2011

“Oscars of Food” Honors Visionary IPM Advocate at World’s Largest Food Distributor December 21, 2011: As the world’s largest food distributor, Sysco has the leverage to do great things. When Sysco began its Sustainability Initiative in 2005 letting buyers know they were buying premium-quality food, “premium” wasn’t about the size or visual appeal of the product. It was about environmental, economic, and social quality at every step of production.
Bed Bug Video for the Holidays December 19, 2011: This video shows an old radio that is heavily infested with bed bugs. Thousands of bed bug eggs are seen on the back cover. Electronics that are placed beside sleeping areas can be infested with bed bugs. Travelers should keep alert not to bring bed bugs along with their belongings back home.
Choosing Houseplants December 16, 2011: When the weather freezes and gardening outside stops, we begin to look indoors to satisfy our need for growing plants. Poinsettias, cyclamen, and Christmas cactus are often the plants chosen for indoor color, but there are other options.
The Fall 2011 Issue of the PSCIP News Now Available December 6, 2011: In this issue you will find articles about: - Immigrant Environmental Health Forum Cosponsored by PSCIP - PSCIP Partners Host EPA Director of Children's Environmental Health - New EPA Rules for Toxic Rodent Control Products - PSCIP Expands Latino Outreach via Radio, TV - Philadelphia Childcare Care Directors Featured - PSCIP Annual Meeting Canceled - PSCIP offers IPM Education and Training - Useful Websites and Information
Invasive Species Video Now Online December 1, 2011: UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – Asian longhorned beetle, purple loosestrife and other invasive species are included in the Pennsylvania IPM Program’s video, “BugMobile vs. Invasive Species”, which can now be viewed on the program’s website.
Insect & Disease Control Sheets November 22, 2011: Insect and disease control recommendation sheets are now available from the PDA. Topics include insects and diseases of greenhouse ornamentals, herbs and vegetables, Christmas trees, conifers and woody ornamentals.
Pesticide-resistant weeds closing in on Pennsylvania November 22, 2011: The challenge of weeds that have become resistant to glyphosate -- the active ingredient in Round-Up herbicide -- has become an evolving national threat, with new challenges emerging and spreading annually.
Christmas tree container infested with insects November 21, 2011: Christmas trees are back and so are the critters. Quarantine officers discovered today that three shipping containers sent to Home Depot contained trees infested with various insects, according to a press release.
Foundation to Honor Penn State Entomologists November 16, 2011: The Entomological Foundation, a Maryland-based nonprofit organization that educates young people about science through insects, has announced the winners of its 2011 student and professional awards, including several entomologists with ties to Penn State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences.
EPA Takes Next Step to Cancel 20 Mouse and Rat Control Products Used in Homes November 7, 2011: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today took another step in the process to cancel 20 mouse and rat control products that do not adequately protect people, particularly young people, from exposure to toxic chemicals.
Penn State scientists part of new stink bug research project November 1, 2011: Researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are part of a new, multi-state project to study the brown marmorated stink bug.
Penn State's Fabio Manfredini's research on zombie queen wasps featured in Wired magazine October 28, 2011: Even in a world where parasites routinely turn insects into zombies, radically altering their bodies and behavior to serve the parasites’ demands, the story of Polistes dominulus and Xenos vesparum stands out for its weirdness.
Students Poisoned By Pesticides Sprayed On Playing Field Outside Of Classroom October 27, 2011: Forty-seven students from Edgewood Middle School in St. Clair Township, Ohio, reportedly fell ill after the school’s hired pest control company sprayed the herbicide Momentum, which contains the toxic ingredients 2,4-D, triclopyr and clopyralid, on nearby playing fields to treat for clover and other weeds.
PA IPM Offers IPM Education and Training October 21, 2011: PA IPM, with offices located at Penn State University Park, Harrisburg and Philadelphia, offers educational and hands-on training sessions on IPM for diverse audiences in varied environments and settings across Pennsylvania.
