Officer & Committee Reports
for the
Southwestern Branch
of the
Entomological Society of America
2012-13
Prepared by:
Robert W. Davis, Ph.D.
Secretary-Treasurer
2012-13
Submitted 2/14 Secretary’s/Treasurer’s Report
Robert W. Davis Secretary-Treasurer, 2012-13 Southwestern Branch of the ESA
1. Secretary-Treasurer Davis participated in the Treasurer’s Meeting held during the course of the ESA’s Annual Meeting. Committee Chair Neil Willoughby chaired the meeting. The two main topics covered included:
a. Branch Treasurer’s need to send in statements from checking and savings accounts on a quarterly basis to ESA-HQ. This is needed for tax purposes. b. Neil asked how branches felt the CONFEX system worked for branch meetings. All branch reps spoke favorably of the CONFEX system and wanted to keep it in place. Concerns over cost were voiced. c. Neil asked if ESA-HQ staff at branch meetings was helpful. Branched very appreciative of ESA-HQ staff being present to help with Registrations, etc. This support from ESA-HQ has made the leg work of registration activities go much more smoothly and allows branch attendees and volunteers to actually attend papers, help at insect expo, etc.
2. Executive Committee approved funds ($500.00) for purchase of a new light and buzzer system for the conduct of Linnaean Games (owned by the branch). The system was purchased for $489.00.
3. ESA-2013 election results involving SWB members included the following
a. 2913 ESA Vice President-Elect: Phil Mulder, Oklahoma State University b. 2013 Southwestern Branch Governing Board Representative: David Ragsdale, Texas A&M University c. 2013 Secretary-Treasurer-Elect. Dr. Carlos Bogran OHP, Inc. 4. ESA-SWB Secretary Treasurer met with SWB Audit committee at annual meeting in Las Cruces, NM. Audit committee was favorably disposed to report in progress. Final audit committee approval was forthcoming in
Respectfully submitted,
Bob Davis Secretary-Treasurer, 2012-13
Southwestern Branch ESA 61st Annual Meeting Executive Committee Meeting Ramada Palms Hotel Las Cruces, NM 25 February 2013
The meeting was called to order by President Bundy. ESA National President Rob Wiedenmann and ESA National Executive Director Dave Gammel were in attendance.
Old Business.
The Treasurer’s Report to be presented at the final business meeting was distributed to the attendees for their review by Secretary-Treasurer Davis.
Secretary-Treasurer Davis noted that an executive committee meeting at the National ESA meeting was helpful to plan preliminary financing for the branch meeting, coordinating with local arrangements and planning financing for the student mixer.
Reimbursement for student volunteers was discussed, with the question being if this is a good or bad idea. It was noted that it might be worthwhile if it influences them to volunteer. There is a good list of volunteer this year. Fifty-seven students registered and more than 50% have volunteered. It is important to keep communications flowing between the officers and the volunteers as to their duties and responsibilities. It was also suggested that the student volunteers be recognized at the banquet.
For online voting, candidates need to be selected in April and submitted to ESA National in mid- May. For 2013 the Southwestern Branch nominated and supported Phil Mulder as ESA National vice-president elect. Nominations for officer positions within the Southwestern Branch are as follows:
Carlos Bogran as Secretary-Treasurer elect David Ragsdale as Governing Board Representative Molly Keck as our BCE representative It was noted that bio’s for the candidates are on-line.
The walk-through of the Ramada Palms in August was worthwhile to familiarize the officers and committee chairs with the layout and facilities.
New business:
ESA National President Rob Wiedenmann reported the following:
1. ESA is strong and financially sound. Our assets and investments are excellent, we have a plan to bring the budget back to positive, attendance at 2012 Branch meetings and the Annual meeting were outstanding, and attendance this year is strong already.
