'miller' moths

The army cutworm (Euxoa auxiliaris) flght has been producing a steadying flush of moths over the past month. Any day that provides a bit of sun and warmth, one can find these moths about. However, we have been quite cold and rainy for the last month as well. Therefore it is difficult to say whether or not we are experiencing a larger flush of moths relative to last year. On the others hand I do seem to be finding more of them in my garage, in windows, and in public restrooms (see photo) than last year. Perhaps this week, since it is supposed to get much warmer and be free from precipitation, may reveal the true abundance of what the locals call 'miller moths' this year.

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Mountain pine beetles

The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae, is native to the western United States. Like many of our pests (e.g., grasshoppers, army cutworms, Russian wheat aphids, etc.) in the High Plains and Rocky Mountain regions, these insects can go through outbreak periods. During the past couple years these regions have suffered from devastating numbers of this insect attacking pine trees. The symptoms can be easy to spot...

When the beetles enter a tree, the burrow they create results in the formation of a "pitch tube"; the results of tree sap exudate (see above). The above tree has been attacked many times and there are many exit holes in the pitch tubes. However, this sapping process is part of a tree's defense system and if the tree is healthy...

It will actually drive the insect out of the burrow, entrapping it and ejecting it from the tree (see above)...

A very healthy tree can defend itself well against numerous pine beetle attackers (see above). If you examine a pine tree with a few pitch tubes with beetles in them, there is a good chance the tree will survive that year's attack and some insecticidal treatments and tree-health improvements could save the tree. However, if a tree has many pitch tubes without any beetles, it is likely that the tree is not going to survive and should probably be removed.

Linnean games UNL

Our 2011 ESA Linnean Games team.

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Bird Louse

This critter actually came into my possession on December 8, 2010. It is a bird louse. The Central High Plains has quite a large migration of waterfowl this time of year. I tried my hand at waterfowl hunting this year and discovered that it is pretty easy to find lice on ducks. This one was taken from a mallard. I honestly do not know what species this is; there are about 15 species of avian louse. Perhaps it is a species of Anaticola, as these are frequently found on ducks. These lice are not known to transmit any diseases to ducks, but I would guess that a heavy infestation might be irritating.

Not all mites are bad mites.

We maintain a sugarbeet root aphid, Pemphagus betae, colony in my lab. This insect is a pretty important pest of sugarbeets in my area and subterranean aphids are just kind of cool to study. Today, while going through our aphid colony, we found a predatory mite in the act (above). Fortunately for us, we have way more aphids than mites. However, wouldn't it be nice to have these established in the field and feeding on the root aphids attacking our crops? Combined with resistant varieties, these mites could be really beneficial. Maybe they already are beneficial and just have not been recognized as such. I have a student working on various aspects of beneficial insects in our soil. So, maybe in a couple years this mite might be recognized as an untapped resource. However, in the mean time, I just hope it doesn't crash my aphid colony!

Dermestids with a sweet tooth.

Seems like dermestid larvae (the adults are tiny beetles) like chocolate. I guess this chocolate bar was part of a long-forgotten bag of Halloween treats. Dermestids are scavengers, they'll feed on any dry plant or animal material; grain, flour or even skin. (*warning* Don't click previous link if you have a weak stomach.) I knew that some Beatles liked chocolate (i.e., Savoy truffle); however, I didn't know that beetles do too.

Mexican bean beetle resistance.

In the lab, at the moment, we are busy screening about 20 edible dry bean varieties, lines, and land races for resistance against the Mexican bean beetle.

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