The PA IPM Fall Newsletter 2011 Edition October 21, 2011: In this issue: Tiny Flies (SWD) Attack Crops in PA - Uninvited Guests – Vinegar Flies - PA IPM on Consul of Mexico in Philly - PA IPM offers IPM Education and Training - Stink Bug Monitoring Tool Expands Nationwide - New EPA Rules for Toxic Rodent Control Products - New Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Pub Now Available
Publication presents solutions to roaches, bed bugs and other pests October 18, 2011: Are you being bugged by bugs? Are mice or rats chewing on your last nerve? Maybe you could use some good advice about how to deal with them.
Tiny pest threatens local fruit crops October 17, 2011: A new pest soon will be bugging Centre County’s fruit growers. The spotted wing drosophila, an Asian fruit fly, has been sighted throughout Pennsylvania and along the East Coast.
Stinkbugs' new appetite for crops spurs $5.7M study October 17, 2011: Right on nature's cue, the calls started last week with autumn's first chill. "Our phones have been ringing off the hook," said Heidi Latch, office manager at AM/PM Exterminating in Morton, Delaware County, which serves about 700 customers.
Importance of a Safe and Healthy School Environment: Pests, Pesticides and Children October 5, 2011: Summer has ended and children are back in school. The first few weeks are always an exciting and busy time as students and parents get used to the new routine. But it is also the time of year when it is important to remember that safety is a fundamental part of a school’s environment. A safe and healthy school enables learning and teaching within an environment that fosters responsibility, respect and academic excellence.
Arrests Shed Light on a Black Market in Pesticides September 27, 2011: Dominican immigrants in Washington Heights have long had a ready weapon against vermin: Tres Pasitos, or Three Little Steps, a granular product so named because after rats eat it, they walk three steps and die.
CDC: Scores Got Sick, 1 Died Trying to Kill Bedbugs September 26, 2011: Bedbugs don’t make you sick. But the poisons used to kill them can. A government study released Thursday found that dozens of Americans have fallen ill from the insecticides, and a North Carolina woman died after using 18 cans of chemical fogger to attack the tiny blood suckers.
Spotted wing drosophila attacking fruit crops in Pennsylvania and surrounding states September 22, 2011: UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – A new fruit pest has been trapped in seven southern and central counties in Pennsylvania, and maggot-infested fruit are also being reported, threatening grapes, berries, and tree fruit crops.
Insect fair draws enthusiastic crowds September 20, 2011: Penn State's Department of Entomology hosted The Great Insect Fair at the Ag Arena on the University Park campus on Sept. 17. Visitors explored a variety of insect-related displays, collections, activities and games that included an insect deli, which offered some interesting snacks to fair-goers brave enough to try them.
Gift from ice cream company supports pollinator research September 16, 2011: Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream (Haagen Dazs) recently pledged $50,000 to create the Pollinator Research Endowment in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
Penn State Stink Bug Monitoring Tool Expands Nationwide September 13, 2011: UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Brown marmorated stink bugs (BMSB) have become a major threat to fruit orchards and vegetable and grain fields across the country, but a newly expanding web monitoring tool developed by Penn State researchers will help growers report their stink bugs problems and eventually help drive pest management decisions.
How A Clever Virus Kills A Very Hungry Caterpillar September 12, 2011: Scientists say they have figured out how a very clever virus outwits a very hungry caterpillar. The caterpillar is the gypsy moth in its larval stage, and the invasive species damages roughly a million acres of forest in the U.S. each year by devouring tree leaves.
'Battle of the Bugs' at Penn State's Great Insect Fair September 9, 2011: Some people lump all insects together and consider them just plain creepy. Visitors at Penn State's 2011 Great Insect Fair can learn to recognize and value good bugs for the necessary roles they play in keeping bad bugs at bay.
A crawling issue: Head lice treatments worse than the pest itself? September 6, 2011: As children flock back to school, the annual plague of head lice lurks beyond the classroom doors.
New Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Publication Now Available September 6, 2011: The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), an insect not previously seen on our continent, was apparently accidentally introduced into eastern Pennsylvania. It was first collected in September of 1998 in Allentown, but probably arrived several years earlier. As of September 2010, Halyomorpha halys has been recorded in 37 counties, although it is probable that they are in all counties.
New Common Urban Pests Publication Now Available September 6, 2011: Identification, prevention and control of commonly found urban pests in and around the home. Also available for the Kindle at http://ento.psu.edu/publications/CommonUrbanPests.mobi/view
State's first probable West Nile case in Lebanon County August 31, 2011: Pennsylvania's first probable human case of West Nile virus in 2011 has been reported in Lebanon County, officials said Tuesday.
Invasive stink bug from Orient likely to affect crops, invade houses August 27, 2011: An invasive bug, known as the brown marmorated stink bug, has graduated from being a nuisance in people's homes to an agronomic concern, according to Steve Jacobs, extension entomologist at Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.
Pest control association says bedbug infestations are on the uptick August 21, 2011: Bedbugs are on the uptick in hotels, on public transport and in other public places, so says a new survey from the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) survey. It found that infestations -- even in hospitals -- are up over last year.
Gardeners not having to worry about Japanese beetles August 21, 2011: This summer, Ray DeFrances has had to do a little less work to keep his rose garden pristine. Usually during the summer months, DeFrances' flowers are attacked by swarms of Japanese beetles — but not this year.
Squash bees saving Franklin County farmers some cash August 21, 2011: Not every bee is busy as a bee. Honeybees are still snug in their hives in the early morning while the squash bees are out working the fields. That little bit of bee lore promises to save a pumpkin farmer hundreds of dollars.
Many faces of agriculture emerge at Penn State's 2011 Ag Progress Days August 15, 2011: In Pennsylvania, agriculture does more than fill supermarkets. It's at once a major economic driver, a steward of natural resources and a preserver of a venerated lifestyle. So it's no surprise that Penn State's Ag Progress Days, set for Aug. 16-18 at Rock Springs, brings together people with a wide variety of perspectives on the production of food, fuel and fiber.
Stink bug population continues to multiply August 11, 2011: The brown marmorated stink bugs that took a $37 million bite out of the mid-Atlantic's apple crop last year have awakened from winter hibernation, mated and morphed into a possibly larger threat to farmers and homeowners.
Fruit growers fear research aid will wither in budget cuts August 9, 2011: When stinkbugs invaded Adams County orchards in the fall of 2010, Brad Hollabaugh turned immediately to the experts at the Penn State Fruit Research and Extension Center in Biglerville for answers on how to make them go away.
Summer's excessive heat brings out song in cicadas August 9, 2011: Extremely loud singing doesn't typically win over the ladies, but it sure does the trick for the male Dog-Day Cicada. And this year in particular, the males are in full throat.
EPA New Rules for Toxic Rodent Control Products August 3, 2011: The Pennsylvania Integrated Pest Management (PA IPM) Program and The Poison Control Center based at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia are joining forces to educate Philadelphians about the importance of EPA’s new law to protect children, pets and wildlife from accidental exposure to rodent control products.
New Fruit Pest Found in Pennsylvania August 1, 2011: As Penn State researchers warned earlier this year, a new pest of grapes, berries, and tree fruit has made its way into Pennsylvania fruit orchards.
Philadelphia Greenhouse Now Pesticide Free August 1, 2011: UNIVERISTY PARK, Pa. – Over a year ago, the Horticulture Center at Fairmont Park in Philadelphia phased out all pesticide use in its greenhouse by using integrated pest management.
