- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
“My art is inspired by the harmony between nature and insects,” said Rice, a junior specialist in the Larry Godfrey lab, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. She studies the bagrada bug with postdoctoral fellow Ian Grettenberger.
“I am truly humbled by the complexity and beauty of many of them!” Rice said. “I'm captivated by insects' structural biology, ability to evolve over time and the intricate ways in which they communicate.”
The stag beetle t-shirt design not only incorporates her love for stag beetles (family Lucanidae) but illustrates the “geometric patterns that are hidden in the deciduous forests they dwell in,” said Rice, who enjoys fuses art with science..
Stag beetles are so named because of the males' unique mandibles, often compared to deer antlers. The beetles are ground-dwellers but also can fly. Some males measure 7 centimeters in length or just under three inches, while the adult females are about 5 centimeters long.
Her winning t-shirt last year depicted a wasp riding a penny-farthing or a high wheel bicycle. Both t-shirts and scores of other winning t-shirts are available for sale on the EGA website, https://mkt.com/UCDavisEntGrad
A native of Roseville, Rice received her bachelor's degree in biological sciences with a minor in medical-veterinary entomology in March 2015. Her career goal, to become a professional research entomologist, stems from her childhood interest in the biological sciences.
“This is a continuation of my experience as a researcher, teachers assistant, and mentor,” she said. “With the support of Dr. Larry Godfrey (Extension entomology, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology), I have been motivated to pursue my Ph.D. I'm grateful for his commitment to fostering my intellectual growth, and dedication to mentoring a young woman scientist in a field where women are frequently underrepresented.”
“I'm particularly interested in integrated pest management practices that could have real world impact,” Rice said. “By understanding the biology and behaviors of pest insects, as well as their interaction with other organisms, the reliance on heavy pesticide use in agriculture may become minimized and more targeted. “
Her work in the Godfrey lab in collaboration with Ian Grettenberger, postdoctoral Research Associate, involves investigating the biology and behavioral ecology of the bagrada bug, Bagrada hilaris, an invasive species from Africa. The now widespread stink bug attacks cole crops, including broccoli, cabbage, collards, arugula, cauliflower, kale, and mustard.
“Dr. Grettenberger has taught me how to manage time and stay organized in order to execute an effective research plan,” Rice said, “and I am inspired by his enthusiasm to solve problems.”\
Rice hopes to start graduate school in autumn of 2017. Meanwhile, she continues to share her fascination for insects with friends, family and the Davis community.
For several years, Rice was an active member of the UC Davis Entomology Club, advised by forensic entomologist Robert Kimsey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology faculty. “I consider Bob Kimsey as my mentor and friend. Along with the various projects of the entomology club, he has instilled in me a deep curiosity of the natural world and a strong desire to give back to the community as an entomologist.”
Rice's award-winning t-shirt went on sale at the Entomological Society of America/International Congress of Entomology meeting, held in early November in Orlando, Fla.
Cindy Preto of the Frank Zalom lab is coordinating the sale of the t-shirts. All proceeds benefit EGSA.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
"Dr. Ehler had a remarkable career at UC Davis,” said Steve Nadler, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. “In his research he built upon fundamental investigations in integrated pest management (IPM) to provide practical biological control for many different systems. Les was both a national leader in the discipline of biological control, and an outstanding citizen of the department and university.”
Dr. Ehler, who joined the UC Davis Department of Entomology in 1973 and retired in January 2008, was the first biological control specialist on campus and was known as the “quintessential biological control researcher.”
For four decades he championed the use of natural enemies to control agricultural pests and warned of the dangers of pesticides.
Dr. Ehler co-edited the 1990 book, Critical Issues in Biological Control and served four years as president and four years as past president of the International Organization for Biological Control. He also chaired the Entomological Society of America's Biological Control Section.
At UC Davis, Dr. Ehler battled pests such as obscure scale and aphids on oaks, stink bugs on tomato, aphids on sugar beet and white fir, and beet armyworm on alfalfa and sugar beet. His expertise ranges from the theory and practice of biological control to the ecology and management of insects and mites in natural, agricultural and urban environments.
“Les was a meticulous researcher and an excellent applied field ecologist,” said colleague and close friend Extension entomologist Larry Godfrey of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Entomology. “When he took on a research project, you were confident the project would be conducted well and all aspects of the system considered. He made major contributions to our understanding of stink bug ecology and biological control of stink bugs. Les was also excellent at transferring his knowledge via classroom teaching.”
