NEWSLETTER
07/22/97 Entomology and Nematology News - Vol. 2, No. 11
A University of Florida Publication

CONGRATULATIONS

Marjorie A. Hoy received a CSREES Honor award from Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The award was presented "for outstanding research on biological pest controls" on June 11, 1997 at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. Other awardees from the University of Florida included Norm Nesheim, who developed educational programs for use nationwide to promote new worker protection standards for agricultural pesticides to protect workers and the environment.

Carlyle Brewster's dissertation which won the best dissertation award in IFAS, has also been selected as the best dissertation in the biological sciences at the University of Florida. His dissertation is being sent to The Council of Graduate Schools/ University Microfilms International Competition for the Distinguished Dissertation Award in the field of Biological Sciences! We will know in December if he wins it all. Dr. Jon Allen was the Chairman of Carlyle's Supervisory Committee. Congratulations to both!

Elke Fulton and Christine Emmert have successfully defended their dissertation and thesis, respectively. Both will graduate in December. Van Sherwood successfully defended his thesis and Rejane Moraes will defend her dissertation on 21 July. Both will graduate in August. Best wishes to all!

Rejane Moraes has had a two-day interview for a job at Dupont in Newark, Delaware. Jim Presnail and Owain Edwards, former students in this department, attended her seminar. Good luck Rejane!

The Entomology and Nematology Graduate Committee has selected Dini Miller as our nominee for the John Henry Comstock award. Dini will represent our department at the upcoming annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America which will be held in Tennessee this December. Congratulations and good luck Dini!

Dini Miller also received one of the 5 national Pi Chi Omega scholarships for 1996-97. Pi Chi Omega is a fraternity of pest control industry professionals who sponsor a $1000 scholarship to graduate students whose research is determined to be particularly beneficial to the pest control industry. After presenting an overview of her research Dini was awarded her scholarship at the Pi Chi Omega annual luncheon at the Florida Pest Control Association Annual meeting in Jacksonville.

Dr. Nation has been invited to visit Quito, Ecuador, and give a series of lectures to University students on fruit flies and pheromones. In addition he will collaborate in some research with Dr. Patricio Ponce and his wife, Varsovia Cevallos, both graduates from this department, in some research. They will attempt to collect pheromone volatiles and establish a behavioral bioassay with a new species. Dr. Nation will leave Gainesville on Friday, July 25, and return on August 3.

Christopher Tipping has had a paper accepted in the Fireflyer Companion which is published by Dr.Jim Lloyd. The title of Chris' paper is "Response of two freshwater snails to LED light sources simulating predatory firefly larvae (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)." Look for it in Volume 1 no. 3 of the Fireflyer companion.

ENSO'S CORNER

Outreach

On July 10, Dr. John Strayer, Tim McCoy and Claudia Riegel entertained a group of 20 teenagers from McKnight Achievers Middle and Highschool. They talked to them about career opportunities in the field of Entomology and Nematology.

Fundraiser

The cockroach pinning party of July 9 was very effective. We had a turnout of about 10 people that were eager to pin the fragant frozen roaches. Some even enjoyed the taste of crunchy frozen roaches on their pizza! Thanks to all who attended for their time and support.

ENSO will have t-shirts for sale at the National Meeting of Nematologists in Tucson, AZ to be held July 19-24. The t-shirts feature a beautifully detailed nematological design created by Elke Fulton. The money raised from this activity will be re-invested in other fundraising activities that will provide funding for students traveling to professional meetings. Sample t-shirts are on display at the front office, feel free to stop by and buy one or more.

Memorial Garden

The new permanent plaque is in place. It is a beautiful one, so take some time to go out and take a look at it. We had $47.10 left over from the money collected. ENSO will use this money to buy new plants and fill the bare spaces in the Memorial Garden. Once again, thanks to all whose contributions made this possible.

FROM THE GRADUATE COORDINATOR'S OFFICE

Out on Vacation

Dr. Smart will be out of the office from 18-31 July attending the Society of Nematologists meetings in Tucson, and taking some vacation time.

Debbie Hall will be on vacation from August 5th through August 17th. If you would like to register in her office please do so before August 5th. When she returns she will be very busy with all of the new incoming undergraduate and graduate students who are not allowed to register until regular registration.