2. We are making progress on the 2013 theme areas: science, impact, connected, world.
a. SCIENCE The 2013 Annual Meeting promises to have great attendance and a large number of presentations. We are not trying to maximize the number of symposia, focusing on quality, not quantity. Program Symposia have been selected and both Section and Member Symposia are being collected and are now under discussion.
b. IMPACT Partnership with AIBS to represent us in the area of public policy contacts, and the development of ESA's young professionals.
c. CONNECTED We are increasing our connections with other entomological and scientific societies.
d. WORLD We are hosting the Global Entomological Society Presidents and are inviting partner presidents to our Annual Meeting. We are also hosting the Entomology News web site to increase our impact on and connection with the rest of the world.
3. We are trying to increase our membership through the Each One, Reach One campaign. We currently have 6500 members and would like to get to 7000 or 7500. We are analyzing membership numbers, patterns, attraction and attrition, and developed a model that we can use to predict future patterns and point to intervention points.
4. The Founders' Memorial Award has been selected and announced -- Anurag Agrawal from Cornell, honoring Dame Miriam Rothschild. ESA Fellows process is ongoing -- submissions were due last week.
5. Committees are mostly complete, with their charge letters. Major changes are: 1) resurrecting the SYP Committee and having members participate in the Planning Day at the summer Governing Board meeting; 2) Science Policy Committee; and 3) Ethics and Rules Committee has as its charge to develop a stronger ethics statement and develop processes for dealing with ethical transgressions.
6. Future Annual meetings are planned out to 2018, with several years even beyond 2018. Contracting those sites now allows us to lock in hotel and convention center prices, giving us better negotiating ability and saving the members money.
Other comments include: Future national meeting sites are locked in through 2022: Portland 2014 Minneapolis 2015, 2019 Orlando 2016 - possibly co-located with ICE Denver 2017, 2021 Vancouver 2018, 2022
ESA National Executive Director Dave Gammel commented on three areas where the ESA needs to review its goals and how to respond to them: Social – review the awards program, growing the certification and BCE Global – growing the International Branch which meets in Chile this year Influence – hosting ICE in 2016, science policy development (a workshop is planned by AIBS at the national meeting in Austin)
The ESA will move into a new headquarters building in Annapolis in May of 2013
An Entomological News Site is under development for all entomologists
The National Meeting App will probably continue in 2013, but sponsors are needed.
Commenting to Director Gammel, Secretary-Treasurer Davis suggested that all registrations for the Branch meeting go to ESA National. President Bundy noted that National did a great job reporting registrations, and suggested that a slot be made to record banquet reservations.
Committee and Other Reports
It was noted that there has been confusion regarding the Audit Committee members and who becomes chair when and for how long. It was agreed that the SOP for the Audit Committee needs to be updated.
Secretary-Treasurer recommended the establishment of a Special Committee to be called the Industry Contributions Committee. It was noted that this committee needs to be formalized, voted on by the Executive Committee and the membership. An SOP needs to be written We need to push for multi-year commitments It is necessary to keep in touch with the companies There is a need for a university contact to receive funds The Southwestern branch President needs to send a letter requesting contributions
A motion was made by Vice-President Esquivel, seconded by David Ragsdale, and was approved by voice vote.
Governing Board Representative David Ragsdale reported that our membership stood at 494 as of December 2012, and that we need to get to 550 to follow the ESA National’s growth trend. He also commented on the ESA National’s Science Policy, there is a need to pool member on top policy issues. A monthly newsletter will start in March, issued by ESA national.
Resolutions Committee – no resolutions. It was commented upon that many members may not be familiar with this committee and its functions. Resolutions are oftentimes made far too late in the meeting to be placed on the Business Meeting agenda.
Site Selection Committee – the following sites are approved or under consideration: 2014 – San Antonio, approved, hotel needs to be selected, possibly at the Crowne Plaza 2015 – Oklahoma City 2016 The Woodlands (Houston area), Harlingen or possibly Weslaco
Notes on the current meeting:
There may be issues with the Insect Expo. Attendees were alerted to possible University bureaucracy vagaries.
Members should be told to check their badges for their meal choice at the banquet.
