affects will the asian giant hornets have on local and national ecosystems. Should we worry about asian giant hornets in the DMV? 1A, WJLA, WTOP and WUSA9 reach out to Professor Emeritus Mike Raupp for answers. In short, "Here in Maryland, in the DMV, we've got a bit of time," he says. See full interviews to learn more:

1A: https://the1a.org/segments/newly-arrived-hornets-pose-threat-to-honeybees/
WJLA: https://wjla.com/news/local/murder-hornet-maryland-dc-virginia
WTOP: https://wtop.com/animals-pets/2020/05/murder-hornet-arrives-in-u-s-expert-shares-whether-its-a-threat-to-our-region/
WUSA9 Verify: https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/verify/verify-murder-hornets-in-the-dmv/65-8ca95a23-5ac0-4b93-8341-15ecc8606c70

Raupp tells WBALTV bugs emerging early

3/11/2020

 
​Unusually warm weather has bugs emerging sooner than expected. "People need to understand that as soon as the temperatures reach maybe 55 to 60 degrees, those ticks are going to be active -- they’re going to be looking for food and that’s going to be you,” Professor Emeritus, Mike Raupp tells WBALTV.  Raupp also reminds viewers, it’s not just pests that are emerging early it’s pollinators too.

Follow link to story: 
https://www.wbaltv.com/article/spring-like-temperatures-bugs-emerging/31262917?fbclid=IwAR1KByUyuwXxGF8D7uBW309zwn_Ql6gS2-3NR4FNCHuR5_B4MdniPZLStiM

Postdoctoral Fellowship in Fungal-Plant Associations - St. Leger Lab

2/28/2020

 
The St. Leger laboratory, Department of Entomology at The University of Maryland (UMD), invites applications for a Postdoctoral Scholar – Employee position starting Spring 2020 on a National Science Foundation funded project entitled “Unraveling the mechanisms by which novel fungal-plant associations evolve”. The candidate post-doctoral associate will work on a unique experimental system involving a radiating genus of fungi (Metarhizium spp) which have rapidly diversifying lifestyles. The goal is to ask fundamental questions about lifestyle shifts - where a pathogen jumps from one host (insect) species to another, or changes its role from just pathogen to plant symbiont. By taking a comparative approach, with a strong set of hypotheses from ecological and evolutionary theory, the project will provide insights into the genetic and molecular underpinnings determining evolutionary shifts in lifestyles that will be generally applicable to pathogens and hosts. Understanding these shifts is critical, especially in light of environmental change, invasive species and the laboratories work on transgenic approaches to controlling vectors of human disease. A combination of experimental approaches will be used, and there will be many opportunities to develop new projects to explore the evolution of lifestyle shifts.
​
Click here for the complete Job Announcement. 

Pocomoke Middle School Makes Annual Visit to UMD Entomology

11/25/2019

 
Pocomoke Middle visits Entomology- Photos
Pocomoke Middle visits Entomology- Photos
Pocomoke Middle visits Entomology- Photos
written by: Nancy Harding
​

On November 5th the Entomology Department conducted an educational community outreach event that provided hands-on experience with insects and other arthropods to 27 students along with a couple of their teachers (Karen McCabe, Dan Hatfield and Brenda Stephens) from Pocomoke Middle School.  Dr. William Lamp welcomed and provided the students with a glimpse into the fascinating world of insects.  An overview of the innovative and important research currently being conducted in the department was provided by the following: Anna Noreuil, Ph.D. student (Fritz lab) gave a presentation and hands-on activity regarding the northern house mosquito; Rachel Kuipers, Lab Assistant (vanEnglesdorp lab) gave an overview of the research to further understand the loss in honey bee colonies in the United States; Maria Cramer, PhD student & Dr. Torsten Schöneberg (Hamby lab) spoke to the students about the important relationship between lady beetles (predator) and aphids (prey); Alexander Forde, Ph.D.student (Gruner lab) and Todd Waters, Agricultural Technician Supervisor and caretaker of the department’s Insect Zoo, gave the students an opportunity to look at and hold native and exotic arthropods.  Nancy Harding, Research Assistant, (Shrewsbury lab) and Todd Waters set up and coordinated the visit from Pocomoke Middle School. Feedback from the students and teachers was extremely positive (see Pocomoke Middle School facebook page). 

ENTM Alum, Dr. Akito Kawahara, uses DNA to piece together the evolutionary history of moths and butterflies

10/29/2019

 
Moth
Image Credit: IAIN LAWRIE / GETTY IMAGES
UMD Alum, Dr. Akito Kawahara (Ph.D., 10’, Mitter Lab) & team of researchers find moths evolved ears well before echolocating bats appeared. This discovery shakes up the long held theory that moths developed ears in response to these predatory bats. Their study, Phylogenomics reveals the evolutionary timing and pattern of butterflies and moths , was published this week in PNAS and covered by The New York Times & The Atlantic.

Quote from the Atlantic: “I think it’s going to be a bit of a bombshell for the field,” Kawahara says.

Spotting Red Admirals

9/25/2019

 
Red Admiral

Red Admirals can be spotted throughout the DMV, but you better hurry if you want to catch a glimpse! At first frost these little creatures will start their journey south. Bug Of The Week has what you need to know to start your search:

​http://bugoftheweek.com/blog/2019/9/23/searching-for-red-admiral-caterpillars-vanessa-atalanta

Witness Garden Spider Feeding Behavior!

