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maddie carpenter

Graduate Student Spotlight: Maddie Carpenter

April 1, 2022

“For the most part honey bees rely on humans to survive. We have been breeding them for many hundreds of years to express the traits we want, like honey production, resistance to disease and gentleness.”

— Maddie Carpenter, MS student, Department of Entomology

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Landscape Report team recognized for interdisciplinary achievements

February 2, 2022

The Purdue Landscape Report team has received the Purdue Agriculture 2021 TEAM Award. An acronym for Together Everyone Achieves More, the college created the award in 1995 to recognize interdisciplinary team achievements of faculty and staff.

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Several high tunnels

Extending the season, improving food security

January 31, 2022

Small farmers across the U.S. use high tunnels to extend their growing season, something known to present different pest problems compared to open field production. However, as community farms grow to fill in for urban and rural food deserts, researchers see a gap in an understanding of how pest pressures vary depending on if the high tunnels are located in the city or country.

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Lanternfly taking off

Keeping spotted lanternfly populations in check requires vigilance, experts say

December 10, 2021

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As travel around the country slowly returns to pre-pandemic levels, experts warn of the possibility of
bringing home uninvited guests. They may not ask to crash on your couch, but invasive insects such as
the spotted lanternfly could prove to be a real nuisance if they arrive home with you.

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Krispn Given lab

Behind the Research: Krispn Given

November 9, 2021

When Krispn Given mentions he’s a honey bee researcher, the first question people ask him is whether he gets stung a lot. He doesn’t.

The bees are defensive sometimes but not aggressive, says Given, who is key to the entomology department’s beekeeping and pollinator protection programs. He is widely recognized for his innovative work in honey bee instrumental insemination and honey bee breeding.

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Bee in watermelon

As-needed pesticide use brings wild bees, increases watermelon yield without reducing corn profits

November 3, 2021

Many farmers rent bee hives to pollinate crops, but they could tap into the free labor of wild bees by adopting an as-needed approach to pesticides, a new proof-of-concept study shows.

A multiyear study of commercial-scale fields in the Midwest found this approach led to a 95% reduction in pesticide applications, while maintaining or increasing crop yield for corn and watermelon. The findings are detailed in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Colombian student finds hive of ideas at Purdue Agriculture

September 22, 2021

“I love working with bees because, I think, they are the most important insects in the world. We need to promote them and find ways to take care of the existing populations,” Liced Giraldo Moreno said.

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Large-scale watermelon study bears fruit

September 10, 2021

“A major reason this project worked is because so many farmers around the state are comfortable working with Purdue Agriculture,” Ian Kaplan, professor of entomology, said. “We owe that trust to the networks and relationships Extension fosters among farmers in Indiana.”

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Scientific Animations Without Borders scales knowledge for impact

August 26, 2021

How do you make access to scientific knowledge more democratic for people around the world?
How can we be inclusive of diverse groups in the creation of that knowledge?
And, finally, how can we equitably transfer that information to those who speak different languages, may not read or write or live in hard-to-reach areas of the world?
These questions have guided the organization Scientific Animations Without Borders (SAWBO) since its founding in 2011. Co-founded by newly hired agricultural sciences education and communication assistant professor Julia Bello-Bravo and Barry Pittendrigh, Purdue’s Osmun Endowed Chair of Urban Entomology and director of the Center for Urban and Industrial Pest Management, SAWBO has created a research and highly scalable outreach program that uses the power of animation to disseminate scientific knowledge around the world.

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The College of Agriculture welcomes seven new faculty members this fall

August 12, 2021
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Snail

From “eww” to “cool”: Why you should welcome slugs, bats and wasps

June 22, 2021

“Many insects, arthropods, invertebrates and mammals pollinate,” Harpur said. “Bats are probably the best-known mammalian examples, but wasps, flies, beetles and slugs also pollinate. It works very similar to how bees pollinate-the animal is attracted to the flower in some way and pollen is transferred on to its body and then, eventually, to another plant. One of my favorite examples is the mirror orchid. Its flower looks and smells like a female wasp. It is so convincing that male wasps will try to mate with it and, in so doing, they transfer pollen between flowers.”

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Cicada on leaf

17 Ways to make the most of 17-Year Cicada Emergence

May 12, 2021

“If you like insects, or are even just curious about them, you have a unique opportunity coming up. Get out and enjoy it while you can,” recommended Elizabeth Barnes, an exotic forest pest educator for Purdue Extension Entomology.

The 17-year cicadas of Brood X were last seen in 2004. This spring, they are set to appear across Indiana and in parts of 14 other states.

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Student’s research helps watermelon growers find sweet success

May 5, 2021

“Even though some days I’m getting out of bed to reach the field before the flowers open, it’s easy for me to find the endpoint of who we’re doing this for,” said Jacob Pecenka, a Ph.D. student in entomology. “Watermelon growers in Indiana.”

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Unexpected Plants and Animals of Indiana: The Rainbow Scarab

March 31, 2021

Locating the rainbow scarab (Phanaeus vindex) beetle in Indiana can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, or, well, like an insect on a dung heap.

While dung beetles abound in the state, the rainbow scarab, a type of dung beetle named for its iridescent and colorful body, is quite rare.

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Ironclad beetles offer a lot to learn for engineers and entomologists

March 15, 2021

For thousands of years, humans have altered — often negatively and inadvertently —microbial communities in a quest to improve agricultural crops. In recent years, knowledge…

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Smith Hall

Purdue welcomes back former professor as endowed entomology chair

February 5, 2021
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Monarch Butterfly

Where do bugs go in winter?

February 3, 2021

By Brian Wallheimer Any trip to Mars, likely to take a year or longer, will require astronauts to grow at least some of their own…

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Collage of Top Story Images

Purdue Agriculture’s 20 most-read stories of 2020

January 4, 2021

“2020 was a year unlike any other, with numerous challenges, opportunities and accomplishments across our college,” said Karen Plaut, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of the College of Agriculture. “Through it all we were proud to share Purdue Agriculture’s stories with the incredible community of faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors and so many other supporters.”

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“Education is multidimensional”: How agriculture staff and students are reaching grades PK-12 during a pandemic

November 12, 2020
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Purdue Improved Crop Storage makes inroads in Peru with extensive survey study

November 5, 2020
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