The hotel will be held to the lowest advertised rate, watch for internet rates being lower than the agreed rates for the meeting. John Hunter, local Las Cruces historian will be the banquet speaker.
A brief discussion was held regarding non-member fees for the meeting and the need for them to be higher than regular members. No decision was forthcoming.
Minutes kindly prepared by Dr. Jerry Michels
Respectfully submitted,
Bob Davis Secretary-Treasurer, 2012-13
SWB-ESA
Branch Archivist
Greg Cronholm
February 28, 2013
The following items have been mailed to Dr. Larry Mitchell at the Cushing Library at Texas A&M University, College Station.
1. Program for Joint Meeting of the Southeastern and Southwestern Branch, March 4-7. 2012, Little Rock, Arkansas 2. Abstracts of Student Papers and Poster Presentations of the Joint Annual Meeting of the Southeastern and Southwestern Branches of the Entomological Society of America. 3. Handout – 2011/2012 ESA-SWB Committees and Members 4. Also mailed was a letter from David Kerns, President of the Society of Southwestern Entomologists concerning the 61st Annual Meeting to be held in Las Cruces, New Mexico, February 25-28, 2013
Southwestern Branch ESA Meeting, February 25-28th, 2013 Las Cruces, NM
Student Affairs Committee Report
The 2013 Southwestern Branch ESA meeting was run smoothly and presented a good experience both on an educational and social level for the students who participated. There were 37 total student volunteers who helped make the registration and talk upload process run smoothly. The SWB ESA student affairs committee held its meeting on Monday February 25th at 8:00pm in the San Juan room of the Ramada hotel. Members in attendance were: SAC Chair Melise Taylor (NMSU), Trisha Dubie (OSU), Lauren Ward (TAMU), Ann Mayo (UT Arlington), Alex Arp (UT Tyler), and Chris Powell (UT Tyler). Not in attendance were representatives from Tarleton State and West Texas A&M. Other students from UT Tyler were present to help participate in photo salon judging: Jessica Woodruff, Juan Macias, Lauren Lambeth, and Julia Potocnjak. Also in attendance was SWB ESA Vice President, Dr. Jesus Esquivel.
Topics discussed during our meeting included:
Communication: Between the SAC members, one to another, as well as between the executive board and the SAC. o Having a regular member present at each annual SAC meeting. o Providing the next SAC chair with guidelines, deadlines, and proceedings of the previous year. o Having the current chair responsible for reviewing SOPs and sending them out to the rest of the committee for review/revision. o Having the date and time of the SAC meeting in the program.
Volunteering: Students reluctant o Committing to multiple stations (Expo + additional slot) o Not knowing their availability before having to commit o Knowing how many students are needed o It seemed we didn’t have many students volunteering, but during the meeting we had an excess of people in places they were not needed. o It was suggested to have an area on the registration form to indicate a student’s willingness to volunteer.
Photo Salon Judging: we were able to pick the winners and were excited that there were prizes this year. o Submissions were much lower than last year (have SAC members advertise this to their respective universities). o Decided that Lauren Ward will begin to train someone new to take over once she graduates.
Awards: mentioned by Dr. Esquivel that submissions were low. These awards should be better advertised with clarifications on rules and regulations for application submissions. Along with the theme of this year’s student symposium we would like to see an informal presentation of assistantships and jobs available within the universities of the SWB. This could be presented during the box lunch making students more knowledgeable as to who they can contact or approach later at the meeting.
The roster for the SWB ESA SAC for 2014 will be:
Chair-Chris Powell (UT Tyler-expires 2014),Trisha Dubie (OSU-ongoing), Ann Mayo (UT Arlington-ongoing), Melise Taylor (NMSU- expires 2014), Casey Schoenthal (TAMU-expires 2015), Callie Price (Tarleton State), Heather Hankins (WTAMU), and Lauren Ward (TAMU) will continue to head the photo salon for the 2014 meeting.
The SWBESA-SAC was a positive and constructive meeting. We look forward to our next branch meeting and would like to thank the Executive Board members of the Southwestern Branch for all of their support.