Summer 2011 Newsletter August 1, 2011: In This Issue: • Keeping Track of the Asian Longhorned Beetle • Uninvited Guests: Biting Insects • How Much Does IPM cost? • Asthma - Do you know your triggers? • 1-800 Number Kicks Off Growing Season • New PA IPM Team Member • Useful Web Sites • Upcoming Events
Philadelphia Physicians for Social Responsibility and Women’s Health & Environmental Network Announce Strategic Partnership July 25, 2011: After more than a decade of collaborating together, the Women’s Health & Environmental Network (WHEN) and Philadelphia Physicians for Social Responsibility (Philadelphia PSR) are planning to come together by merging into one organization with a greater capacity to promote nonviolence and safeguard the environment in the region and statewide. The boards of both nonprofits have signed a nonbinding letter of intent and expect the merger to be finalized by early winter.
Mosquitoes increase disease risk in USA July 24, 2011: Mosquitoes are more than just an annoyance for the itchy red bites they leave on our skin. They increasingly raise the prospect of spreading deadly diseases normally not found in the USA, experts warn.
School IPM: Good for Children, Easy on the Budget July 24, 2011: A TALE OF TWO SCHOOL DISTRICTS Last year Gregg Smith’s pesticide bill was $5 for a can of wasp freeze. And that’s for the entire Salt Lake City, Utah, school district—36 schools serving nearly 24,000 students.
EPA Allows Two Insecticides To Control Stink Bugs in Agricultural Settings July 19, 2011: After the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug caused $37 million in losses to fruit growers in the Mid-Atlanticregion, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted the emergency use of the insecticide dinotefuran and a new product that contains azadirachtin and pyrethrins, for agricultural purposes only.
New Sustainable Lawn Care and Landscaping Posters Now Available July 14, 2011: Eight posters on sustainable lawn care and 15 posters on low-input, sustainable plants for the landscape are now available to download. This project is a collaborative effort with the Community IPM Working Group of the Northeastern IPM Center and University of Maryland Extension. The downloadable posters link will take you to a page requesting contact information and how you are going to use them.
Purple bags along central Pa. highways track bugs July 12, 2011: Biblical Egypt had to weather insect plagues of lice, flies, and locusts. Those seem like a collection of gnats compared with what Pennsylvania's woodlands have survived the last several decades: tides of longhorn beetles, gypsy moths, stinkbugs, woolly adelgids, and Sirex woodwasps.
Homemade Stink Bug Trap July 6, 2011: Here is a link to a video on You Tube explaining how to make (or order) a stink bug trap. These insects are seasonal (fall and spring), nuisance pests for homeowners. Pesticides are NOT recommended for control in homes and buildings. http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/brown-marmorated-stink-bug
Still Time to Register for School Grounds Best Management Practices Workshop June 29, 2011: UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – There is still time to register for a workshop on school grounds best management practices using cost-effective and environmentally friendly methods being held by Penn State Cooperative Extension and the Pennsylvania IPM Program in Pittsburgh July 7.
New Native Pollinator Video Now Available on YouTube June 24, 2011: UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – A new video describing the importance of native pollinators in Pennsylvania has recently been posted on YouTube. Produced by Penn State’s Dr. Ed Rajotte and Dr. David Biddinger, “Native Pollinators: A Promising Solution to an Emerging Crisis”, describes the decline of honey bees and the role other native pollinators play in pollination of crops. It depicts the efforts of Penn State’s Center for Pollinator Research, NRCS and the Xerces Society in researching the most effective native pollinators and assisting growers by planting pollinator habitats in farms and orchards in Pennsylvania.
1-800 Number Kicks Off Growing Season June 22, 2011: UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Christmas tree growers and agricultural crop producers from across the state can find the latest pest and pest management information by dialing the Pennsylvania IPM Program’s 1-800 PENN IPM toll-free hotline (814-863-9393 out of state).
Pennsylvania Agriculture Department Urges Public to Help Save Pollinating Insects Critical to Farmers and Food Industry June 21, 2011: To highlight the vital role that pollinating insects play in Pennsylvania's agriculture industry, state officials today broke ground on a pollinator garden at the Department of Agriculture's headquarters in Harrisburg.
