What is it about? Lyme disease! And other things related to ticks: how to identify them, how to report them and, most importantly for the research team, it asks about your whereabouts and tick encounters. This is research? Yes, and it also reminds you to check for ticks and take precautions to not get bitten!… Read more »
Month: May 2018
URI Researcher’s TickSpotters Program Provides Timely Risk Assessment
With University of Rhode Island Professor of Entomology Tom Mather warning that a tough tick season is looming this spring and summer, he also wants you to know that help is as close as the Internet or cellular data by using his TickSpotters program. With your smartphone or camera, simply take a photo of a… Read more »
Revised field identification sheet for grubs
The revised field identification sheet for grubs from the Michigan State University Extension, Department of Entomology will assist in identification and gives information about typical crops or situations affected by different species. In summary, at this time of the year: Lighter-textured fields and parts of fields (e.g., sandy knolls) often are a focal point for… Read more »
Plant Protection and Quarantine Releases 2017 Annual Report
Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) continued to push the United States’ line of defense against invasive pests and diseases further offshore, allowing action to be taken against pests hitchhiking on or in imported goods before they reached U.S. borders. They fought back against the spread of damaging pests such as exotic fruit flies, citrus greening,… Read more »
Grant Opportunity: FY 2018 Lead and Healthy Homes Technical Studies Program
Available funds include approximately $2 million for Lead Technical Studies awards and $5 million for Healthy Homes Technical Studies awards. The goal of the Lead Technical Studies grant program is to gain knowledge to improve the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of methods for evaluation and control of residential lead-based paint hazards. The Healthy Homes Technical Studies… Read more »
Plant-Insect Ecosystems Student Symposium at Annual ESA Meeting
The ESA 2018 Annual Meeting in Vancouver will host the first ever “P-IE Student Symposium,” titled “Pollinator and Invasive Species Science Policy Field Tours: A Melting Pot of Efforts Promoting Protection of our Food Supply.” This symposium will recap knowledge and experiences gained from the tours and build upon the two P-IE initiatives: Science Policy… Read more »
CDC reports increase in vector-borne disease
Almost everyone has been bitten by a mosquito, tick, or flea. These can be vectors for spreading pathogens (germs). A person who gets bitten by a vector and gets sick has a vector-borne disease, like dengue, Zika, Lyme, or plague. Between 2004 and 2016, more than 640,000 cases of these diseases were reported, and 9… Read more »