Respectfully Submitted,
Melise Taylor – Chair SWBESA-SAC SW Branch Audit Committee Report for FY 2012/2013
Committee Members: Gary Puterka, Chair Ed Bynum Don Henne
A meeting of the ESA-SWB Audit committee and the ESA-SWB Treasurer and Treasurer-elect was held on 2/26/13 in conjunction with the Annual Meeting. An overview of the financial status of the ESA-SWB and the meeting to date was provided, Don Henne, Ed Bynum, Jerry Michels and Bob Davis in attendance.
The Treasurer’s Report for FY 2012-2013 included bank summaries from May 1st 2012 to March 28, 2013. These items were provided by the ESA-SWB Treasurer, Bob Davis, on 3/28/13 to the committee. We reviewed the monthly summaries for the checking and savings accounts and found they agree with the Treasury Report Summary.
We recommend the SWB ESA officers and members accept this Treasury Report.
Report from the Southwestern Branch ESA Awards and Honors Committee to the 2013 Southwestern Branch ESA Annual Meeting, Ramada Palms Hotel, Las Cruces, NM Feb 25-28, 2013
The Awards Committee accepted and reviewed nomination packages for one ESA Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension and three student awards: the John Henry Comstock Graduate Student Award; Undergraduate Student Achievement in Entomology Award (co-sponsored by SWB-ESA and Society of Southwestern Entomologists); and the for the Percival Scientific Undergraduate Entomology Student Activity Award.
1. Dr. Roy Parker, was recognized as the Southwestern Branch as our ESA Distinguished Achievement Award in Extension. Dr. Parker is a professor and Extension Entomologist at Corpus Christi, TX with Texas AgriLife where he has an outstanding career in outcome based extension programs in pest management. These programs include cotton, stored grain, pecan and household and structural extension activities. Dr. Parker is a mentor to many people that are involved in Pest management and deserves this recognition.
2. Lisa Overall, Oklahoma State University is the recipient of the John Henry Comstock Graduate Student Award as nominated from the Southwestern Branch, and will also be recognized at the Annual ESA this coming 2013. Lisa was nominated, and studied under her major adviser Dr. Erik Rebek. Lisa will complete her Ph.D. dissertation on the epidemiology of Pierce’s Disease in grapes. During her studies, Lisa was very active in the S.W. Branch, and at the National level, and has also established herself as an accomplished scientists through scientific publications.
3. Juan Macias, University of Texas at Tyler, is the recipient of the Undergraduate Student Achievement in Entomology Award ($50). Juan is a noted undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Tyler under the mentorship of Dr. Blake Bextine. He is studying viral disease in fire ants. Juan has a natural instinct when it comes to research and even though he is still and undergraduate; Dr. Bextine insists that he is the best researcher that he has had the privilege to work with.
4. Jessica Woodruff, University of Texas at Tyler, was the recipient of the Percival Scientific Undergraduate Entomology Student Activity Award ($250). Jessica is a student at the University of Texas at Tyler under the mentorship of Dr. Blake Bextine where she has been investigating Zebra Chip disease vectored by Potato psyllids.
5. S.W. Branch members Andrine Shufran, Astri Wayandande, Tim Gafford, and Tim Dennehy were asked by chairman Scott Armstrong to serve on specific awards panels for the ESA and ESA Foundation sponsored awards that will be received for consideration in July 2013. Chairman Armstrong also serves on 2 of these ESA panels.
6. A combining of the S.W. Branch Awards and the ESA sponsored awards and honors was achieved this spring by ESA’s Cindy Myer’s working with Awards chairman Scott Armstrong. The web site (http://www.entsoc.org/awards/whats_available) provides one central location for all ESA awards and should help members that would like to get nominations in.
7. The 3 year term for Scott Armstrong to serve as chairman of the S.W. Branch Honors and Awards Committee has expired, although he is willing to serve for another year if needed while another chairman is chosen by the president.
