Upcoming events
1255th ESW Regular Meeting
“An integrative systematic revision of the ant subfamily Leptanillinae"
with
Dr. Zachary Griebenow
Postdoctoral Fellow, Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Washington, DC
THE YOUNG ENTOMOLOGISTS GROUP
“Winter Adaptations in Insects"
with
Dr. David Adamski, Ms Dana DeRoche, Dr. Elmore Brown
Join our educators to find out about the starting changes that are taking place in the fall. Leaves should be turning colors, most plants have developed seeds of different kinds, and the insects are finding suitable places for the winter months. We will observe fall changes in the forest habitat, dissect logs, and look in the leaf litter for our six-legged animals. In addition, we will collect aquatic insects from a nearby pond. You will notice that aquatic organisms have different adaptations from those that are terrestrial. I'm sure you will see organisms that you have never seen before.
We will meet in the parking lot of the education center at 1:00pm before we take the Paw Paw trail into the forest and pond. Please bring a change of clothes and waterproof pants/boots if you have them. We may be getting muddy and wet if the weather allows during our pond exploration.
Please RSVP to Christina Factor if you plan to attend.
1256th ESW Regular Meeting
“TBD"
with
Dr. Rodrigo Dios
Postdoctoral Fellow, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
THE YOUNG ENTOMOLOGISTS GROUP
“End of Year Ceremony"
with
Dr. David Adamski, Ms Dana DeRoche, Dr. Elmore Brown, Ms. Christina Factor
We are closing in on another year of observing nature, especially insects. We hope you will join us in celebrating the children and educators for another great year of the Young Entomology Group. If you have previously given us the name of your yegger, they will be presented with official certificates for the year.
Please RSVP to Christina Factor if you plan to attend.
THE YOUNG ENTOMOLOGISTS GROUP
“Beetle Fieldwork"
with
Dr. Charlie Staines
Dr. Staines comes to us from the University of Maryland, the United States Department of Agriculture and Maryland Department of Agriculture, and Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Dr. Staines studies the Chrysomelidae or leaf-beetles. He has published over 200 scientific articles on the taxonomy and biology of this large family. Dr. Staines has generously offered to let YEG join him where he conducts his beetle fieldwork. We will check the traps, learn more about beetles and I'm sure we will see a variety of native and invasive species.
Please RSVP to Christina Factor if you plan to attend.
1254th ESW Regular Meeting
“The Effect of Substrate Grain Size on Antlion Larvae Funnel Building Efficiency"
with
Mr. Marek L. Sundqvist
ESW Young Entomologist Group, Arlington, VA
THE YOUNG ENTOMOLOGISTS GROUP
“Monarch Migration & Pollinators"
with
Dr. David Adamski
We will learn about the fall pollinators in the area. We will also have a chance to observe Monarchs and learn all about them. Weather pending, we may be conducting a walk outside exploring the pollinator gardens of the National Wildlife Center.
Please RSVP to Christina Factor if you plan to attend.
THE YOUNG ENTOMOLOGISTS GROUP
“Camping & Collecting"
with
Dr. David Adamski
This park is one of my favorite parks in the DC area. I have been collecting in this park since the early 1990s, and I have several rare and interesting night flyers at the park. Ian Emmanuel, a former YEGGER, collected an undescribed species of aphid in this park a few years ago. We may also see the invasive spotted lantern fly at the park.
Please RSVP to Christina Factor if you plan to attend.
THE YOUNG ENTOMOLOGISTS GROUP
“Moths"
with
Dr. David Adamski
Join Dr. David Adamski for a preview of National Moth Week and learn about the fascinating lives of butterflies, skippers, and moths. How can you identify these three groups of scaly-winged insects? What do the caterpillars look like, and which ones you don’t want to hold. After the presentation participants will visit two sheets, one with blacklight and the other with a mercury-vapour light to see what's flying in the Summer.
Please RSVP to Christina Factor if you plan to attend.
