March 1997 Newsletter

NEWSLETTER

03/17/97 Entomology and Nematology News - Vol. 2, No. 7

A University of Florida Publication

AWARDS

Congratulations to Carlyle Brewster for receiving the "Graduate Research Award for Excellence - Ph.D.", IFAS dissertation award. This award is given to a student in the College of Agriculture with the most outstanding dissertation. The dissertation title was "Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Insects in Large-Scale Agricultural Systems: Methodology and Analysis with the Silverleaf Whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii (Bellows & Perring). This is the first time that an Entomology and Nematology student has won this award. He will receive a plaque and $1000 on 21st. March, 1997 in the Constans Theater (Reitz Union).

ELECTRONIC REFERENCES

Trying to figure out how to reference that electronic publication? I found the Columbia University Press Guide to online style at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup/cgos/ that gives advice on how to list electronic publications. - Tom Fasulo

Tom Fasulo received another award for one of his WWW sites. This time it was the LookSmart Editor's Choice Award for Tom's Battle of Olustee WWW site. Tom is a member of the Citizens Support Organization for the Olustee State Park and wishes he could work on this site during the work day rather than on his WWW sites on insects.

THANK YOU AND GOOD-BYE

This is my last issue as the editor of the Entomology and Nematology Newsletter and I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to those who helped me during these almost two years to make this newsletter possible.

I thank Jane Medley for designing the newsletter and teaching me the use of software needed to make this newsletter. Jane spent countless hours revising every issue to make sure that the organization and writing was as flawless as possible, and using her printer to enhance the quality of the final copy. Her enthusiasm and professional help made the making of this newsletter a fun learning experience. I especially thank Tom Fasulo for being responsible to put the newsletter in the University of Florida home page. He made possible that each issue reached as many as 100 interested people all over the United States and overseas via email. He always made sure that I had enough to write about by helping me in the search for news and also by writing himself many articles in every issue. If it hadn't been for his help some issues would have been less than a page. I want to thank Dini Miller while acting as president of ENSO encouraged and supported me with the reinitiation of this newsletter. She also helped by writing many articles and encouraging other students to do the same. I thank Freddie Johnson and Nancy Sanders for mailing hard copies of this newsletter to almost 80 interested people outside this department that could not be reached via email. I thank Denise Jawanowicz, James Cuda, Pauline Lawrence, Tom Walker, Marjorie Hoy and Tom Sanford, who regularly contributed with articles ideas and encouragement in this newsletter. I thank my advisors Robert McSorley and Pete Weingartner for their support, and understanding the time demands that a few times distracted me from my main responsibility as a graduate student. I thank John Capinera for unconditionally allowing the use of top of the line equipment and materials to make a very efficient production and distribution of the newsletter. I have not seen similar facilities in other departments available to students. Finally thanks to Yasmin Cardoza and Tim McCoy for happily volunteering to work as editors. Good luck!

I have enjoyed and greatly benefited by helping as an editor to do this newsletter. It was an excellent way to interact with other members of the department and learn more about their work and responsibilities. The editorial work looks harder than what it really is; and I encourage other students to get involved since the benefits and satisfactions of this work far outweigh the investment on time.

FACULTY STAFF AND STUDENTS NEWS

The Southeast Regional Public Health Pest and Vector Conference was held February 25-27 in Panama City. Dina Richman presented information regarding the newest developments in flea biology and control. Dr. Phil Koehler and Dr. Richard Brenner spoke about school IPM measures and cockroach control innovations.

She will also attend the Fourth International Symposium on Ectoparasites of Pets to be held April 6-8 in Riverside, California where she will present a paper entitled "The Effects of Temperature and Synergism on the Insecticide Imidacloprid in Bioassays Against Ctenocephalides felisfelis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae)"

Dr. Roberto Pereira has left our department and accepted a tenure-track position at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology. He started March 3, 1997.

Dr. James Cuda was an invited speaker for the Research Review and Aquatic Plant Managers Workshop held at the Reitz Union Auditorium on the UF Campus, March 11-12. The title of Cuda's presentation was,"Evaluation of Hydrellia pakistanae (Diptera: Ephydridae) as a Classical Biocontrol Agent of Hydrilla." This conference was hosted by the Center for Aquatic Plants.

Tom Fasulo delivered an invited paper on "Computerized Hypertext Knowledgebases and Tutorials in Teaching and Extension" at the opening symposium of the recent SE Branch ESA meeting in Asheville, NC, on March 3rd. He also presented a two-hour workshop on the development and marketing of the software later that day.