Respectfully submitted,
John Scott Armstrong
Chair, Awards Committee of the Southwestern Branch of the ESA
2013 Southwest Branch ESA Awards and Honors Committee
John Scott Armstrong (2013, USDA ARS)
Charles Allen (2015, Texas A&M University)
Mike Brewer (2015, Texas A&M University)
Justin Talley (2015, Oklahoma State University)
David Kattes (2012, Tarleton State University)
Sonja Swiger (2014, Texas AgriLife Extension)
Dave Thompson (2013, New Mexico State University)
Jesus Esquivel (2014, USDA, ARS)
Paulina Vega (2014, INIFAP, TAMPS, MX) Report from the SWB-ESA Governing Board Representative, Las Cruces, NM 2/2013
Governing Board Representative Report: David Ragsdale, Branch representative to ESA Governing Board, reported the following: a. David has begun his 3 year term as rep to the ESA GB. b. The Board approved $60,000 to support travel to International Congress of Entomology and Linnaean Team travel to Annual Meetings. For the latter, briefs are to be submitted to John Heraty, Chair of Students and Young Professionals Committee, for review of cases on a hardship basis; complete protocol not in place yet. c. Chair of Certification Board Committee, indicated a replacement was needed for the SW Branch Representative for the Board Certified Entomologist program as Brian Mount had moved to the SE branch. .Bart Drees Chaired an ad hoc Committee consisting of Mike Merchant and Bob Davis to select two nominees for this position. This committee selected Molly Keck and Ted Granovsky, and these names were forwarded to Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee submitted these two nominees to ESA Central for election. Molly Keck is now the ESA-SWB Representative to the Certification Program.. SWB-ESA 2013 Meeting, Las Cruces, NM
Insect Detection, Evaluation & Prediction Committee Report, 2013
Following are highlights of arthropod identifications for calendar year 2012 from the states of Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico, as reported by Drs. Richard Grantham (OSU), Mark Muegge (TAMU) and Carol Sutherland (NMSU).
Oklahoma
Oklahoma went from a famine year (2011) to a feast year in 2012. Insect reports were up considerably over the previous quiet year despite our continued drought.
We started the year with a heavy crane fly emergence (Diptera, TipuIidae). This may have been due in part to the mild winter we experienced and reduced mortality of the larvae/pupae. The public was very alarmed about those ‘Texas-sized mosquitoes’ buzzing around, and many a story was written in the newspapers!
Alfalfa weevils (Hypera postica) were the next pest to emerge (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, left). Apparently, there wasn’t much in the way of alfalfa to keep them happy! Extension offices were inundated with calls from homeowners about weevils on their porches and exterior walls. One image showed hundreds clustered
around a doorway. Moderate to severe oak defoliation was evident in south central parts of the state this spring through early summer. The primary defoliators were the common oak moth (Phoberia atomaris) and several different Catocala species (Lepidoptera, Erebidae and Noctuidae, respectively).
Burr and post oaks were also hard hit with what appeared to be an oak flake gall similar to Neuroterus quercusverrucarum var. macrocarpae (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae). Many homeowners were complaining about unsightly trees and foliage that was completely gnarled. We also encountered a cynipid gall on burr oak that was new to us (left). It resembled an oak rough bullet gall (Disholcaspis quercusmamma), but the galls formed a large, dense cluster 2- 3 inches across (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae).
Post oaks in many areas were also oss ( severely affected by kermes scale (Nanokermes sp. prob. pubescens) (Hemiptera, Kermesidae). Many trees appeared to be prematurely browning due to mortality of new twig growth and leaves. Scales were tightly clustered around new growth and any light to moderate wind would cause small branches and leaves to fall and litter lawns.
Redbuds experienced the worst infestation of redbud leaffolder (Fascista cercerisella) we have seen in many years (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae). Entire trees were turning brown in April and May, leaving many homeowners to question if they were dead or would they will survive to next year.