THE YOUNG ENTOMOLOGISTS GROUP
“Horseshoe crabs and other critters"
with
Dr. David Adamski, Ms Dana DeRoche, Dr. Elmore Brown, Dr. Dennis Bartow
For the first time YEG will travel to Cape Henlopen State Park. We will be staying in Youth Camp II in Dorms. Accommodations include dorms with central air, mess hall, bath house with showers, and various outdoor amenities. This park is unique in that it has sand-dunes surrounded by pines and other conifers. The observations at the light and sheet should be spectacular! Dana DeRoche will conduct a field trip to show how to collect spiders and Elmore Brown will conduct a field trip to find the elusive hog-nose snake that plays dead! Later we will have a communal supper at about 3:30 PM followed by a 5/5:30pm field trip to James Farm Ecological Preserve in Ocean View, DE. Please bring a potluck meal to share with all. There is a large dining area and full kitchen (with no pots though). Ocean View is about 30 -40 minutes from the lodge by car. Dennis Bartow will conduct a field trip on the horseshoe crab, which isn’t a crab but a close relative of spiders. We will learn about the biology of these “living fossils” and each of our students will have a chance to tag a living specimen. Later we will return to the campground for a fire, making smores, and story time. I am told that Elmore Brown may play his guitar. Dr. Adamski will bring his blacklight and mercury vapor lights to see the night flying organisms. We should be mindful of ticks and mosquitoes during this trip, as well as bringing sunscreen for the daytime hours. No one will be allowed to James Farm Ecological Preserve without protective footwear. Please observe the speed limits literally while in the park. It is heavily enforced by rangers.
Please RSVP to Christina Factor if you plan to attend.
ESW Annual Banquet
Earth’s First Farmers: The Coevolution of Fungus-Farming Ants and Their Fungal Cultivars
with
Research Entomologist and Curator of Hymenoptera, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Download this book for free by clicking on the image above or buy your printed copy below for Dr. Schultz to sign
THE YOUNG ENTOMOLOGISTS GROUP
“YEG’s first camping trip of the Season"
with
Dr. David Adamski
At this park we have an opportunity to see some neat salamanders and other animals that are found in rotten logs. Yes, we will be dissecting logs. And on a night hike many of the animals will be seen walking through the leaf litter. We may also be able to call in an owl from the deep forest. Dr. Adamski will be setting up his blacklight to see what organisms are flying in the early Spring. In the morning after a light breakfast our YEGers will check out the aquatic organisms found in the park’s only mountain stream. Those going into the river should wear protective closed toe footwear. We will collect many stone flies, mayflies and aquatic beetles, and other immature aquatic insects. We have also collected various fish every visit that we made to the river. We will be at the river until about noon. Bring warm clothing and rain gear. No collecting will be allowed in the park. We are expected out of our campsites by 10:00 AM on Sunday morning. Dr. Adamski will be camping in the Chinquapin Hill Campground at sites 21, 22, 23. Acquire your campsite on-line at Pennsylvania Department of Conservation.
Please RSVP to Christina Factor if you plan to attend.
1253rd ESW Regular Meeting
“Pygmy Backswimmers, an Overview of the Family Pleidae"
with
Dr. Jerry Cook
Museum Curator, Sam Houston State Natural History Collections
THE YOUNG ENTOMOLOGISTS GROUP
“Spiders"
with
Ms. Dana DeRoche
Dana DeRoche is one of YEG’S educators. She is our “spider lady!” Dana has been curator of the National Spider Collection for the last 20 years. She has the ability to identify most spiders of North America and beyond. Come and join Dana during her presentation and field trip at IWLA.
THE YOUNG ENTOMOLOGISTS GROUP
“Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Hornets"
with
Dr. Matt Buffington
Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA, Washington, DC
Dr. Buffington was trained in biology at The University of California at Riverside, California before being hired by the Systematic Entomology Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture at the National Museum of Natural History to study Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and hornets). He has been with SEL for almost 20 years. His primary focus of study is on parasitic wasps that live by laying eggs into other insects and plants to promote future generations. This is YEGS first time to have a Hymenopterist present to us. And I am sure that all will learn much about this fascinating order of insects.
1252nd ESW Regular Meeting
“Fungus-Farming Ants: Coevolution, Speciation and New Symbionts"
with
Dr. Jeffrey Sosa-Calvo
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
THE YOUNG ENTOMOLOGISTS GROUP
“Scientific Illustration: Putting the “a” in STEAM"
with
Vichai Malikul
Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
Vichai Malikul has been a scientific illustrator with the Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution for the past 50 years. He is noted for his fine line illustrations for scientific articles and butterfly paintings for the “Eastern Butterflies” with Paul Opler. His abilities in illustration are paired with his ability to teach all age groups the secrets of illustration and painting of nature's treasures. Join Mr. Malikul for an afternoon of illustration and the use of color.