PUBLICATIONS

Dina Richman and Dr. Philip Koehler have just released "Fleas: What They Are, What To Do" as a University of Florida Cooperative Extension Publication (ENY-291). This document describes cat flea identification, biology, and the newest control strategies.

Gregory A. Evans and Carlos L. Angulo. 1996. A new species of Encarsia from Costa Rica. Florida Entomologist 79: 582-586.

Gregory A. Evans and Fred D. Bennett. 1996. A new Eretmocerus species reared from Dialeurodes kirkaldyi. Florida Entomologist 79: 579-582.

COMPUTER LAB NOTICE

If you haven't freed disk space on the CTL "H" drive yet please do so. Space is dwindling rapidly, and when this space is exhausted, many of the lab's functions upon which we all depend will cease, such as retrieving email and saving files. Please delete all unnecessary files/email messages in your account. It is hoped that voluntary compliance can resolve this problem. If you have any questions or problems, I would be glad to assist. Thank you, Steve Lasley.

NATL NEWS

Big events are always about to happen in the Natural Area Teaching Laboratory (NATL). For example, we should have our winter burn most any day now (provided it is not too dry, too wet, too windy, etc). Another example, IFAS Facilities Operations should start on the east and south boundary fences most any day now. But there is a survey dispute about one section of the south boundary that may leave a long stretch unfenced for months more. A third example, the NATL Advisory Committee has secured pledges of $50,000 to recontour the retention pond (presently a cattail marsh) into a diversified wetlands (see next news item). Any day now the consulting engineer will tell us if that amount should be enough.

On things done, rather than pending, Reg Wilcox (thanks to Don Dickson) recently disked plot D, the first successional plot to be turned loose to succeed. Present plans are to let it go for 40 years and then clear and disk. Plot B, a 10-year-cycle plot, is currently being readied. (There are a total of five successional plots, each about an acre. Two are 40-year plots, two are 10 year plots, and one is a 1-or-2 year plot. The starting years are staggered to give the maximum diversity of old-field successional stages.)

The following excerpts are from the proposal that prompted St. Johns River Water Management District to pledge $10,000 for recontouring NATL's retention pond:

The Stormwater Ecological Enhancement Project (SEEP) will improve water quality, elevate species diversity, enhance wildlife habitat, and enrich aesthetics of an existing stormwater retention basin. The project also provides an education and research site for students, faculty, and the community. It will thus improve knowledge of ecologically engineered stormwater systems and elevate the general public's understanding of these systems and their integration into the landscape. SEEP, a concept of the University of Florida Wetlands Club, hopes to address issues in stormwater management by altering the design of an existing stormwater retention pond on the University of Florida Campus and applying concepts of Ecological Engineering to enhance the water quality, species diversity, animal habitat and aesthetics of the site. Long-term monitoring of the site will allow us to test the effectiveness of this alternative design and it's potential application to other basins. The location of the site on the University of Florida campus adjacent to the Florida Museum of Natural History Exhibition Hall will allow us to educate both students and the general public about this alternative design.

Design alteration of the basin will include 1) recontouring the topography so as to provide sites within the basin of varying hydroperiods, 2) creating a forebay and diversion berm to maximize treatment and contact time with desired plant species, 3) planting native wetland species, 4) planting species known to improve water quality in the forebay and other treatment zones. Once the site is recontoured and planted, the Center for Wetlands, under the Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences at the University of Florida, will initiate a long-term monitoring program. The Center for Wetlands will coordinate academic educational activities within the basin. These will include portions of specific courses and student research projects. Community educational activities will be coordinated through the Florida Museum of Natural History, which plans to construct a boardwalk to allow the retention basin to be part of a nature trail that it estimates will be used by 45,000 K-12 students and other visitors annually. The nature trail will provide direct access and interpretation of basin function and alternative design.

Implementation of SEEP will benefit the environment with improved water quality, increased plant diversity, and enhanced wildlife habitat. It will provide research and education opportunities for students and will increase the public's knowledge of stormwater problems and their solutions.

BLOOD DRIVE

Civitan Blood Drive - Mark your calendars now. The Civitan bloodmobile will be in the Entomology-Nematology parking lot from 1 to 4 pm on April 15, June 12, September 2, and October 28.

FREE POSTER

Hang a poster of 35 urban insects in your office. Tom Fasulo still has a number of these Roussel Uclaf posters. Stop by his office for one.