Other heavy infestations this year include whitemargined burrower bugs (Sehirus c. cincta Hemiptera, Cydnidae), field crickets (Gryllus sp., Orthoptera, Gryllidae)), variegated cutworms (Peridroma saucia, Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in pastures and yards, false chinch bugs (Nysius raphanus (Hemiptera, Lygaeidae) around houses, and flatheaded appletree borer (Chrysobothris femorata complex, Coleoptera, Buprestidae) from drought stricken dead/dying oaks.
On an up note, 2012 appeared to be a very good year for the variegated fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) (Lepidoptera, Nymphalidae). We received numerous samples of caterpillars and chrysalides on garden plants from most parts of the state.
Honey bee swarming reports (both Africanized and European, Hymenoptera, Apidae, Apis mellifera subspp.) were down again this year. We added no new county records for the year and only 4 samples were submitted; our county total now stands at 43 of 77 counties with at least one positive ID for Africanized honey bees. We continue to test samples on an as needed basis for New Mexico.
Bed bugs (25 samples) and bat bugs (3 samples) (Hemiptera, Cimicidae) continue to be a hot topic this past year. Heat treatment is the favored control method – if you know what you are doing. We have one PCO that has almost started 2 fires by leaving a site unattended! We also have one home that has undergone 3 whole house treatments, and still living bed bugs are emerging from some well protected hiding place.
The Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry (ODAFF) is once again looking at expanding the red imported fire ant quarantine. Our last regulatory action occurred in 2009 when we went from 8 to 20 counties under the Federal quarantine.
Notable Reports:
Greenhouse thrips (Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis) (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) were discovered at the Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City. This is the first confirmed report backed up with a sample we have had for this notorious greenhouse pest.
European Hornet (Vespa crabro) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) was found for only the second time in Oklahoma. The first case from 2007 involved an old abandoned bee hive; this find was in a dead tree. Both cases were from far eastern Oklahoma.
New State Records:
The bark beetle Cyclorhipidion bodoanum (Reitter) (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) was found in an ODAFF CAPS trap and identified by USDA; Ottawa and Washington counties.
The bark beetle Dryocoetes granicollis (LeConte) (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) was found in an ODAFF CAPS trap and identified by USDA; Ottawa County.
The buprestid beetle Acmaeodera tubulus (Fabricius) (Coleoptera, Buprestidae) was found in an ODAFF CAPS trap and identified by USDA; Ottawa and Seminole counties.
The woodwasp Sirex nigricornis Fabricius (Hymenoptera, Siricidae) was found in an ODAFF CAPS trap and identified by USDA; Ottawa County.
Texas
So far as is known, brown marmorated stink bug is apparently established only in part of Corpus Christi (since 2011?). No other specimens of this invasive pest have been confirmed in 2012.
European Elm Flea Weevils may not have found their way into Texas just yet. Attendees at a Texas Pest Control Association meeting in Lubbock were advised of the hitch-hiking pests in September. The Texas Panhandle may be the part of the state closest to an active infestation.
Japanese beetles have been found again in Texas, according to Dr. Bart Drees. “Recently, surveys conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture's Agricultural & Plant Health Inspection Service/Plant Protection & Quarantine (USDA APHIS/PPQ), using pheromone and floral scent baited traps to attract adult beetles, have documented the occurrence of this pest in Texas at the following locations: In the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, a total of 62 Japanese beetles were trapped at four nurseries and one golf course. In the Austin metropolitan area, 16 Japanese beetles were trapped at a single nursery. All of the finds at nurseries were associated with ball & burlap and containerized trees”.
