The annual U.S. Beekeeping Survey, designed and administered by...
Entomology & Plant Pathology Articles
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Researchers identify the ‘ManhattAnt’
Auburn University researcher part of team identifying fast-multiplying New York City ant An unidentified ant that went viral following its discovery in the heart of New York City has finally been studied and identified. The ant first made national headlines and was...
Endowed Professor Nannan Liu demonstrates excellence in research
A seasoned researcher and administrator in the Auburn University College of Agriculture and one of the top 2% of entomologists in the world got her start in the field because of the kindness of a neighbor. Nannan Liu grew up in Beijing in a community full of...
Agriculture faculty, students receive recent awards
Several faculty and students in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University recently received national awards and recognitions. Read some highlights below. Beckmann...
Beckmann receives NSF CAREER Award
John Beckmann, assistant professor of medical-veterinary entomology and biotechnology in the Auburn University College of Agriculture, recently received a National...
Mahas part of first team to investigate Southern cotton leafroll dwarf virus management
As John Mahas prepared for a move to start postdoctoral research at Cornell University, he was still wrapping up research in the Auburn University lab where he earned his master’s and doctorate. It was here he focused his work on managing the emerging cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV) and its vector, the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii. This research led to the publication of two peer-reviewed papers, one of which marked a first in the Southeastern United States.
$3.9 million grant to fund research for enhanced honey bee health
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture recently awarded a $3.9 million, five-year grant to a team of researchers to enhance honey bee health for pollination of specialty crops. Auburn University associate professors Geoff Williams, from the Department of...
Entomologists find evidence of current mating behavior in extinct termites
Mizumoto recreates fossilization process to test tandem run hypothesis An assistant professor in the Auburn University Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology recently found evidence that termites living millions of years ago mated the same way termites do...
Liu listed in top 2% of world’s entomologists
An endowed professor in the Auburn University College of Agriculture is listed as among the world’s top 2% of entomologists in a database announced recently by Stanford University. “This recognition is a testimony to the impact our research has had on the broader...
Penick serves as scientific advisor for episode of Planet Earth III
“Human” episode airing Saturday to feature Penick’s research on urban ants An episode of Planet Earth III airing in the U.S. this Saturday, Dec. 16, was made possible with the help of Assistant Professor Clint Penick in the Department of Entomology and Plant...
AAES research working to minimize nematode losses in Alabama crops
Farmers have a hard enough time battling the pests they can see. The ones they can’t see — like plant parasitic nematodes — present another challenge altogether. These worm-like, sometimes microscopic animals are major agricultural pathogens that attack Alabama crop...
Auburn agriculture researchers receive USDA-NIFA AFRI grants
Two researchers in the Auburn University College of Agriculture and the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station are recipients of separate grants from the USDA-NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the nation’s leading competitive grant program for...
Microbiome exploration represents a new frontier of research
With scientific research and discovery occurring at a dizzying rate, it’s difficult to imagine there are frontiers yet to be fully explored, but the microbiome is one. While microbiomes have always existed, little is known about their function in plants and animals....
Researcher part of worldwide effort to combat tree disease
De La Fuente first Auburn researcher to receive EU-funded award An Auburn University researcher and professor is part of an international team of scientists who are playing a pivotal role in combating a disease that is threatening major tree crops around the world....
Harrison Estes thrives in applied biotechnology major
Auburn agriculture senior finds success in his major Do you know what applied biotechnology is? Harrison Estes — a senior majoring in applied biotechnology — defines it as “the study and practice of genetic modification for industrial, medical and agricultural...
Water Resources Center, AU Bees Lab partner with city to promote natural resources stewardship
Alabama Watershed Stewards and Alabama Water Watch, along with the AU Bees Lab and Westervelt Ecological Resources, are partnering with the city of Auburn through a recently awarded grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for 2022-23. Alabama Watershed...
Faculty honored with endowed professorships
One College of Agriculture faculty member was recently reappointed an eminent scholar and two others received endowed professorships. Rex Dunham, alumni professor in the School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, was reappointed the Butler-Cunningham...