In the late 1990s, Dr. Ehler discovered that pill bugs, also known as roly-poly bugs, prey on the eggs of stink bugs. Up to then, most entomologists classified pill bugs as strictly vegetarians. Stink bugs, major agricultural pests, suck the juices from legume and brassica seeds and fruit of other crops.
In the early 1980s, Dr. Ehler led the Davis team that documented the environmental impact of malathion-bait sprays used to eradicate the Mediterranean fruit fly. The organophosphate was credited with killing the medfly, but also beneficial insects such as honey bees, and natural enemies of various insect pests.
In one study, Dr. Ehler assessed the non-target effects of malathion in the Bay Area. His studies in Woodside, a San Mateo County community on the San Francisco Peninsula, revealed that populations of a native gall midge exploded 90 times the normal level. Ehler compared the gall midge population in Woodside -- where planes sprayed up to 24 malathion applications -- to the untouched Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve near Stanford University. The gall midge is a gnatlike insect pest that lays its eggs in plants; the burrowing larvae form galls.
Dr. Ehler also helped organic farmers solve problems. He designed a stink bug management program for Yolo County organic farmer Robert Ramming of Pacific Star Gardens after learning of the stink bug invasion in his tomato fields.
“The stink bugs were overwintering in his backyard and in the spring, emerging to dine on mustard and then tomatoes,” Dr. Ehler noted in the feature story. “Stink bugs don't seem to prefer tomatoes — they like mustard and wild radish — but when these hosts were plowed under and no longer available, the bugs went for the tomatoes.” Solution: Don't cut the mustard. Plow it under only when the stink bugs aren't a threat to the tomatoes — that is, before they develop wings and disperse.
Quotes from the January 2008 feature story:
- Yolo County organic farmer Robert Ramming of Pacific Star Gardens: “Les determined what stink bugs prefer, their habitat and where they were overwintering. “We planted a five-foot strip of ‘trap' or ‘bribe' crops (mustard and wild radish) around the tomato fields and got rid of 90 percent of the stink bugs.”
- Rachael Long, a UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Yolo, Solano, Sacramento counties: “I greatly admire Les for his contributions to IPM that have helped us better understand the biology of some of our major agricultural pests and how to manage them. Les is one of those extraordinary field researchers with a broad knowledge of entomology that make him a great resource for information. In collaborating with Les on various projects I have a much better understanding on how landscapes impact IPM in cropping systems which I believe will help conservation efforts and improve pest control in our agricultural systems.”
- Chemical ecologist Walter Leal, then professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology: “Les began teaching biocontrol classes for our department in 1974, drawing hundreds of students. He was trained in the 1960s by the founders of integrated pest management (IPM) and he advocated biological control methods as an important IPM pest control strategy. His work led to a better understanding of how predators and parasites can control pests without pesticides.”
- Entomologist Michael Parrella, then associate dean of agricultural sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: “Les was the first faculty member hired in the Department of Entomology to teach and advance the science and practice of biological control. Trained in classical biological control at UC Berkeley, he was the heart and soul of biological control at UC Davis, and worked in many biological systems from tomatoes to urban landscapes. For many years, Les maintained his own USDA-certified quarantine laboratory which allowed him to work with biological control agents from all over the world. He was a meticulous researcher who maintained a ‘hands-on' approach with all the projects done in his laboratory and he trained many students who are now leaders in the field of biological control around the world.”
Emeritus professor Harry Kaya of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology said of his close friend and colleague:
"Les and I overlapped as graduate students at UC Berkeley and I have known him for over 45 years. We were reunited as faculty members at UC Davis when I joined the department in 1976. Les was the quintessential entomologist specializing in classical biological control. His research was always thorough and complete and others have commented on his many contributions to the discipline. We co-taught a class on biological control for many years; he covered the theory and application of parasitoids and predators and I did the lectures on pathogens. Les made sure that the students understood the basis for the theoretical aspects of biological control and their application in the field. In the laboratory portion of the class, he took the students into the field to show them biological control agents in action and developed a useful pictorial handout for identifying the common parasitoids and predators found in California. Even in retirement, he assisted farmers in dealing with the stink bug problems in tomatoes."