While Spotted Wing Drosophila has not been confirmed yet in Texas, it seems that another new invasive fruit fly was identified by Aaron Tarone from collections of fruit fly parasitoids in Brazos County, TX. This fruit fly was identified as Zaprionus indianus Gupta. See the Pest Alert on this species at: http://www.freshfromflorida.com/pi/pest- alerts/zaprionus-indianus.html)
Summarizing from this report, in laboratory studies (Setta and Carrereto 2005), flies survived up to 150 days, with an average of 82 and 93 days for males and females, respectively. Number of offspring per female averaged 58, with a maximum of 103. Development time from egg to adult was about 19 days. Laboratory flies from which these data were generated had been maintained in culture for several generations, and were reared on Drosophila culture media at a constant 25°C. Under natural field conditions, these data could vary markedly. Flies are probably capable of producing numerous generations in a single year. In Florida, flies have been reared in limited studies from fruit taken from the field over a 4-month time span (July-November). Zaprionus indianus has been reared together with various species of Drosophila from the same fruit samples in Florida, but the extent of its interaction with or possible displacement of native species remains unknown.
In Florida, Z. indianus has been reared from the following hosts: Annona glabra (pond apple), Psidium guajava (guava), Psidium cattleianum (strawberry guava), Arabotrys hexapetalus (Annonaceae: climbing ilang-ilang), Malpighia emarginata (Barbados cherry, acerola), Dimocarpus longan (longan), Anacardium occidentale (cashew), Punica granatum (pomegranate), Phoenix sp. (a palm), xCitrofortunella microcarpa (calamondin) and Citrus sinensis (sweet orange). In most cases, fruit from which flies were reared were ripe, damaged and taken off of the ground; however, in the case of M. emarginata and D. longan, all sampled fruit were ripe and taken directly from the tree; only a small percentage of those fruits may have been damaged. None of these hosts are native to Florida. In its native Africa, Z. indianus is known to infest 73 different kinds of fruit, both native and introduced. In Brazil, the fly has been found in association with a number of commercial fruits, including Citrus, but apparently only with damaged fruits.
In parts of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, Z. indianus has produced an estimated loss of 50% of the commercial fig production. In figs, flies oviposit in and around the ostiole, where larvae have easy access to the fruit interior (Vilela et al. 2001). Possibly the fly is unable to act as a primary infester in other types of fruit in which the skin is intact. In fact, because of the specific oviposition behavior in figs, one successful control method currently in use is to close the ostiole with a self-stick label previously used to identify the producer (Raga et al. 2003).
To date, Emerald Ash Borer has not been found in Texas.
There is nothing new regarding Red Imported Fire Ant distribution in Texas.
Africanized honey bees can be found just about anywhere in the state of Texas; however, they are probably most commonly found in the southwestern 2/3rds of the state.
Lots of Western black widows were seen in west Texas last year. According to the ‘Texas Invasives’ website, brown widow spiders have been found in Texas previously.
Bark beetles were exceptionally bad in the Davis Mountains last year, no doubt due to the drought. Many native and introduced conifers died from the infestation which likely involved one or more Ips spp. The Texas Forest Service has some good information on drought and bark beetle infestations at http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=1209. Two new pests are causing problems in south Texas: the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, and the pathogen they transmit causing citrus greening disease. According to Dr. Raul Villanueva, Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco, the number of trees with greening in one observation grove has increased to around 80, including both orange and grapefruit trees. No newly infected trees have been found outside of this grove, but high populations of ACP are being found in different areas of the valley. These sites are 5-30 miles away from the initial site where both disease and vector pests were identified. Most of the psyllids in these distant groves were found near the highway and close to the border. So the question is, where are these psyllids originating? The current hypothesis is ACPs are coming across the border and possibly from some infected trees in backyards. Station researchers are continuously doing surveys for both infected leaf tissues and psyllids, but they are not very successful at finding ACPs on infected trees. More info can be found at http://www.texascitrusgreening.org/citrus-greening/about-the- disease/
Also, Raul reported that he surveyed for the exotic Rhynchohorus ferrugineus. Instead of that pest, he did find another invasive, the South American palm weevil, R. palmarum. Sending the photo at left, he reported “the study was performed in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, and near the borderline of Tamaulipas state in Mexico. A total of 40 traps were inspected biweekly from 26 September 2011 to 20 September 2012. To attract R. palmarum and R. ferrugineus, the lures 2- methylhept-5-en-4-o and 4-methyl-5-nonanol were used, respectively. We used lures in combination with food (sugar 50 %) and aggregation kairomone (ethyl acetate) for both species, plus a kill solution of 50 % ethylene glycol. Two specimens of R. palmarum were found and identified next to a commercial palm plantation on 11 March and 5 May 2012 near the city of Alamo, TX.”
