Author Archives: npmapestology

This work described below was performed at Rutgers University in Changlu Wang’s lab and was published in the Journal of Economic Entomology. In this study, the researchers were interested in identifying effective, relatively inexpensive, readily available attractants for German cockroaches. As you know, sticky traps are the workhorse of IPM and are widely used acrossContinue reading “Laboratory and Field Evaluations of Food Based Attractants for Monitoring German Cockroaches”

Ph.D Candidate and student researcher at the University of Georgia, Allison Johnson, is in need of some help to compare expert identifications of termite teeth to your best identification guesses. Allison works with Dr. Brian Forschler at UGA and they do some really cool work – check out more here https://ent.uga.edu/people/faculty/brian-forschler.html. I took the challengeContinue reading “Test Your Identification Skills With the Termite Teeth Challenge!”

Rodent devices at food facilities are typically spaced according to the standards of an auditing body, or a company’s standard operating procedures, or because “that’s just the way we’ve always done it.” Indoors, traps are usually 20-40 feet apart and exterior stations are spaced 50 to 100 feet apart. But, have you ever thought aboutContinue reading “Determining the Best Placement for Rodent Devices at Commercial Food Buildings”

Bed bugs are one of the most labor-intensive pests that pest management professionals (PMPs) tackle. These tiny, cryptic (i.e. well hidden) creatures can get into almost anything inside of human spaces and are keenly adept at spreading by themselves or hitching a ride. Often, digging into the PMP toolbox and utilizing a combination of toolsContinue reading “Non-Chemical Bed Bug Management”

Psocids are a group of insects containing about 5,500 species that are commonly referred to as barklice and booklice. Despite the fact that psocids do not bite, research performed in the last 20 years has shown that parasitic lice, like head and body lice, actually share a common ancestor with booklice and therefore should beContinue reading “How Humidity Levels Impact the Most Common Pest No One Knows They Have”

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, also known as SARS-CoV-2, is the notorious coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. As is the case with any disease, understanding how SARS-CoV-2 spreads through a population is one of the most important steps in slowing transmission. Early on, scientists determined that the primary mode of infection for SARS-CoV-2Continue reading “Susceptibility of Midge and Mosquito Vectors to SARS-CoV-2”

Earlier this month, a research paper was published in the journal Pest Management Science titled “Use of Rodenticide Bait Stations by Commensal Rodents at the Urban-Wildland Interface: Insights for Management to Reduce Non-Target Exposure”. This research was partially funded by a Pest Management Foundation grant made to Dr. Niamh Quinn’s research program at University ofContinue reading “Finding Ways to Reduce the Risk of Non-Target Rodenticide Exposure in Roof Rat Control”

A biodiversity survey is an important tool that scientists use to gain a baseline understanding of organisms in an ecosystem. These surveys record the abundance (how many) and/or diversity (variety of animals) of species in the environment so scientists can monitor any change over time. The data collected from these surveys are the cornerstone toContinue reading “Dung Beetles as Vertebrate Samplers”

Award ceremonies are typically not extremely exciting events. This is not to say that I don’t love them and enjoy fraternizing with my fellow industry folks in jubilant celebration. These events are entirely necessary for industries or organizations to recognize their most distinguished, brightest, or exemplary people. However, the Ig Nobel Prize awards held atContinue reading “Take a Quiz to see if you Fear Spiders Like Some Entomologists!”

In North America, termites cause more than $5 million in damage each year. Eastern Subterranean termites are the most widely distributed and most common encountered termite pest in North America. With colonies that can grow to the size of 5 million individuals and assuming a death rate similar to comparable termite species, it is estimatedContinue reading “Undertakers and Corpse Disposal In The Termite Colony”