Insect Biodiversity Center News | Insect Biodiversity Center

Feb 18, 2021

Silencing the alarm

An enzyme in the saliva of certain insects prevents their food plants from warning neighboring plants of an attack.

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Feb 04, 2021

The business of bees

The economic value of insect pollination services is much higher than previously thought in the U.S., new research finds.

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Finding a solution to the mushroom phorid fly problem was critical because Pennsylvania leads the nation in mushroom production.

Feb 03, 2021

Penn State entomologists devise a system to control mushroom phorid flies

Working with producers, researchers develop method to give beleaguered residents relief from pest

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Feb 02, 2021

Summer weather conditions influence winter survival of honey bees

Winter survival of honey bee colonies is strongly influenced by summer temperatures and precipitation in the prior year, according to Penn State researchers, who said their findings suggest that honey bees have a "goldilocks" preferred range of summer conditions outside of which their probability of surviving the winter falls.

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Jan 22, 2021

Grozinger receives National Academy's Prize in Food and Agriculture Sciences

Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, will be honored by the National Academy of Sciences for helping the world understand how to address the crisis of global declines in pollinator populations.

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Feral honey bees gather at the entrance to their nest in an abandoned shed in Harrison Valley, Pennsylvania. Researchers have found that such feral colonies may have higher tolerance to pathogens than managed honey bee colonies. IMAGE: KATY EVANS

Jan 20, 2021

Feral colonies provide clues for enhancing honey bee tolerance to pathogens

Understanding the genetic and environmental factors that enable some feral honey bee colonies to tolerate pathogens and survive the winter in the absence of beekeeping management may help lead to breeding stocks that would enhance survival of managed colonies, according to a study led by researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

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Jan 12, 2021

Climate change reduces the abundance and diversity of wild bees, study finds

Wild bees are more affected by climate change than by disturbances to their habitats, according to a team of researchers led by Penn State. The findings suggest that addressing land-use issues alone will not be sufficient to protecting these important pollinators.

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Dec 22, 2020

Study: Bumble bees lacking high-quality habitat have higher pathogen loads

Findings could inform management practices aimed at conserving wild bee populations

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Nov 17, 2020

Spring symposium, seed grants to promote transdisciplinary biodiversity research

The Sustainability Institute at Penn State is hosting transdisciplinary symposia on biodiversity throughout the spring 2021 semester.

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Penn State and Freiburg University are offering a public-facing, three-credit graduate course titled, “Global Perspectives in Integrated Pest and Pollinator Management.”

Oct 23, 2020

Penn State, Freiburg offer virtual course on pest and pollinator management

In February 2020, as part of a mutual effort to enhance a strategic partnership between the Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg and Penn State that dates back to 1998, the two universities announced the selection of two joint proposals for novel online classroom projects.

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