New Publication: Factors influencing northern spruce engraver colonization of white spruce slash in interior Alaska

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In this article, which appeared in the February 2013 issue of Forest Ecology and Management, the authors studied the effects of several slash treatments on colonization rates and reproductive success of the northern spruce engraver (Ips perturbatus) on white spruce (Picea glauca). The full article should be available at one of the URI’s below.  A second URI has been provided because dx.doi.org appeared to be unavailable at the time of this posting.

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2012.09.040

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378112712005919

Quick review of the sixth annual meeting

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We met in the DNR building amid Fairbanksian winter weather (-30’s °F).  Students, professionals, and a guest speaker gave talks on a wide variety of entomological topics.  The Student Presentation Award goes to UAF student Casey Bickford for her presentation, “Systematics of Alaskan Aegialites Beetles: Extremely Endemic or Oversplit?”

At the business meeting, we committed to judging and awarding prizes for entomological projects at three regional science fairs (Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau) to encourage students’ entomological pursuits. Liz Graham (US Forest Service, Juneau) was elected as our new vice president.

Appearing soon will be more products of the meeting:  a more complete review in the upcoming Newsletter, presentations posted on this website, and minutes from the business meeting.

Thanks to Derek Sikes and Jim Kruse for opening up their homes for get-togethers on Friday and Saturday.

New Publication: New aquatic insect (Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, and Plecoptera) records for Alaska, U.S.A.: range extensions and a comment on under-sampled habitats

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In this article, which appeared in October 2012 issue of The Pan-Pacific Entomologist, the authors reported on eight aquatic insect species new to Alaska, each representing a North American range extension.  The full article is available at the URI below.

http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.3956/2012-37.1

Working agenda for the annual meeting

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A printable, pdf version of the agenda below is also available.

Alaska Entomological Society Sixth Meeting, 25-26 Jan 2013

Alaska Department of Natural Resources large conference room, 3700 Airport Way, Fairbanks (DNR Building; Actually on Sportsman’s Way across from Fred Meyer West gas station.  Enter via employee’s entrance – door next to loading dock. Large conference room is straight in, jog right, then jog left)

Agenda

Friday, 25 January

Time                                       Activity/Talk Title – Presenter  

1900-2100         Optional social, Derek Sikes residence

Saturday, 26 January, Location: DNR Large Conference Room

Time                                       Activity/Talk Title – Presenter              

0900-0920         Welcome, introductions, general announcements

0920-0945         Round robin of entomological activities in Alaska (Bioblitz, new projects, classes, opportunities, other – bring your idea or announce your project!)

0945-1005         The University of Alaska Museum Insect Collection’s switch to using Arctos: A review of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Derek Sikes, UAF, UAM.

1005-1020         A first look at defoliation events on the Kenai Peninsula from 2000-2012 using MODIS data. Matt Bowser, USFWS.

1020-1035         Break

1035-1055         Developing an improved trapping tool to survey cerambycid beetles: evaluation of trap type, height, habitat, and lure composition. Liz Graham, USDA Forest Service.

1055-1120         White Sweetclover, Pollination and Berry Production: What’s the Buzz? Christa Mulder, Katie Villano, and Laura Schneller, UAF.

Student Talks

1120-1135         Systematics of Alaskan Aegialites Beetles: Extremely Endemic or Oversplit?. Casey Bickford, UAF, UAM.

1135-1155         Denali Bug Camp 2012. Sayde Ridling, UAF, UAM.

1155-1300         Lunch

1300-1315         The 2012 Red Admiral invasion of Alaska, and other lepidopteran oddities. Ken Philip, Alaska Lepidoptera Survey, UAF, UAM.

1315-1330         Forest insect conditions in Alaska. James Kruse, USDA Forest Service.

1330-1333         An origami unit tray in three minutes flat. Matt Bowser, USFWS.

1333-1400         Break

1400-1600         Society business meeting

  Membership, membership management

  Election/re-election of officers

  Communications: website, newsletter

1600-1630         Bin items, farewell

 

2013 Annual Meeting

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The sixth annual meeting of the Alaska Entomological Society will be in Fairbanks  on January 25-26, 2013, probably at the DNR building like a couple years ago.  Details and an agenda will follow soon.

Entomology presentations from the 2012 Alaska Invasive Species Conference

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Proceedings from the 13th annual Alaska Invasive Species Conference (October 30 – November 3, 2012) are now available at the proceedings’ web page.  Five presentations (links provided below) cover entomological topics.

Defoliation at Peter's Creek exit on Glenn Highway

Band of shrub defoliation above treeline from Michael Rasy’s 2012 CNIPM conference presentation. Photo by John Lundquist (USFS) a the Peter’s Creek exit on the Glenn Highway, 2012.

Katie Spellman (UAF, Fairbanks) presented her investigation of how exotic white sweet clover affects pollination and fruit production of native berry-producing shrubs. Michael Rasy (UAF Cooperative Extension Service, Anchorage) and Nathan Lojewski (Chugachmiut) focused on recent severe defoliation of deciduous shrubs in southcentral Alaska, mostly by Geometrid moths.  Elizabeth Graham (USFS, Juneau) covered a range of forest health topics, including aerial detection surveys and exotic insect forest pests.  Mia Kirk provided an update on the 2011-2012 Alaska Firewood Survey.

White Sweetclover, Pollination and Berry Production: What’s the Buzz??

Katie Villano Spellman, Univeristy of Alaska Fairbanks, Department of Biology and Wildlife, Laura Schneller, University of Alaska Anchorage, Department of Biological Sciences

Geometrid Moth Impact to Berry Production and Subsistence Crops

Nathan Lojewski, Chugachmiut

Geometrid Moth Activity in Southcentral Alaska

Michael Rasy, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Cooperative Extension Service

US Forest Service Forest Health Protection: Insects, Diseases, and Aerial Detection

Lori Winton, Tom Heutte, and Elizabeth Graham US Forest Service, Forest Health Protection

Alaska Firewood Survey

Mia Kirk, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Agriculture

Insects to be surveyed on all Alaska Refuges starting in 2013

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The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Alaska Region Inventory & Monitoring team released an update on its planned biotic inventories to begin in 2013.  Over the next four years, the team plans to document the biodiversity of terrestrial plant and invertebrate communities on all 16 Alaska National Wildlife Refuges.

Details of the sampling design are to be resolved over the winter of 2012-2013, but the group has selected the relevé method for vegetation sampling, with invertebrate sampling to complement this work.

The Inventory & Monitoring program has begun a collaborative effort with Dr. Derek Sikes at the University of Alaska Museum to develop a DNA barcode library from UAM terrestrial arthropod specimens.  This work will set the stage for future inventory and monitoring efforts in Alaska using environmental DNA barcoding methods (a.k.a next-generation DNA barcoding).

 

New AKES web site

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Welcome to the new web site of the Alaska Entomological Society, powered by WordPress.  This will improve our ability to provide up-to-date news and information on Alaskan Entomology.

With the exception of the home page, all of the old content is still available at the previous URL’s.  These will forward to new URL’s as content is moved over to the new site.