9/4/2019

 
Garden Spider
Spider feeding live! Explore the world of entomology and see the fascinating Black and Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia) on display in the Plant Sciences Building 2nd floor lobby. Watch feeding every Tuesday & Thursday at 12:00pm beginning Sept. 5th.

​Bug Camp Summer Summary

8/20/2019

 
Bug Camp Particpants on collecting trip holding bug box.
Written by Kiley Gilbert, Bug Camp Assistant Director 
​

This summer the Entomology Teaching Lab played host once more to UMD’s Bug Camp: Insect, Science, and Society.  The two single-week sessions of camp were bursting with activity ranging from: collecting trips; field trips; aquatic insect hunts; apiary visits; art; crafts; inhouse experiments; and more. Days were exciting, adventurous, creative and educational. The icing on this cake was the genuine energy and enthusiasm the campers brought in each day. 


Read More

Wet summers lead to a rise in beetle populations

7/16/2019

 
A horde of Japanese beetles can ravage trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants.Photo Credit: Mike Raupp
Professor, Mike Raupp introduces WTOP and MarylandToday readers to the scarab beetles invading gardens this wet summer season.  

https://today.umd.edu/articles/meet-beetles-22dd07b9-3160-405f-b216-0d2e75cb07cc  
https://wtop.com/animals-pets/2019/07/whats-behind-this-years-beetle-invasion-in-the-dc-area/ 

Department of Entomology Newsletter | Spring 2019

6/4/2019

 
Newsletter Graphic, Image Butterfly
Check out our Spring 2019 ​Entomology Department newsletter to see what we've been up to! Content includes news on faculty promotions publications, awards, defenses and much more. 
​

Link:https://mailchi.mp/350279b0f8a7/department-of-entomology-newsletter-spring-2019

​Is there something you'd like to see in the Summer 2019 edition? Let us know by sending an e-mail to umdentomology@umd.edu. 

​Enjoy!

Raupp Sheds Light On Lightning Bugs Early Appearance

6/4/2019

 
Picture Lightning BugsImage Credit: Mike Raupp
Lightning bugs light up Maryland early this year. Professor Mike Raupp provides illuminating answers, explaining to viewers why these insects are out so early and the “magic” behind their glow.

​https://www.wbaltv.com/article/lightening-bugs-arrive-early/27700638

Paula Shrewsbury has been promoted to Full Professor!

5/28/2019

 
Picture of Paula Shrewsbury
​Entomology faculty member Dr. Paula Shrewsbury has been promoted to Full Professor!
 
Paula Shrewsbury has maintained a very active research and extension since joining UMD Department of Entomology in 1999. Her nationally and internationally recognized extension program identify methods to restore plant and insect community dynamics to create sustainable urban landscapes, nurseries, and turf systems, with an emphasis on biological control and conservation of natural enemies and pollinators. The program also examines the ecology and management of invasive species in managed and natural environments.
 
Over the years Paula has presented at more than 300 events reaching over 20,000 stakeholders. Events include conferences, in-service trainings, green industry meetings, and field days. In addition to face-to-face trainings, Paula writes in the Weekly Landscape and Nursery IPM Pest Alert Newsletter reaching even more people. Her columns "Beneficial of the Week" and "Pest Prediction Calendar.” In recognition of Paula’s many achievements in extension, she received the Entomological Society of America’s 2018 Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension.
 
Dr. Shrewsbury has made significant contributions to teaching as well. Paula’s popular course, Insect Pests of Ornamentals and Turf (BSCI497) is being taught this Fall. She also is currently advisor to undergraduate researchers and postdoctoral associates.
 
Congratulations on this well-deserved promotion!  
 
Learn more about Paula Shrewsbury here.   

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Department of Entomology 
University of Maryland 
4112 Plant Sciences Building 
College Park, MD 20742-4454
USA

Telephone: 301.405.3911 
Fax: 301.314.9290
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Web Accessibility
  • About
    • At a Glance
    • Welcome From the Chair
    • Departmental History
    • For Alumni
    • Support Entomology >
      • Steinhauer Scholarship Fund
    • Contact >
      • Directions
  • News
    • News
    • Seminar Blog
    • Seminar Schedule
    • Awards
  • People
    • Faculty
    • Post Docs
    • Students
    • Staff
    • Alumni
  • Academics
    • Graduate >
      • Admissions
      • MS Degree Requirements
      • PhD Degree Requirements
      • Deadlines & Forms
      • Financial Assistance
      • Award Opportunities >
        • Gahan Fellowship
        • Teaching Assistant Awards
        • Charlie Mitter Travel Award
        • Award for Excellence in Extension and Outreach
      • Entomology Student Organization
      • Graduate Student Services
    • Online Masters in Applied Entomology
    • Undergraduate >
      • Entomology Minor
      • Honors Program
  • Research
    • IPM & Biological Control of Agricultural, Urban & Forest Pests
    • Ecology, Conservation, Restoration, Climate Change >
      • Pollinator Science and Apiculture
    • Evolution, Systematics and Evo-Devo
    • Genetics & Genomics and Medical Entomology
  • Extension/Outreach
    • Educational Outreach
    • Insect Camp
    • Insect Drawings
    • Insect Identification
    • Pesticide Education and Assessment Program
    • Plant Diagnostic Laboratory (PDL)