Blog Archives

What Says the Wooly Bear about Winter?

Now that summer is winding down, things like pumpkin spice, Halloween costumes, and hoodies may start appearing. Conversations may also start to turn toward predictions regarding the upcoming winter. A quick Google search reveals that there seems to be a

Posted in Misc. Topics

Current Cucurbit & Smarter Apple Spraying Podcasts

The Current Cucurbit Podcasts Iowa State University, in cooperation with the University of Kentucky and Cornell University, has released a series of podcasts to share their research experiences with improved resilience of cucurbit crops to attack by insect, weeds, and

Posted in Misc. Topics

UK-REC Entomology Opens a Temporary Workplace in Eddyville Where Insect ID Can Be Conducted

The entomology program at the UK-REC, Princeton was totally interrupted by the tornado of December 10, 2021. Since the third week of June, the entomology team began to work at 202 Outlet Avenue, Eddyville KY 42038.  This space is shared

Posted in Misc. Topics

The Red Oak Clearwing Borer: An Example of Wasp Mimicry

Description The red oak clearwing moth, Paranthrene simulans (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), is one of those insects capable of deceiving the human eye by resembling a wasp. In this case the target organism attempts to be less susceptible to predation by resembling

Posted in Misc. Topics

So, You Want To Mail A Bug?

The Department of Entomology at the University of Kentucky is always glad to help with identification of insects and their relatives. In this day and age, we most often receive our samples as images attached to emails, texts, Tweets, or

Posted in Misc. Topics

USDA Clarifies Rules for Buying and Receiving Seeds and Plants from other Countries

Last year, there was quite the uproar as people reported shipments of unsolicited seeds arriving from other countries. This was the subject of an initial newsletter article in July 2020 and a follow up article earlier this year in March.

Posted in Misc. Topics

USDA Clarifies Rules for Buying and Receiving Seeds and Plants from other Countries

Last year, there was quite the uproar as people reported shipments of unsolicited seeds arriving from other countries. This was the subject of a newsletter article in July 2020. Many dozens, if not hundreds, of these unwanted seed shipments were reported

Posted in Misc. Topics

Beware of Unsolicited Gifts (Seeds)!

People in several states, including several residents in Kentucky, have received unsolicited small packages of foreign seeds in the mail from China. Potentially these can pose a threat to Kentucky agriculture and the environment through the introduction of invasive plants

Posted in Misc. Topics

Insect Winter Survival Strategies – A Season of “Arrested Development”

Surviving Kentucky winters is a challenge for cold-blooded arthropods. A few species, such as the monarch butterfly, cede cold weather to the hardy and fly south for the winter. Those that remain use a state of arrested development called diapause

Posted in Misc. Topics

When Genetic Engineering is the Environmentally Friendly Choice

(First published July 27, 2017 at: https://ensia.com/voices/genetically-engineered-crops/) CRISPR gene editing can fight crop disease far more benignly than conventional practices Which is more disruptive to a plant: genetic engineering or conventional breeding? It often surprises people to learn that GE

Posted in Misc. Topics