- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
The invasive species, repeatedly introduced in California and eradicated, "was first found in Central Mexico in 1863, and by the early 1950s flies were found along the California-Mexico border," according to the USDA. "The pest has since been detected in Arizona, California and Texas. A large number of commercially grown crops, including avocado, grapefruit, orange, peach and pear, would be threatened if the Mexican fruit fly became established."
The California Department of Food and Agriculture's fact sheet relates that:
- The Mexican fruit fly (MFF) is among the world's most destructive pests and can destroy many types of fruit, including oranges, grapefruits, apples, peaches and pears.
- Female fruit flies lay their eggs in ripening fruit. The eggs hatch into larvae that eat the flesh of the fruit, causing it to rot.
One of the scientists who does research on the genomics of this fruit fly and other pests in the family Tephritidae is Julian Dupuis, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky. He'll speak on “Developing Genomics-Based Molecular Diagnostic Tools for Recurrently Invading Tephritid Pests” at a seminar hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology on Wednesday, Oct. 12 in 122 Briggs Hall.
The seminar, both in-person and virtual, will begin at 4:10 p.m. The Zoom link is
https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672
“With increased global trade and transport, anthropogenic movement of non-indigenous, pestiferous species is becoming more coming,” Dupuis writes in his abstract. “Effective management and prevention of these invasions relies on accurate species identification and geographic pathway analysis (that is, what is it and where did it come from?) However, many of these pests belong to highly diverse groups of closely related species that are difficult or impossible to delimit using traditional taxonomic methods, and traditionally used molecular markers have proven ineffective for these tasks. Here, I will present ongoing efforts to use genomic data to inform and develop molecular diagnostic tools for the highly diverse and economically damaging true fruit flies of the family Tephritidae. These efforts combine foundational phylogenomics and population genomics with highly applied uses of these data for phytosanitary purposes, with the ultimate goal of providing highly sought after tools to regularly agencies such as USDA-APHIS."
Dupuis received his bachelor's degree in biology in 2009 from Northern Michigan University and his doctorate in systematics and evolution in 2016 from the University of Alberta. His research interests include insect systematics, speciations, evolution, genomics, phylogenomics and population genomics.
“We are broadly interested in insect speciation and systematics and use an integrative approach to study these phenomena with a large emphasis on genomic approaches,” he writes on his website.
He served as the lead author of research, "Range-Wide Population Genomics of the Mexican Fruit Fly: Toward Development of Pathway Analysis Tools," published in May 2019 in the journal Evolutionary Applications.
Emily Meineke, assistant professor of urban landscape entomology, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, coordinates the department's seminars for the 2022-23 academic year. All 11 seminars will take place both person and virtually at 4:10 p.m. on Wednesdays in Room 122 of Briggs Hall except for the Nov. 9th and Dec. 7th seminars, which will be virtual only, she said. (See list of seminars)
For further information on the seminars or technical difficulties with Zoom, contact Meineke at ekmeineke@ucdavis.edu.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Benson, internationally known for her entomology and horticulture illustrations, will be honored by Srdan Tunic, a UC Davis graduate student studying for his master's degree in art history, at a special talk, "Plants, Insects and Art: Mary Foley Benson's Scientific Illustrations," from 11 to 11:50 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 15 in the Teaching and Learning Complex, 482 Hutchison Drive.
The event, open to the public, is being held during Aggie Spirit Week.
Benson (1905-1992) served as scientific illustrator for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Entomology and the Smithsonian Institution. Later, as a resident of Davis, she engaged in other projects, including working for UC Davis entomologists. Much of her work appears in campus buildings, including Briggs Hall, home of the Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, and the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (See research story on Mary Foley Benson by forest entomologist Malcolm Furniss)
"I will focus on the visual material, and start by saying a few words about the museum, and then talk about Mary's life and art chronologically, paying special attention to her work at UC Davis," Tunic said. "At some point I will briefly touch on scientific illustration and how artists make this sort of work, and near the end mention other illustrators I encountered during this process, and wrap up motivating people to dive into their local collections."