1251st ESW Regular Meeting
“Beyond the bite: Multitrophic effects of plant defense against insect herbivory"
with
Dr. Morgan N. Thompson
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
THE YOUNG ENTOMOLOGISTS GROUP
“The Diversity of Coleoptera"
with
Dr. Charlie Staines
University of Maryland; United States Department of Agriculture; Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Dr. Staines comes to us from the University of Maryland, the United States Department of Agriculture and Maryland Department of Agriculture, and Smithsonian Environmental Research Center. Dr. Staines studies the Chrysomelidae or leaf-beetles. He has published over 200 scientific articles on the taxonomy and biology of this large family. Join Dr. Staines who will present a fascinating presentation on the largest order of insects on this planet.
1250th ESW Regular Meeting
“Ant mandibles 3D: Unraveling the evolution of hook, drills, traps, and other diverse tools"
with
Dr. Evan Economo
Gahan Professor & Department Chair of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
1249th ESW Regular Meeting
“Adventures with Vegetable Pests: Behavior, Biocontrol, and Semiochemicals"
with
Dr. Don Weber
USDA, ARS, Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory, Beltsville, MD
1248th ESW Regular Meeting
“Phycitinae (Pyralidae) of the Tarahumara region of northwestern Mexico”
“Hyperdiversity of the raindrop treehoppers”
“Color morphs and synonymy in the Anastrepha curvicauda group”
“Identification Technology Program: diagnostic resources for detection of pest insects”
A series of short presentations by Systematic Entomology Lab and APHIS scientists.
with
Alma Solis, Stu McKamey, Allen Norrbom, and Kojun Kanda.
1247th ESW Regular Meeting
“The invasive threat of imported invertebrate pets"
with
Mr. Armando Rosario-Lebron
National Identification Services, USDA-APHIS PPQ PEIP, Beltsville, MD
1246th ESW Regular Meeting
“Worldwide Firefly Evolution and Diversity of their Sexual Signaling Structures"
with
Dr. Yelena Pacheco
Research Entomologist, Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA-ARS, Washington, DC
2024 ESW Annual Banquet
Forest Birds as Apex Predators in Arthropod Food Webs
with
Dr. Daniel S. Gruner
Professor, University of Maryland
1245th ESW Regular Meeting
“Does tree diversity build insect foodwebs?"
with
Dr. Karin Twardosz Burghardt
Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology, University of Maryland, College Park
1244th ESW Regular Meeting
“Hybrid Superbugs: one way aphids are taking over the world"
with
Dr. Rebecca Clement
Postdoctoral Fellow, Systematic Entomology Laboratory, USDA, Washington, DC
1243rd ESW Regular Meeting
“Mandibular rods in parasitic wasps: the form and function of a novel synapomorphy for the hymenopteran infraorder Proctotrupomorpha"
with
Robert “Luke” Kresslein
USDA Postdoctoral Fellow, c/o Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
1242nd ESW Regular Meeting
“The Curious Troglodytes: Insects Underground"
with
Dr. Jeremy Frank
Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
1241st ESW Regular Meeting
“From ordinal level phylogenomics to cryptic species: 10 years of research and adventures in Hymenoptera”
with
Dr. Matthew L. Buffington
Research Entomologist, Systematic Entomology Laboratory, ARS, USDA, c/o Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
1240th ESW Regular & 139th Annual Meeting
“Phenomics and the Evolution of the Hymenoptera"
with
Dr. Brendon E. Boudinot
Peter S. Buck Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
1239th ESW Regular Meeting
“Phenomics and the Evolution of the Hymenoptera" “UCE phylogenomics illuminates remarkable species diversity and clarifies classical taxonomy in arid-adapted ants (Formicidae: Dorymyrmex)
with
Dr. Brendon E. Boudinot Dr. Jill Oberski
Peter S. Buck Postdoctoral Fellow, Visiting Scientist, Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
Dr. Boudinot’s talk is POSTPONED
Dr. Jill Oberski will be the evening’s speaker! Thank you.
1238th ESW Regular Meeting
“Microbiomes, Phylogenomics & Heat Shock Proteins of Bee Flies"
with
Dr. Allan Cabrero
National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
ESW Annual Banquet
Using Caterpillars in Biosystematic and Ecological Studies, and as Beacons of Climate Changes Befalling the American West
with
Dr. David L. Wagner
Professor, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, USA