Call for Nominations

The Entomology and Nematology Graduate Committee is currently asking for nominations for the Kirby Hayes Award (KHA). The KHA is sponsored by the Southeastern Branch of the Entomological Society of America. The award consists of $250 cash and a plaque at the annual branch meeting. It is intended for an outstanding student in a Master's of Science Curriculum. If you would like to be selected to represent this Department, ask your major professor for a nomination. Send a letter of recommendation, from your major professor or Dr. Capinera, and a copy of your c.v. addressed to Dr. Grover C. Smart, chair of the Graduate Committee by August 13th. If you need further information, stop to see Debbie Hall. Good luck!

Attention New Students!

The Entomology and Nematology Department will be having an orientation meeting for new students. The meeting will be held in room 1012 of the Ent/Nem building on August 19 at 2:00 pm. This meeting will inform new students about the services provided by the Graduate Coordinator's Office. It will also provide students with tips on items that will aid them in their studies here and that can make their stay in Gainesville a pleasant one. If you are an Entomology or Nematology major, we hope to see you there!

A Few Tips on Registration

Graduate students have been permitted to register for the fall 1997 term since April 4, 1997. Out of 74 students we have 8 registered. Since graduate courses are often canceled for low enrollment prior to regular registration, it is suggested you register as soon as possible. Faculty are already asking for enrollment numbers to prepare (or not) for the course.

Also, if you plan to graduate in December, please see Debbie Hall for a Degree Application form which should be submitted to the Registrar's office by September 5th.

No more Competency Exams!

The Graduate Committee recommended to the faculty that the department eliminate the Competency Examinations, and instead require that students take the Biology subject test of the GRE and core courses. The faculty agreed to do so, and the new requirements will become effective beginning with the fall semester, 1998 which is the first time the information can be placed in the university catalog. The core courses for entomology students pursuing a Masters degree will be a graduate level course in Insect Physiology, Insect Classification, and either Insect Ecology or Nematode Ecology. For Ph.D. students, the requirements will be the same as above except that two additional graduate level entomology courses must be taken. In the interim, we will continue to offer the Competency Examinations.

MEETINGS

Marjorie A. Hoy presented an invited symposium talk, "Evolution of Resistance: An Inevitable Response" at the Quebec Society for the Protection of Plants, Quebec City, June 13, 1997.

Marjorie A. Hoy attended the Science Writers Workshop, Recursos de Santa Fe, June 28-July 3, 1997 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Dr. Phil Koehler and Tom Fasulo manned an exhibit displaying departmental publications at the Florida Pest Control Association's annual convention in Jacksonville, FL during June 25-27. FPCA is the second largest urban pest control association in the world and, as a result, pest control companies from both North and South America send representatives to the meeting. Many of the attendees remarked that the number of UF's publications in structural, lawn and landscape pest control and the number of ways we provided them (free and for sale publications, both printed and software, and over the WWW) was far greater than in other states or countries. This is another testimony to the excellence of our faculty, staff and students.

One of the biggest attractions to the department's exhibit was the large display case of cockroach species designed by graduate student Jon Petti. A number of pest control company owners expressed an interest in buying one of these cases, or similar cases of other insects, sold by ENSO to raise funds to help students with travel expenses.

VISITING SCIENTISTS

Dr. Hans Herren has been named a York Distinguished Lecturer for the 1997-98 Academic Year and will be a guest in the Department of Entomology and Nematology, where he will deliver a seminar to the Department and also present a more general talk to the public during an evening session. At the moment, we are attempting to set up a schedule for his travel from Africa to Gainesville and one or more of the research centers. Dr. Herren is an expert in biological control and a winner of the World Food Prize. His work on classical biological control of the cassava mealybug in Africa is one of the largest and most successful classical biological control projects ever. Once the dates ofhis visit are confirmed, we will let you know!

PUBLICATIONS

Hoy, M. A. and R. Nguyen. 1997. Classical biological control of the citrus leafminer Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton: Theory, practice, art and science. Tropical Lepidoptera 8 (Suppl. 1): 19 pp.

Hoy, M., R. Nguyen, M. Pomerinke, R. Bullock, D. Hall, J. Knap, J. Pena, H. Browning, and P. Stansly. 1997. Distribution of A. citricola-a parasite of the citrus leafminer. Citrus Industry May : 51-52.

Capinera, J.L., C.W. Scherer, and J.B. Simkins. 1997. Habitat associations of grasshoppers at the Macarthur Agro-Ecology Research Center, Lake Placid, Florida. Fla. Entomol. 80:253-261.