Watch Out for Tiny, Biting Bugs June 21, 2011: They know where to find you. And you can't escape. These tiny menaces aren't enemy micro-drones. They're a more old-fashioned assailant.
School Grounds Best Management Practices Workshop set for July 7 June 17, 2011: Reducing the use of pesticides in and around schools is attracting attention of parents, school facilities managers, administrators and lawmakers alike. Penn State Cooperative Extension and the Pennsylvania IPM Program are offering a workshop in Pittsburgh on July 7 to help schools manage pests using cost-effective and environmentally friendly methods.
State foresters take drastic step to fight Asian pest June 8, 2011: A four-year quarantine on firewood, lumber and nursery stock failed to stop the spread of an Asian beetle that is threatening the state's $25 billion hardwoods industry, officials said. The restrictions have now been lifted.
EPA Takes Major Actions to Reduce Americans’ Risks from Mouse and Rat Poisons June 7, 2011: WASHINGTON – To better protect children, pets and wildlife, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced todaythat it is moving to ban the sale to residential consumers of the most toxic rat and mouse poisons, as well as most loose bait and pellet products. The agency is also requiring that all newly registered rat and mouse poisons marketed to residential consumers be enclosed in bait stations that render the pesticide inaccessible to children and pets. Wildlife that consume bait or poisoned rodents will also be protected by EPA’s actions
U.S. Forest Service, Penn State University To Begin Setting Traps for Asian Longhorned Beetles in Quarantined Communities June 2, 2011: WORCESTER, Mass., June 7, 2011 – Researchers from the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station and Penn State University will join forces to place 500 traps for Asian longhorned beetles (ALB) in the communities of Worcester, West Boylston, Boylston, Shrewsbury, and Holden, Mass., in early June.
Research aimed at slowing spread of forest pests in wood packaging June 2, 2011: As invasive forest pests such as emerald ash borer and Asian long-horned beetle decimate forests they never should have seen, scientists are investigating ways to slow the introduction of new insects that may be just as devastating.
New Tougher Bedbugs Are Harder Than Ever to Kill May 31, 2011: After a half-century of relative inactivity in the U.S., bedbugs returned in the late 1990s. Nationwide, 95 percent of pest-control companies have treated an infestation in the past year. A decade ago, it was just 22 percent.
Honeybees continue to die off at 'unsustainable' level May 26, 2011: Winter losses of honeybees impacted by still-unexplained die-offs remained about the same as the previous five years, but the level still concerns keepers in Pennsylvania.
Penn State Ag Research and Global Food Security May 26, 2011: University research on new agricultural technologies and sustainable practices benefits US farmers who are focused on increasing economic and environmental sustainability and also farmers in developing countries who strive to produce increased yields for food insecure communities.
As Penn State continues fight against elm diseases, new trees debut May 25, 2011: Penn State continues to battle the two primary diseases threatening the landmark American elm trees on its University Park campus, but crews also have begun planting new varieties of trees to replace those elms lost during the past several years on the Allen Street Mall area.
PESPWire The New Quarterly e-Bulletin of PESP May 23, 2011: The Spring 2011 PESPWire is here! The PESPWire has undergone several changes and will now be issued quarterly.
Mid-Atlantic Dreads Bad Summer of Foul, Hungry Stink Bugs May 23, 2011: The voice on the answering machine at SBS Pest Control in Pittsburgh offers an unusual valediction. “We hope your day,” it says, “is stink bug free.” Ask people around Pittsburgh and much of the rest of the Mid-Atlantic region and they are likely to say there have been far too few stink-bug-free days of late, a harbinger of what promises to be another challenging summer, a year after tens of millions of the inch-long pests wreaked havoc on crops and homes.
Penn State leads in Honey Bee Health Initiative May 18, 2011: A nationwide network to monitor and maintain honeybee health is the aim of the Bee Informed Partnership, a five-year, $5 million program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture and led by Penn State.
