Chikungunya outbreaks in major cities increasingly likely
12.17.2012
Global travel, climate warming and an invasive mosquito could create the right conditions for outbreaks of a new virus in this country, according to a Cornell computer model.

Creepy crawly critters delight (or disgust) fairgoers
09.01.2012
Anne Jones is an English major at Cornell University, but she spends hours in the entomology labs tending to the emotional lives of spiders and their kin.

Emily Bick ‘13 Pursues Proteins in Round Worms
08.29.2012
Emily Bick ’13, entomology, eagerly jumped into a research job her first semester at Cornell.  Now, three years later, she’s still studying Trichinella spiralis, a nematode (roundworm) commonly found in uncooked meat.

Battling an Agricultural Pest
08.28.2012
Riding in straight rows on his Yamaha ATV, Carthage dairy farmer Gary D. Sullivan sprayed millions of small, microscopic ringworms out of a 50-gallon plastic tank across his alfalfa field for about two hours Monday evening.

Fortifying 4-H
06.06.2012
Human Ecology scientists aim to improve New York's largest youth organization

Diagnostic labs analyze from bugs to toenails
05.24.2012
Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has several diagnostic centers that analyze scientific samples and those sent in by citizens.

Insect pollinators contribute $29B to U.S. farm income
05.22.2012
A Cornell study published in the May 22 issue of the journal Public Library of Science ONE analyzes the economic value of honeybees and other insect pollinators for 58 crops.

Inside Cornell: Health, Climate and Mosquito-Borne Disease
05.10.2012
Professors Drew Harvell and Laura Harrington discuss how climate change affects human health globally and in NYC, including serious disease that could spread this summer from Kennedy Airport if conditions are right.

Chikungunya disease in NYC? Warming could make it happen
05.09.2012
Once a sporadic problem in Africa and Asia, the viral disease chikungunya has been expanding its range since 2004, even spreading within Italy. And, with some help from global warming, New York City could be next, Laura Harrington, a medical entomologist at Cornell University warned on Tuesday here at Cornell.

A New Bee That Sips Sweat
04.28.2012
A new bee is buzzing in Brooklyn: The tiny insect, the size of a sesame seed, sips the sweet nectar of the city—sweat.

Expert bugged by lack of women in entomology
04.04.2012
Entomologist May Berenbaum, department head at the University of Illinois, discussed the lack of women in her field April 3 as part of the two-day Frontiers Symposium of leading women life scientists.

Novel approach to curing crop diseases tested
04.02.2012
A grant is funding experiments on using sugar to kill aphids and other agriculturally important pests delivered by genetically engineered plants.

INSECT DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORY
03.26.2012
Would you like to know more about an insect, or how to deal with an insect problem in or around the home, or on plants in your vegetable or flower garden, in your yard, or on indoor plants?

Butterflies Sleeping Together
03.22.2012
A fellow Cornell University Entomology classmate of mine Susan Finkbeiner has done some incredible research into the previously mysterious phenomenon of butterflies roosting together at night. This roosting behavior is only found in a specialized (and very poisonous) group of butterflies in the genus Heliconius.

Symposium invites leading women life scientists
03.15.2012
'Frontiers in the Life Sciences - a Symposium Celebrating Excellence' will bring eight elite female life scientists to campus for lectures, mentoring, networking and discussions April 2-3.

Honeybees and humans share drive to explore
03.12.2012
A new study in Science reveals that honeybees that scout for new food sources or nest sites have patterns of gene activity in their brains known to be associated with novelty-seeking in humans.

Workshop helps research vessels with trawling
02.06.2012
Cornell's Biological Field Station on Oneida Lake is a springboard for research in fisheries and aquatic ecology in New York state and place for such workshops as a November one on trawling.

Combative bugs
01.24.2012
The second season of Monster Bug Wars premieres on the Science Channel Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 10 p.m. EST. The show’s human stars, Linda Rayor, Department of Entomology senior research associate and senior lecturer, and Bryan Grieg Fry of the University of Queensland, discuss the biology and behavioral strategies of the combatants.