"Les was the most organized person that I know. Everything in his research lab and office and home had a place and was neatly and logically organized," Kaya noted. "A few years before he retired, he had a plan on what he wanted to do and purchased a fishing boat. The first time we went out, it was clearly a case of the blind leading the blind. We lost more fishing gear without getting a single bite. Les did not see this as a setback, but as a learning experience. He went fishing with professional guides, learned from them, and became an excellent fisherman. He not only took me but many others fishing for striped bass in the Delta, salmon and striped bass in the Sacramento River, and trout, bass, and kokanee at Lake Berryessa."
"I have lost a good friend and colleague. I will miss the many entomological and other stories and his sense of humor we shared on our fishing trips."
Born Jan. 6, 1946 in Lubbock County, Texas and reared on a family farm near the small town of Idalou, Les Ehler received his bachelor's degree in entomology from Texas Tech University, and his doctorate in entomology from UC Berkeley. He joined UC Davis in 1973 as an assistant professor, advancing in 1985 to professor of entomology and entomologist in the UC Davis Experiment Station. Dr. Ehler was an avid fisherman and enjoyed fishing, particularly for sturgeon and salmon.
He is survived by his son Brian of Susanville, Calif., and daughter Mary Ehler Yung and husband, Eric, of Sacramento, and granddaughters Emma Yung and Georgiana Grace Yung. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Joseph, and sister Loretta. He is survived by brothers Eugene (Mary) of Denton, TX, Howard (Rita) of Midland, TX and sisters Jan Chapman (Carl) of Houston, TX and Amy Willingham of Irving, TX. He is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
Godfrey, who has addressed Rice Field Day for 25 years, will discuss how the California rice industry's use of insecticides is threatened by two major factors: the development of insecticide resistance and regulatory actions.
Materials registered for California rice, Godfrey said, include pyrethroids (Mustang®, Warrior®),neonicotinoid (Belay®), insect growth regulator (Dimilin®), and carbamate (Sevin®). One additional product is in the registration pipeline, a ryanodine receptor modulators (Coragen®).
“However, as shown in the 2015 season when armyworms reached unprecedented levels--the highest of the last 25 years-- the insecticide choices were limited and all options had some deficiencies in terms of efficacy on armyworms,” Godfrey said. “Fortunately, the California Rice Commission was able to get an emergency exemption (Section 18) for Intrepid® to help with this situation. All these registered insecticides need to be managed carefully so they are available and effective in future years and for future generations.”
Joanna Bloese, a student in the Godfrey lab, will present a poster, "Evaluating the Effects of Chemical and Cultural Management Practices on the Population Dynamics of Tadpole Shrimp (Triops longicaudatus) in California Rice." (Research by J. B. Bloese, L. Espino, K. Goding, L. D. Godfrey). Ongoing research is focused on developing pest management methods in rice to reduce the need for insecticide use while still producing a profitable crop. Kevin Goding, staff research associate, also will be participating in Rice Field Day.
The purpose of the Rice Field Day, sponsored by the California Cooperative Rice Research Foundation (CCRRF) and the University of California, is to give rice growers and others an opportunity to observe and discuss research in progress at the Rice Experiment Station (RES).
The program will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a general session that serves as the annual membership meeting. Posters and demonstrations will be displayed during registration until after lunch. Field tours of research will emphasize progress on rice variety improvement, and disease, insect pest, and weed control. The program will conclude at noon with a lunch that includes rice.
More information is available on the CRRF website at http://www.crrf.org/
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that 19 grants, funded through the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Specialty Crop Research Initiative, will support American farmers growing fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops including floriculture. Specialty crops cover most crops other than the large acreage commodity crops. The initiative is authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.
Zalom and Godfrey and seven other University of California specialists and advisors are involved with the $3.7 million grant, “Management of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug in U.S. Specialty Crops,” submitted by North Carolina State University, Raleigh.
Others from UC working on the brown marmorated stink bug project are:
- Cooperative Extension Specialists: Kent Daane, UC Berkeley, and Mark Hoddle, UC Riverside
- Farm Advisors: Monica Cooper, Napa County, and Chuck Ingels, Sacramento County
- Area IPM Advisors: Emily Symmes, Butte County; Shimat Joseph, Monterey County; and Jhalendra Rijal, Stanislaus County
The stink bug project is a continuation of a multi-state project that has included a specific objective on options that are compliant with the National Organic Program standards.
“This is a very common invasive insect in Sacramento and other urban areas but has not widely infested agricultural areas,” Godfrey said. “Based on what the insect has done in the mid-Atlantic states in the East, everyone expects it to invade crop areas. The grant is not crop specific, other than specialty crops which is about all of the crops we grow in California--except (primarily) rice, corn and cotton. We will be studying how this pest adapts to California conditions and crops and also studies will be done on the fit of biological control for managing this pest. Clearly some of our major crops such as grapes, almonds--and other nut crops--tomatoes, cool-season vegetables, stone fruits, etc. will be subjects of research.”