Penn State Extension Warns of Disease-carrying Ticks, Mosquitoes May 15, 2011: Disease-carrying ticks and mosquitoes are thriving in York County this year, entering their next blood-sucking season with population booms from warm, wet spring weather.
Bed Bug Relief Coming for Fairfax County Resident May 14, 2011: Jin Prugsawan's skin is mottled with bed bug bites. Her 10th floor apartment in the Circle Towers Apartments is littered with plastic bags of clothing. Bed bugs can't cling to the slick surface. The mattress stands against the wall, covered in bedbug resistant plastic. But Prugsawan's bedbug battle may be nearing an end.
Zombie Ants have Fungus on the Brain, New Research Reveals May 13, 2011: New research has revealed how infection by a parasitic fungus dramatically changes the behavior of tropical carpenter ants (species Camponotus leonardi), causing them to become zombie-like and to die at a spot that has optimal reproduction conditions for the fungus.
PA IPM Expands Outreach to Latino Community with New Team Member May 12, 2011: Maria Gorgo-Gourovitch will continue her work with the Spanish-speaking community in the Philadelphia as she joins the Pennsylvania IPM Program as its new Latino IPM Coordinator.
Superbug Germ Detected in Bedbugs, Study Finds May 12, 2011: Scientists in Canada have found MRSA in bedbugs from three hospital patients who live in a poverty-stricken Vancouver neighborhood.
Penn State researchers develop stink bug monitoring tool May 9, 2011: As crop growers and homeowners brace for another year of infestations by the brown marmorated stink bug, Penn State researchers have released a Web-based tool that they hope will help enhance their understanding of this invasive insect pest.
PA IPM Expands Outreach to Latino Community with New Team Member May 6, 2011: Maria Gorgo-Gourovitch will continue her work with the Spanish-speaking community in the Philadelphia as she joins the Pennsylvania IPM Program as its new Latino IPM Coordinator.
Spring 2011 Newsletter May 4, 2011: Volume 14, No. 2
PA IPM's Michelle Niedermeier on WTAJ Channel 10's Healthcast May 4, 2011: If you're getting ready to do some spring cleaning, you may want to make your home sparkle with some greener home-made cleaners.
World Asthma Day - Do you know your asthma triggers? May 3, 2011: In urban areas of Pennsylvania, asthma rates are rising, affecting one out of every ten people. Asthma is a chronic lung disease that, for many individuals, can be controlled by avoiding “triggers” such as cockroaches, mice, certain pesticides and other lung irritants and allergens.
Pennsylvania's Christmas Tree Scouting Report May 3, 2011: The Pennsylvania IPM Program’s Christmas Tree Scouting Reports are published bi-weekly to update growers on conditions in the field in south central PA. The reports include information such as growing degree days, insect pests and diseases including full-color images, management recommendations, and links to fact sheets from the new PA IPM Program publication, Integrated Pest Management for Christmas Tree Production.
May is Asthma Awareness Month May 2, 2011: PA IPM's Asthma, Pests and Pesticides Brochure
PA IPM's Michelle Niedermeier on WTAJ Channel 10's Healthcast April 29, 2011: If you're getting ready to do some spring cleaning, you may want to make your home sparkle with some greener home-made cleaners.
Free Invasive Species Videos April 27, 2011: UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – “BugMobile vs. Invasive Species”, the popular video featuring a talking car taking on pests such as zebra mussels, purple loosestrife and Asian longhorned beetles, is now available for free for a limited time.
Green Spring Cleaning April 22, 2011: PA IPM's Michelle Niedermeier quoted in a WSOC Charlotte Health News Story.
New Journal Focuses on IPM April 21, 2011: The Entomological Society of America has launched a new peer reviewed periodical, Journal of Integrated Pest Management (J-IPM). The publication is an open-access, extension oriented journal singularly devoted to the practice and application of IPM.
Honeybees making a comeback in California April 18, 2011: After tumbling to a 23-year low in 2007, California's commercial honeybee population seems to be on the rebound - though a mysterious and deadly epidemic persists in ravaging some colonies.