Wasp rediscovered after almost 100 years
01.12.2012
Two tiny wasps have been found in Geneva, N.Y.: One hasn't been seen on this continent since its initial discovery by Cornell scientists in 1915, and the other has never been seen here.

Decision making by bee swarms mimics brains
12.08.2011
Swarms of bees and brains made up of neurons make decisions using strikingly similar mechanisms, reports a new study in the Dec. 9 issue of Science.

A Stinker of a Pest
12.06.2011
A new pest has been pigging out on many of North America’s most important crops, posing an unprecedented threat to U.S. farmers. The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) burst onto the scene in 2010, causing catastrophic damage in most mid-Atlantic states. Some growers of sweet corn, peppers, tomatoes, apples, and peaches reported total losses that year.

Chemical ecology society awards Feeny its top honor
11.16.2011
Paul Feeny, a pioneer in the field of chemical ecology, has received a prestigious career award for "groundbreaking, integrative contributions to the understanding of insect-plant interactions" from an international society that he helped found 30 years ago.

Fear No Weevil
11.15.2011
Celebrated in song, folklore, and statuary, the boll weevil—scourge of the American cotton industry—is perhaps the best known agricultural pest in the United States. But not so for its weevil cousins, a lacuna that E. Richard Hoebeke and Kent Loeffler are looking to remedy with An Illustrated Identification Guide to the Adventive Weevils of North America.

Experts Warn of Bedbug, Mosquito Invasions
11.15.2011
Cornell bug experts created a buzz on Capitol Hill warning a swarm of media and Congressional and Senate staff about bedbug and mosquito invasions.

Researcher identifies 11 new sweat bee species
11.14.2011
The study provides a revised classification of 97 metallic sweat bee species found in eastern North America, including 11 identified for the first time.

City Bees Newly Discovered, Yet Here All Along
11.10.2011
Four new species of bee have been identified in the New York region, and one of them, discovered in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, has been given the mellifluous yet gritty name Lasioglossum gotham.

Creepy crawlies delight at Insectapalooza
10.31.2011
Beetles, scorpions, hairy tarantulas and psychedelic butterflies once again drew large crowds at this year's Insectapalooza Insect Fair. Loud gasps, screams of terror and excitement as well as looks of awe filled the hallways of the Department of Entomology at Cornell University, which hosted the eighth annual event October 29.

Nabokov seminar gets a lesson in butterflies
10.28.2011
Vladimir Nabokov's passion for science and art is kept alive via a cross-departmental collaboration in the course Reading Nabokov, which includes a lecture and demonstration at the Cornell Insect Collection.

ESA Annual Meeting To Include Tribute to Tom Eisner
10.27.2011
This year's annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America, held in Reno, Nevada, November 13-16 will include a special symposia dedicated to the late Thomas Eisner, professor of neurobiology and behavior.

Native bees are better pollinators than honeybees
10.24.2011
Native bees are better pollinators and more plentiful than honeybees, finds entomologist Bryan Danforth, who is involved in two big projects to further study native bee populations.

Researchers attack a very, very bad stink bug
10.18.2011
Cornell researchers have received almost half a million dollars to help in the fight against the new invasive, the the brown marmorated stink bug, which has the potential to destroy New York's crops.

Found in New York at long last: nine-spotted ladybugs
10.03.2011
After three decades of being lost, the nine-spotted ladybug, New York's official insect, has finally been found in New York state - rediscovered first by a citizen scientist on Long Island July 30.

Q. I know fruit doesn't actually generate fruit flies, but how do they find out about a piece of fruit so quickly?
10.03.2011
A. “In a way, the fruit actually does generate them, because they are already present in the fruit when you buy it,” said Arthur M. Agnello, a professor of entomology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University.

Fungi could replace ozone-depleting pesticide
09.29.2011
A certain fungus found in soil might be the natural alternative needed to help phase out the use of methyl bromide, one of the most potent ozone-layer depleting substances still used in agriculture.