The Rutgers-based grant "includes several components to develop ornamental horticulture production practices that are compatible with bee health," Casey said. "Our work will be to determine the preference of common bee species for widely sold ornamental plants." The project will build on the research of Gordon Frankie, UC Berkeley professor and Robbin Thorp, distinguished emeritus professor of entomology at UC Davis.
"America's specialty crop farmers face many challenges ranging from a changing climate to increasing production costs,” said Vilsack in a recent press release. “Investing in cutting edge research helps uncover solutions to keep their operations viable and ensures Americans have access to safe, affordable and diverse food options. The universities, state departments of agriculture and trade associations that partner with USDA address challenges at the national and local levels to help sustain all parts of America's food and agriculture system, whether the farms are small or large, conventional or organic."
Through the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, the projects will address research and extension needs that span the entire spectrum of specialty crops production from researching plant genetics to improving crop characteristics; identifying and addressing threats from pests and diseases; improving production and profitability; developing new production innovations and technologies; and developing methods to respond to food safety hazards.
Abstracts for this year's funded projects are on NIFA's reporting website.
Grants, by state, include:
- University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Pine Bluff, Ark., $50,000
- The American Olive Oil Producers Association, Clovis, Calif., $50,000
- Agricultural Research Service, Peoria, Ill., $3,694,012
- Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., $3,673,611
- Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Md., $3,683,590
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., $1,467,724
- Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., $48,558
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C., $ 3,717,519
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C., $ 3,276,666
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C., $46,956
- Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J., $ 2,849,975
- Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J., $50,000
- New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, N.M., $ 4,404,284
- Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $ 4,281,618
- Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., $ 2,019,142
- Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, $35,240
- Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore., $3,112,410
- Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, Texas, $35,418
- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
DAVIS--The UC Davis Linnaean Games Team, the reigning national and regional champions, won the 2016 games conducted Monday night, April 4 in Honolulu at the annual meeting of the Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America (PBESA)
The team, comprised of captain Ralph Washington Jr., and members Brendon Boudinot, Jessica Gillung and Ziad Khouri, defeated the University of Hawaii in the semi-finals and then went on to nail the championship with a victory over the UC Riverside team.
The Linnaean Games is a college-bowl type competition in which teams answer questions about insects and entomologists. The teams hold practice sessions throughout the year.
Washington is studying for his doctorate with major professors Steve Nadler and Brian Johnson, who respectively specialize in systematics and evolutionary biology of nematodes and the evolution, behavior, genetics, and health of honeybees; Boudinot with major professor Phil Ward, systematics and evolutionary biology of ants; and Jessica Gillung and Ziad Khouri with major professor Lynn Kimsey, who specializes in the biology and evolution of insects. Kimsey directs the Bohart Museum of Entomology.
The Pacific Branch of ESA encompasses 11 U.S. states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming); several U.S. territories, including American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands; and parts of Canada and Mexico.
The national Linnaean Games will take place at the ESA's meeting, set Sept. 25-30 in Orlando, Fla. It is being held in conjunction with the International Congress of Entomology (ICE). More than 7000 entomologists from throughout the world are expected to attend. The ICE meeting is co-chaired by UC Davis chemical ecologist Walter Leal, professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and research entomologist Alvin M. Simmons of the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service, Charleston, S.C.
- Question: According to the experiment performed at UCB in 1991, the fastest land insect in the world registered a record speed of 1.5 m/s or 3.36 mph, which was equal to 50 body lengths per second. Name the insect.
Answer: American Cockroach, Periplanetaamericana - Question: According to Alder and Willis (2003), in the history of arthropod borne disease in South Carolina, which insect vectored human disease is known by the names Aigue Fever, Bilious Fever, Country Fever, Intermittent Fever, Remittent Fever, and Tertian Fever?
Answer: Malaria - Question:What animal was imported to Mauritius from India in the 18th century to control the Red Locust, Nomadacris
semptemfasiciata?
Answer: The Mynah Bird - Question: What is the active ingredient in the insecticidal product known as NEEM?
Answer: Azadiracthin - Question: In systematics, what is the term for a group containing a common ancestor and some but not all of its descendants?
Answer: A paraphyletic group
Related Link:
UC Davis Wins National Championship