Seun Oladipupo is the pinnacle of graduate excellence at Auburn
Few students have been as actively involved in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Auburn University as Seun Oladipupo, a Ph.D. candidate who plans to complete his degree in May. According to Entomology and Plant Pathology Chair David Held, Oladipupo...
Man vs. Mosquito: Auburn researcher tackles age-old battle
By Mike Jernigan So, imagine you’re a female mosquito. You’re patiently circling, waiting to pounce, while your unsuspecting victim enjoys a picnic with no idea they have unknowingly been placed on your menu. Your multi-lensed eyes have confirmed what your carbon...
The Collegiate Hotel creates annual fund benefiting AU-Bees Lab
Local Auburn business the Collegiate Hotel recently announced the creation of The Brian E. and Kimberly A. Wirth Family Annual Fund for Excellence, also known as the Bee Excellent Fund, supporting the AU-Bees Lab in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University. ...
Beekeepers continue to report high colony loss rates, no clear improvement
From University of Maryland Beekeepers across the United States lost 45.5% of their managed honey bee colonies from April 2020 to April 2021, according to preliminary results of the 15th annual nationwide survey conducted by the nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership...
Auburn entomologist seeks alternatives for urban pesticide use
By Jacqueline Kochak More than 80 percent of Americans live in expanding urban areas, and suburbanites are still craving greenspace as farmland gives way to housing developments and big-box stores. The problem is that proud homeowners use significantly more...
College of Agriculture students win big in specialty competitions
Students in three College of Agriculture departments performed well in regional, national and international competitions this spring. A team from the Department of Horticulture placed first in its size group (10-24 students) in the 45th National Collegiate Landscape...
Auburn’s PAR grants cover the gamut of state’s agriculture
From exploring the viability of new crops such as hemp and grapes to protecting traditional crops such as peanuts and cotton, the College of Agriculture’s Production Agriculture Research, or PAR grants program, is working to provide immediate solutions...
De La Fuente, European scientists study crisis-causing pathogens
By Jacqueline Kochak An Auburn University researcher has joined with European scientists in an attempt to decipher the disease process caused by one of the world’s most harmful plant pathogens, Xylella fastidiosa. The bacterium’s impact has been nothing short of...
Departmental entomology team places first in national competition
The Departmental Entomology Team comprising students in the College of Agriculture placed first in the 2020 Entomology Games held on Nov. 16 by the Entomology Society of America. The Auburn entomology team includes team captain Seun Olaitan Oladipupo, Madison...
Held named chair of Entomology and Plant Pathology
David Held has been named chair of Auburn University’s Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, effective October 1. Held has been a faculty member in the department since 2008. “I believe Dr. Held’s extensive experience in research, teaching and extension have...
$3.9 million grant to fund research for enhanced honey bee health
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture recently awarded a $3.9 million, five-year grant to a team of researchers to enhance honey bee health for pollination of specialty crops. Auburn University associate professors Geoff Williams, from the Department of...
Entomologists find evidence of current mating behavior in extinct termites
Mizumoto recreates fossilization process to test tandem run hypothesis An assistant professor in the Auburn University Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology recently found evidence that termites living millions of years ago mated the same way termites do...
Liu listed in top 2% of world’s entomologists
An endowed professor in the Auburn University College of Agriculture is listed as among the world’s top 2% of entomologists in a database announced recently by Stanford University. “This recognition is a testimony to the impact our research has had on the broader...
Penick serves as scientific advisor for episode of Planet Earth III
“Human” episode airing Saturday to feature Penick’s research on urban ants An episode of Planet Earth III airing in the U.S. this Saturday, Dec. 16, was made possible with the help of Assistant Professor Clint Penick in the Department of Entomology and Plant...
AAES research working to minimize nematode losses in Alabama crops
Farmers have a hard enough time battling the pests they can see. The ones they can’t see — like plant parasitic nematodes — present another challenge altogether. These worm-like, sometimes microscopic animals are major agricultural pathogens that attack Alabama crop...
Auburn agriculture researchers receive USDA-NIFA AFRI grants
Two researchers in the Auburn University College of Agriculture and the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station are recipients of separate grants from the USDA-NIFA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), the nation’s leading competitive grant program for...