Along came a spider and sat down beside her -- Guest: Linda Rayor
09.26.2011
Linda Rayor is Cornell's "spider woman." A senior research associate of arthropod behavior at Cornell University, Dr Rayor studies spider behavior and is especially interested in social spiders, which make up only 1% of all spider species. She is also a tireless teacher, mentor, and communicator. She has inspired countless students to pursue science as a career, and she is also part of a six episode series on the Discovery Science Channel called 'Monster Bug Wars.' Only on Science Cabaret on Air will you hear someone call a spider "cute."

New approach helps combat alfalfa snout beetle
09.14.2011
A pilot project developed at Cornell is proving effective in combating the destructive alfalfa snout beetle in northern New York.

Scientists Target Mosquito-Borne Illnesses
09.02.2011
Of all the disease-spreading insects in the world, the mosquito poses the greatest menace, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).  As if to underscore that threat, two mosquito-borne viral diseases have begun to spread well beyond their points of origin.

Eating Bugs to Save the Planet : The New Yorker
09.02.2011
Insects were among the original specialty foods in the American gourmet marketplace - inspired, impractical provocations that, like runway styles in retail clothing, drove the sales of more basic goods.

Natural predator can overcome alfalfa snout beetles
09.01.2011
A natural predator, native insect-attacking nematodes, have proven to overcome the most destructive alfalfa pest in North America, the alfalfa snout beetle.

Mosquitoes Increase Disease Risk in USA
08.29.2011
Mosquitoes are more than just an annoyance for the itchy red bites they leave on our skin. They increasingly raise the prospect of spreading deadly diseases normally not found in the USA, experts warn.

Researchers identify insect resistance to Bt pesticide
08.29.2011
For the first time, researchers have identified how cabbage looper caterpillars in the field develop resistance to the most successful and widely used biological insecticide.

9-spotted Ladybug Spotted
08.18.2011
On July 30, Peter Priolo of the Agricultural Stewardship Program of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County found a rare 9-spotted ladybug on a sunflower at Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett. Peter was participating in a Lost Ladybug Project ladybug hunt when he made the discovery at the organic farm.

Colorado Kids Act as Citizen Scientists in National Lady Bug Hunt
07.12.2011
Some Colorado kids have become citizen scientists as part of a nationwide effort to catalog lady bug species. Cornell University scientists are trying to understand why some species have vanished and others have appeared. Correspondent Tom Bearden reports on the lady bug hunt that might help students discover careers in science.

Common eastern bumblebee can boost pumpkin yields
07.05.2011
A Cornell entomologist has identified the common eastern bumblebee as the best native pollinator for pumpkins and is studying its role in other vegetables as well.

How social huntsman spiders live and hunt together
06.14.2011
Most spiders are web-building, solitary creatures. So the social huntsman spiders, which live in webless "retreats" with hundreds of other spiders, are very unusual.

Linda Rayor Brings Monster Bugs to TV
05.20.2011
For those who enjoy nature shows as well as Godzilla movies, a new TV series starring Cornell entomologist Linda Rayor is right up their alley.

Andrew Landers receives Research Award
05.11.2011
The New York Wine and Grape Foundation presented its Research Award to Andrew Landers at its annual Unity Banquet on February 18.

CU-made satellites depart on Endeavour's last run
04.27.2011
Stamp-size satellites, developed at Cornell, are getting a test run aboard the space shuttle Endeavour when it launches April 29. They are designed to blow in the solar wind and collect data.

Send us your stink bugs
04.11.2011
The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County wants your stink bugs. Specifically, the agency is working to track the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, which invaded the Hudson Valley in 2008 after first arriving in North America from Asia seven years earlier.

Poor plant defenses promote invasive beetle's success
04.11.2011
Cornell researchers show that invasive species fare well in their new digs because their host species lack an evolutionary history with - and defenses against - the new invaders.

Hosts may use two systems in fight against infection
04.06.2011
Researcher Brian Lazzaro uses insights from insect immunity to discuss how two competing immune system models may in fact be compatible.

The bombardier beetle and Tom Eisner's truth
03.30.2011
A former Cornell science writer who worked with Tom Eisner for many years reflects on Eisner's indefatigable efforts, despite his debilitating diagnosis of Parkinson's disease.