Tunic is a freelance curator and researcher. A graduate of the University of Belgrade and University of the Arts in Belgrade, Serbia, he holds degrees in both art history and cultural management. He anticipates receiving his master's degree from UC Davis in June 2023.
"A few months later, my art history department granted me the opportunity to do an internship there and I have been diving deep into the life and work of Mary Foley Benson since the spring quarter of 2022. It's really like detective work! I have been surrounded by insects, books and artworks for this whole time--which sounds great in my world--and I am thankful for the whole Bohart Museum team for making this possible."
Tunic has been working independently and collaborating with various art and education initiatives since 2012. He is a co-founder of Trans-Cultural Dialogues (as part of Cultural Innovators Network), Kustosiranje/About and Around Curating, and Street Art Walks Belgrade. He collaborates with art professionals, researching fields such as contemporary art, curatorial practices, street art and graffiti, science fiction, art appropriation, cultural diversity, experiential learning, independent cultural scene and self-management. His work has been published in a number of magazines and journals.
Since 2018, Tunic has been a contributing editor for Not Afraid of the Ruins, especially contributing to the open call Local Science Fictions (2019) and the forthcoming NAOTR anthology (2022). More about his work is at http://srdjantunic.wordpress.com/
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Never be late for dinner or it might be all gone.
Take the case of the Mexican sunflowers, Tithonia rotundifola, that we planted last April for the monarchs. Monarchs seem to favor Tithonia more than any other nectar source in our pollinator garden. Second choice: the butterfly bush, Buddleia davidii.
May, June, July, and August came and went. The invited (and expected) guests were a "no show." Didn't they make reservations? Or did they forget?
The Tithonia drew honey bees, long-horned bees, syrphid flies, a praying mantis, and assorted butterflies. No monarchs.
In September, entomologist David James of Washington State University, who studies migratory monarchs, announced the monarchs are on their way from the Pacific Northwest to their overwintering sites along coastal California. "They're coming," he said.
Finally, on Sept. 16, a single monarch glided in, sipped some nectar on the Buddleia for a few seconds and left. Another monarch stopped by on Sept. 26, nectared on the Tithonia for a couple of seconds and vanished.
Where are all the dinner guests?
Finally, at 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 3, a male monarch arrived for dinner. And what a 12-course dinner it was on the Tithonia's remaining 12 flowers. He paused once to sample nectar from the Buddleia, but he obviously preferred the Tithonia.
Frankly, it's not been a good year for monarchs in our pollinator garden. Monarchs totally ignored the milkweed, their host plant, and almost disregarded the nectar sources. In comparison, back in 2016, monarchs laid about 300 eggs on our milkweed. In the migratory season, it was not uncommon to see seven monarchs in our garden at one time.
If any more monarchs arrive, they'll not get much Tithonia or Buddleia to fuel their flight to the overwintering sites. They'll have to settle for what's left of the nectar sources: African blue basil, catmint, lion's tail, Mexican petunia, and honeysuckle.
We're just glad one dinner guest showed up, although he was almost too late for dinner.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
You'll want to register for a class on "I Planted a Bee Garden: Now What?," offered Saturday, Oct. 29 by the UC Davis Bee Haven, part of the Department of Entomology and Nematology.
The class, taught by Christine Casey, academic program management officer of the Bee Haven, is set from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the Bee Haven, located on Bee Biology Road, next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. It also will be offered online. Registration for the class, which covers a light breakfast and course materials, is $50. Proceeds will support the operation of The Haven.
Topics will cover turf removal and weed control, best bee plants for new gardeners, and turf vs. bee garden maintenance. Enrollment is limited to 25. To register, access
http://registration.ucdavis.edu/Item/Details/870.
https://registration.ucdavis.edu/Item/Details/871.
UC Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño of the Department of Entomology and Nematology serves as the faculty director of the half-acre garden, planted in the fall of 2019 under the direction of interim department chair Lynn Kimsey, director of the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Häagen-Dazs was the primary donor. (See timeline and history of the garden.)
