Latest News
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.
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.
As children flock back to school, the annual plague of head lice lurks beyond the classroom doors.
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.
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
Pennsylvania's first probable human case of West Nile virus in 2011 has been reported in Lebanon County, officials said Tuesday.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 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.