Linda Rayor hosts 'Monster Bug Wars'
03.29.2011
For those who enjoy nature shows as well as Godzilla movies, a new TV series starring Cornell entomologist Linda Rayor is right up their alley. The Science Channel's 'Monster Bug Wars' begins March 29.

Cornell professor featured in TV show about her passion: bugs
03.28.2011
When she was a child in Denver, Linda Rayor's parents had to pull her away from the zoo. At age 5, she saw a praying mantis for the first time and was excited. And now, that passion will be on full display when Rayor is featured in a television show about bug wars.

Tom Eisner, 'father of chemical ecology,' dies at 81
03.28.2011
Professor Emeritus Thomas Eisner, a world-renowned authority on animal behavior, chemical ecology and evolution, died from complications of Parkinson's disease March 25 at home in Ithaca. He was 81.

N.Y. wine industry facing stinky threat, professor warns
03.21.2011
The pests - spotted wing fruit flies and brown marmorated stink bugs - could hit Finger Lakes vineyards this summer, said experts at the Finger Lakes Grape Growers' Conference in Geneva, N.Y.

Malaria mosquitoes reveal pathogen defense strategies
03.21.2011
In analyzing malaria mosquitoes in sub-Saharan Africa, a Cornell-led team of researchers finds evidence of two very different evolutionary paths in the immune systems of neighboring mosquito groups.

Sex proteins may help combat mosquito-borne diseases
03.16.2011
Findings about male mosquito proteins could eventually lead to new ways to control the female mosquitoes that spread the dengue and yellow fever viruses.

Cornell's 'spider woman' spins web of science outreach
02.02.2011
Like the spiders she studies, Linda Rayor -- senior research associate of arthropod behavior at Cornell -- spins webs. Her webs, however, aren't to snag prey but to capture the scientific imagination of people of all ages. Using the mystique of spiders as a gateway to kindle an awe for nature in others, this arachnophile (spider lover) has become the hub of giant webs of learning.

Bee Database Creates Buzz
11.17.2010
Cornell’s Bee Collection—part of the Cornell University Insect Collection—was started in 1870, just five years after the university was established. Soon, its data will be available online to researchers, growers, and backyard naturalists alike.

Four CALS departments merge with Geneva's
09.27.2010
Four departments in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences on the Ithaca campus merged with their Geneva-based sister departments as of July 1.

The battle against bed bugs takes a lot of work
09.14.2010
The recent explosion of bed bug problems can only be resolved with awareness and prevention, said a Cornell expert speaking to reporters Sept. 14. And beware of recycled furniture, she said.

History of 'cuckoo bees' needs a rewrite, study says
09.13.2010
Cleptoparasitic bees, which secretly invade host nests and lay their eggs there, may have originated millions of years earlier than previously thought, study finds.

Bed Bugs 101
09.08.2010
Cornell entomology professor Don Rutz and former student Allison Taisey describe the tell-tale signs of bed bug infestation, where to look, and what to do if you've got them.

The Mysterious Collapse of the American Honeybee
09.08.2010
Four years ago, a commercial beekeeper, who had trucked thousands of his honeybee colonies to winter in Florida, discovered that all the bees had disappeared. There were no skeletons, so to speak. The bees were just gone.

New website tracks devastating Swede midge
09.08.2010
A new website gives growers and consumers up-to-date information on research about the Swede midge, which in insect whose infestations can destroy cruciferous vegetables. 

Cornell University Insect Collection launches new website
09.07.2010
The new site allows users to discover what specimens are featured in the world-class collection and how to go about requesting loans or visiting.

Volunteers wanted for two weeks to find crane flies
08.18.2010
Cornell entomologists are seeking volunteers from around New York state to help survey crane flies in the state for two weeks in September.

Aphid immune system aided by friendly bacteria
08.18.2010
Conventional thinking says that animal immune systems have evolved to defend against harmful microorganisms, but a new Cornell study examines the role of friendly bacteria in shaping animal immunity.

Tony Shelton elected Entomological Society fellow
07.30.2010
One of 10 new fellows, Tony Shelton will be formally recognized during the society's annual meeting, Dec. 12-15, in San Diego.