The garden features art projects by the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, co-founded and co-directed by the duo of entomologist/artist Diane Ullman, professor and former chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology, and self-described "rock artist" Donna Billick of Davis. Billick created the 200-pound ceramic-mosaic bee sculpture, Miss Bee Haven, that anchors the garden.
The Haven is open daily from dawn to dusk. Admission is free. For more information access the website, Facebook page, Casey's Bee Gardener blog on the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources website, the Instagram account or the Twitter account.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Winokur, a UC Davis doctoral candidate and vector-borne disease specialist who studies with major professor Chris Barker, will present her exit seminar, hosted by the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, at 4:10 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 5 in 122 Briggs Hall.
She'll discuss "Temperature Drives Transmission of Mosquito-borne Pathogens: Improving Entomological Estimates for Aedes aegypti-borne Virus Transmission Risk." Her seminar will be both in-person and virtual. The Zoom link: https://ucdavis.zoom.us/j/95882849672.
"The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of a range of viruses that cause a major burden on human health worldwide, including dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever viruses," Winokur writes in her abstract. "As the Zika epidemic emerged in 2016, estimates for Zika risk were based on proxy evidence from closely related dengue virus. To improve risk estimates, we studied how temperature affects Zika virus extrinsic incubation period. We sought to further improve risk estimates by studying thermal preferences of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes in the laboratory and in the field. Current mosquito-borne pathogen risk models primarily use temperatures from weather stations or thermal imagery as a proxy for the temperatures mosquitoes experience, however such approaches do not account for local environments or microclimates available to adult mosquitoes. Taken together, the results of these studies can be used to improve prediction of mosquito-borne pathogen risk and inform mosquito control decisions." (See information on the mosquito on the California Department of Public Health website)
Olivia received her bachelor's degree in May of 2015 from Cornell University where she was an interdisciplinary studies major (environmental effects on human health).
At UC Davis, Winokur served as the 2019-2020 president of the Entomology Graduate Student Association and as a 2020-2022 committee member of the UC Davis Entomology Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging. She co-founded the Girls' Outdoor Adventure in Leadership and Science (GOALS) in 2017 and continues to serve in leadership roles. GOALS is a free two-week summer science program for high school girls and gender expansive youth from backgrounds underrepresented in STEM fields. They learn science, outdoors skills, and leadership hands-on while backpacking in Sequoia National Park.
Active in the vector-borne disease community, Winokur completed a 2019-2020 term as the Executive Council student representative for the American Committee on Medical Entomology (ACME) and as a 2017-2019 volunteer with the Vector-Borne Disease Section of the California Department of Public Health, where she assisted with hantavirus and plague surveillance. She peer-reviews manuscripts for the Journal of Medical Entomology.
Winokur is the recipient of numerous fellowships and grants, including a $140,00 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship; a $30,000 Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases Graduate Fellowship; a $25,000 Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases Postdoctoral Fellowship; a Professors for the Future Fellowship (UC Davis) of $3,000; and two-consecutive Hazeltine Student Research Awards (UC Davis), totaling $5,500. She also received an American Geophysical Union Centennial Grant of $9,720 and an American Association for University Women Community Action Grant of $5,000 (outreach grants).
Winokur's latest peer-reviewed publications include co-authoring "The Influence of Vector-borne Disease on Human History: Socio-Ecological Mechanisms" in the journal Ecology Letters; and serving as the lead author of "Impact of Temperature on the Extrinsic Incubation Period of Zika Virus in Aedes aegypti in the journal PLOS (Public Library of Science): Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Emily Meineke, assistant professor of urban landscape entomology, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, coordinates the department's seminars for the 2022-23 academic year. All 11 seminars will take place both person and virtually at 4:10 p.m. on Wednesdays in Room 122 of Briggs Hall except for the Nov. 9th and Dec. 7th seminars, which will be virtual only, she said. (See list of seminars)
For further information on the seminars or technical difficulties with Zoom, contact Meineke at ekmeineke@ucdavis.edu.