Paths of Discovery, Lighted by a Bug Man’s Insights April 15, 2011: About three months ago, Thomas Eisner of Cornell University, a towering figure in the fields of biology, ecology and evolution, and a promoter of the class Insecta and related arthropod throngs so thermodynamically persuasive you kept expecting a pair of antennae to sprout from his forehead, sent my 14-year-old daughter, Katherine, a wonderful, miserable gift.
Christmas Tree Scouting Report 4-6-2011 April 15, 2011: This week’s report includes data from Jim Fogarty (Halabura Tree Farm), Karen Najda (PDA), Susan Newhart (Acadia Tree Farm), Tracey Olson (PDA), Brian Schildt (PD\A), and Cathy Thomas (PDA). The links included in several paragraphs lead to fact sheets from the new PA IPM Program publication, Integrated Pest Management for Christmas Tree Production.
New Fruit Pest May Threaten PA Growers April 11, 2011: UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Grapes, berries, and tree fruit may be threatened if a new pest makes its way into Pennsylvania this year, Penn State researchers say.
Philly's Bedbug Problem April 5, 2011: CHASE MUTTLEY LEAPS OUT of his crate in an unmarked white van onto a snowy driveway near Swarthmore, ready for his busy workday. The two-year-old beagle is small for his breed, about 18 pounds, with lively brown eyes and handsome black, white and tan markings. He’s sniffing, wagging, and bounding toward the front door of a rambling Victorian mansion-turned-apartment building. His mission today? To sniff out a suspected case of bedbugs, the scourge of 2011.
Spotted Wing Drosophila March 18, 2011: The Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, is a small vinegar fly with the potential to damage many fruit crops. In the North Central region, it was first detected in Michigan in late September 2010.
Philly Home Health Care Workers Get A Bedbug Briefing March 16, 2011: Home health care professionals attended a workshop today in North Philadelphia to learn about the parasitic arthropod commonly known as the bedbug.
FDNY Warns Don’t Use Gasoline Products On Bedbugs March 15, 2011: Queens fire officials last month issued a warning to borough residents to steer clear of gasoline or gasoline products to fight bedbug infestation at home.
Stink Bugs Primed To Bug In Record Numbers March 9, 2011: CBS Philly: MANTUA, N.J. (CBS) – This could be a banner year – for Asian stink bugs.
Penn State “No Can Do” Fruit Fly Program March 8, 2011: UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Composting food scraps, napkins and other organic wastes is good for environment and can save money, however problems with fruit flies and other pests can crop up quickly. A new effort at Penn State is looking at ways to manage compost pests while increasing greener methods of waste removal.
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Threatens Biological Mite Control in Pennsylvania Apple Orchards March 8, 2011: UNIVERISTY PARK, PA. – A Penn State biological control program that saves apple growers over $1 million in insecticide use each year is being threatened by the expected increase in pesticide use due to a new invasive pest, the brown marmorated stink bug.
PA IPM Coordinator Receives ESA Award - January 2011 January 25, 2011: UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A trio of Penn State agriculture professors were recently recognized by the Eastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America for achievement in their respective fields.
Penn State “Goes Green for Kids” in New Project - January 2011 January 25, 2011: UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Safer pest control and cleaning practices are being promoted through a new Penn State educational program geared toward child care providers of home-based and center-based child care facilities.
Movement and Threat of RNA Viruses Widespread in Pollinator Community January 3, 2011: UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State researchers have found that native pollinators, such as wild bees and wasps, are infected by the same viral diseases as honey bees and that these viruses are transmitted via pollen. Their research was published on December 22nd in PLoS ONE, an online open-access journal for the communication of all peer-reviewed scientific and medical research.

Site Navigation

PA Integrated Pest Management

2011

Document Actions

Agriculture

Public Health

Natural Resources Conservation Service

Schools

Philadelphia Partnership