Microbiome exploration represents a new frontier of research
With scientific research and discovery occurring at a dizzying rate, it’s difficult to imagine there are frontiers yet to be fully explored, but the microbiome is one. While microbiomes have always existed, little is known about their function in plants and animals....
Researcher part of worldwide effort to combat tree disease
De La Fuente first Auburn researcher to receive EU-funded award An Auburn University researcher and professor is part of an international team of scientists who are playing a pivotal role in combating a disease that is threatening major tree crops around the world....
Harrison Estes thrives in applied biotechnology major
Auburn agriculture senior finds success in his major Do you know what applied biotechnology is? Harrison Estes — a senior majoring in applied biotechnology — defines it as “the study and practice of genetic modification for industrial, medical and agricultural...
Water Resources Center, AU Bees Lab partner with city to promote natural resources stewardship
Alabama Watershed Stewards and Alabama Water Watch, along with the AU Bees Lab and Westervelt Ecological Resources, are partnering with the city of Auburn through a recently awarded grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for 2022-23. Alabama Watershed...
Faculty honored with endowed professorships
One College of Agriculture faculty member was recently reappointed an eminent scholar and two others received endowed professorships. Rex Dunham, alumni professor in the School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, was reappointed the Butler-Cunningham...
Seun Oladipupo is the pinnacle of graduate excellence at Auburn
Few students have been as actively involved in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Auburn University as Seun Oladipupo, a Ph.D. candidate who plans to complete his degree in May. According to Entomology and Plant Pathology Chair David Held, Oladipupo...
Man vs. Mosquito: Auburn researcher tackles age-old battle
By Mike Jernigan So, imagine you’re a female mosquito. You’re patiently circling, waiting to pounce, while your unsuspecting victim enjoys a picnic with no idea they have unknowingly been placed on your menu. Your multi-lensed eyes have confirmed what your carbon...
The Collegiate Hotel creates annual fund benefiting AU-Bees Lab
Local Auburn business the Collegiate Hotel recently announced the creation of The Brian E. and Kimberly A. Wirth Family Annual Fund for Excellence, also known as the Bee Excellent Fund, supporting the AU-Bees Lab in the College of Agriculture at Auburn University. ...
Beekeepers continue to report high colony loss rates, no clear improvement
From University of Maryland Beekeepers across the United States lost 45.5% of their managed honey bee colonies from April 2020 to April 2021, according to preliminary results of the 15th annual nationwide survey conducted by the nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership...
Auburn entomologist seeks alternatives for urban pesticide use
By Jacqueline Kochak More than 80 percent of Americans live in expanding urban areas, and suburbanites are still craving greenspace as farmland gives way to housing developments and big-box stores. The problem is that proud homeowners use significantly more...
College of Agriculture students win big in specialty competitions
Students in three College of Agriculture departments performed well in regional, national and international competitions this spring. A team from the Department of Horticulture placed first in its size group (10-24 students) in the 45th National Collegiate Landscape...
Auburn’s PAR grants cover the gamut of state’s agriculture
From exploring the viability of new crops such as hemp and grapes to protecting traditional crops such as peanuts and cotton, the College of Agriculture’s Production Agriculture Research, or PAR grants program, is working to provide immediate solutions...
De La Fuente, European scientists study crisis-causing pathogens
By Jacqueline Kochak An Auburn University researcher has joined with European scientists in an attempt to decipher the disease process caused by one of the world’s most harmful plant pathogens, Xylella fastidiosa. The bacterium’s impact has been nothing short of...
Departmental entomology team places first in national competition
The Departmental Entomology Team comprising students in the College of Agriculture placed first in the 2020 Entomology Games held on Nov. 16 by the Entomology Society of America. The Auburn entomology team includes team captain Seun Olaitan Oladipupo, Madison...
Held named chair of Entomology and Plant Pathology
David Held has been named chair of Auburn University’s Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, effective October 1. Held has been a faculty member in the department since 2008. “I believe Dr. Held’s extensive experience in research, teaching and extension have...