Researchers receive $1.5M NSF grant for bee database
07.22.2010
The project will consolidate data from 10 natural history bee collections across the United States - including Cornell's estimated 250,000 specimen collection.

Biology scholars program aids minorities in science
07.13.2010
Students from low-income or minority backgrounds are underrepresented in biology programs across the country, but Cornell's Biology Scholars Program is helping to buck that trend.

Pathogens chase down migrating gypsy moths
06.09.2010
Cornell researchers discovered that the gypsy moth's fungal and viral pathogens follow close behind migrating populations, making control efforts unnecessary, reports entomologist Ann Hajek.

Meet entomology 2010 graduate Whitney Larsen
05.26.2010
Larsen is just one of 20 dynamic members of the Class of 2010 the Chronicle selected to reflect on life and learning at Cornell and on the future.

Moth larvae saliva boosts yield of Colombian spud
05.25.2010
When a major South American pest infests potato tubers, the plant produces bigger spuds, reports a study by Cornell, University of Goettingen and National University of Colombia researchers.

Eight faculty members receive Provost's Awards for Distinguished Scholarship
05.06.2010
The $30,000 awards recognize outstanding tenured faculty members early in their careers for distinguished research and scholarly achievements, combined with their continuing commitment to Cornell.

Entomology library consolidates with Mann Library
05.03.2010
Cornell's entomology collection in Mann Library and the Comstock Memorial Library of Entomology will be united under one roof as the Comstock library facility closes.

Ladybug man on lost and found ladybugs in New York
04.27.2010
In a lecture at the American Museum of Natural History April 24, entomologist John Losey invited the audience - especially the children - to help the Lost Lady Project by searching for ladybugs.

Agrawal receives prestigious Jordan prize
03.01.2010
Anurag Agrawal has become the first Cornell professor to receive the prestigious David Starr Jordan Prize in the prize's 20-year history.

Local institutions aid effort to sequence pea aphid genome
02.23.2010
The sequenced genome helps researchers better understand the biology of the aphid, which may allow them to design new strategies to control these pests.

Entomologist Carolyn Klass featured in <em>The New Yorker</em>
01.27.2010
The New Yorker goes inside Cornell's insect-identification service.

Bio major removes intro course; two electives to take its place
11.02.2009
Beginning next semester, the undergraduate biology major will undergo a significant transformation that affects multiple majors in three of Cornell’s colleges. 

Ithaca community swarms to Insectapalooza 2009
10.05.2009
Insectapalooza 2009 on Oct. 3 featured an arthropod zoo, live butterfly house, tours of the world-famous Cornell Insect Collection and more.

Deadly beetle threatens New York's ash trees
06.18.2009
The threat posed by the emerald ash borer is 'extreme,' says entomologist E. Richard Hoebeke. 'There is the potential for ash as we know it to be extirpated from the landscape.'

CU tests biological ways to control alfalfa pest
05.01.2009
Cornell researchers are spending time in the fields this spring collecting 20,000 alfalfa snout beetles. They need them to test ways to biologically control the pests, which devour alfalfa and other crops.

Male fruit flies change to gain reproductive edge
04.13.2009
A new study published in the journal Current Biology shows that male fruit flies that sense competition during mating make their seminal fluid more potent by packing it with more proteins.

Video: Mosquito courtship and the spread of disease
03.09.2009
Cornell entomologist Laura Harrington and her student Lauren Cator have been studying the courtship and mating of the mosquito, Aedes aegypti, which spreads dengue and yellow fever.

Video: Unravelling the mysteries of mosquito flight
03.09.2009
Laura Harrington and Ronald Hoy, in collaboration with Cornell physicist Itai Cohen, have analyzed how mosquitoes actually fly using high speed video.

Study: Mosquitoes beat out love song before mating
01.08.2009
Cornell researchers report in Science that the mosquitoes that carry dengue and yellow fevers create harmonic love songs before mating. Disrupting the duets could lead to control measures.

Eisner shows butterfly's hind wings help evade predators
01.06.2009
Cornell research suggests that butterflies' hind wings help them evade predators, and their bright colors warn birds that chasing them isn't worth the energy.