Day, J.F., (July 1997). The Florida SLE mosquito, Culex nigripalpus Theobald. UF/IFAS Featured Creatures. EENY-10. http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/aquatic/fl_sle_mosquito.htm

Zentko, D.C., and D.L. Richman. (July 1997). Cat Flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouché). UF/IFAS Featured Creatures. EENY-11. http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/occas/catflea.htm

ENY 5810 TEACHING ASSISTANT

Julia Porter, a senior at Buchholz High School, has volunteered to help 20 hours a week with Information Techniques in Research this summer. She has already completed a comparison of three personal bibliographic database programs: Papyrus, Endnote, and Reference Manager.

DEPARTMENT OF ?

Since people are lazy, our department's name is not always completely written out. As a result, our Nematology colleagues do experience some irritation when our department is referred to as the "Department of Entomology." But turnabout is fair play. In the May issue of the Certified Pest Control Operator's monthly newsletter, a photograph that includes Dr. Philip Koehler lists him as a member of the Department of Nematology.

GRIME PAYS!

A Georgia woman whose apartment was infested with more than 75,000 cockroaches won free insecticide and a cash prize this week after her problem was judged one of the worst in the country. Mary Esposito said roaches lived in her dishwasher, refrigerator, oven, coffee-maker, VCR, wallpaper, dresser drawers and bathtub faucet. "While I cook, roaches fall from the ceiling fan into my food," she said. "I keep a clean home and am frustrated that roaches keep coming back." Esposito was one of six national "winners" chosen from hundreds of entries in a contest sponsored by a pest control company. She was given a $1,000 cash prize and a supply of cockroach control products.

NATL NEWS FROM DR. WALKER

The engineering for re-contouring the NATL retention pond is proceeding on schedule. A detailed survey of the area has been completed, and the engineers have submitted their initial project design. Final construction documents are scheduled to be ready in October so that construction can occur during the winter dry season. When dirt moving is completed, the Wetlands Club (and any volunteers they can muster) will establish native plants appropriate to the varied hydrological zones created by the re-contouring. The Florida Museum of Natural History will route its NATL nature trail to loop through and interpret the resulting wetlands and storm water treatment areas.

AFFORDABLE BIBLIOGRAPHIC PROGRAMS?

Three popular programs that help scientists cope with the literature now cost the same for students (~$100). Reference Manager has joined EndNote in offering students their full Windows programs (with import modules) for only $99.95. Campus Bookstore Technology Center has both these in stock. (Be sure you don't buy the Reference Manager that costs only $54. It lacks an import module and can hold only 400 records!). Papyrus, a DOS program that is Windows aware, still sells for $99 (or $200 for up to 20 users). The Campus Shop does not stock it, but students in our department can use it for free under the two $200 licenses the Department paid for. (You must buy the program to continue to use it after you leave the Department.)

NEMATODE CONTROL

Drs. Robert Dunn and Grover Smart added two files to Pest Alert. These files recommend nematicides for lawns, landscapes and gardens, and discuss beneficial nematodes with lists of suppliers and their compatibility to pesticides.

MORE ON "THE RETURN OF THE MEDFLY"

The Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, has placed information on the Mediterranean Fruit Fly situation in Florida on the World Wide Web. Since DPI does not yet have a WWW server, the information is available through the WWW pages that DPI has created through the University of Florida Entomology and Nematology Department's WWW site. The site is located at:

The Pest Alert and Florida Insect and Nematode Management databases are also available, through the World Wide Web, on the home page (under Publications) of the University of Florida's Department of Entomology and Nematology at:

http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/

Receiving calls or visits from homeowners anxious to identify possible Medflies in their fruit?

The Division of Plant Industry can handle that with their entomology identification team at the Tampa Fairgrounds.

Having trouble explaining why it is important to spray for Medfly?

The Florida Administrative Weekly, Volume 23, Number 27, July 3,1997, has a lengthy section on an Emergency Rule from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services concerning the Mediterranean Fruit Fly Rule and Quarantine 5BER97-3. This is a statement of the specific facts and reasons for finding an immediate danger to the public health, safety or welfare. It also covers regulated articles and the movement and possible confiscation of those articles.


This version of the newsletter is edited and published for the Web by Tim McCoy.

The next newsletter will be published Thursday, August 21. Deadline for contributions is Monday, August 18.

Editors: Yasmin Cardoza & Tim McCoy


July 1997. Updated March 2003