Dr. Salvador Vitanza (El Paso IPM Specialist, Texas Agrilife Extension) reported that the invasive, exotic stink bug, Bagrada hilaris, the Bagrada bug, was collected in a cotton field in September in El Paso County, Far West Texas. The bug has also been found in home vegetable gardens in the metro area.
New Mexico
A total of 728 samples were received from all parts of the state for identification in 2012, with 437 from Extension agents, their clientele and the general public and 291 from the NM Department of Agriculture from various pest surveys and inspections.
Among the more unusual or interesting identifications completed in 2012 were:
Several samples of larval Nymphalis antiopa, mourning cloak butterfly (Nymphalidae) were submitted from various landscape broadleaf trees in late April and May from north central New Mexico.
A sample of tightly rolled birch leaves were received from San Juan County (NW-NM) in early July. Inside, were colonies of ‘spiny witch-hazel gall aphids,’ Aphididae, Hamamelistes spinosus. Birch is not a commonly used landscape tree in New Mexico, except perhaps for the higher elevations or northern parts of the state.
In mid-July, a home gardener in Colfax County (N-central NM) sustained serious damage on her artichokes from larvae of the artichoke plume moth, Pterophoridae, Platyptilia carduidactyla.
In late July, pomegranate foliage in Bernalillo, Sierra and Otero Counties (Central and southern NM) were badly galled by a pomegranate leaf mite, like Eriophyidae, Aceria granati.
Garden vegetables in the plant family Brassicaceae were attacked by a variety of pests in several counties: collard greens in central NM (Bernalillo Co.) by cabbage aphids, Brevicoryne rapae (Aphididae), a looper, Trichoplusia ni (Noctuidae), and cabbage white butterfly larvae Pieris rapae (Pieridae). Bok-choi, turnip greens, and cabbages and more were attacked by one of our newest exotic invasives, Bagrada hilaris, the Bagrada bug (Pentatomidae, above) in Dona AnaCounty (southern NM). Since its discovery near Las Cruces in
2010, Bagrada has been confirmed in Dona Ana, Otero, Socorro and Valencia Counties. The latest confirmation (September) was in Santa Fe County (north central NM) where it was killing fall plantings of these vegetables plus horseradish.
In September, larvae of Helicoverpa subflexa were recovered from under the caps of tomatillo in a Las Cruces vegetable garden.
An unusual looking bostrichid beetle was identified from elm for a plant pathologist at the Oregon State Plant Diagnostic Clinic in July. This 3mm long dark brown beetle with an inflated pronotum and 2 pairs of short, broad spines on the center of the elytra was a species of Xylobiops. This genus has not been recovered to date from elm or any other host in New Mexico to my knowledge.
An unusual nearly inch-long, spraddle-legged larva with large, hooked mandibles are collected alive on the floor of a house in Las Cruces. Not matching anything in our collection of immatures, it was Dr. Richard Grantham who supplied the likely identification: Carabidae, a species of Galerita, the false bombardier beetle.
A veterinarian removed an adult female American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis (Ixodidae) from a bear’s ear on the Navajo Reservation in northwestern NM at the end of the month. Another veterinarian in Rio Arriba County submitted samples of the dog sucking louse, (Phthiraptera) Linognathus setosus, from 3 pet dogs in the county.
A variety of wood boring insects from fruit, shade and conifer trees have been identified from numerous locations around New Mexico in 2012. Mechanical damage, fire, persistent drought and the ‘big freeze’ of February, 2011 are all likely responsible for creating extensive stands of forest and landscape trees susceptible to these pests. Locust borers, Megacyllene robiniae (Buprestidae), were recovered from dying locust trees in Albuquerque in July. Ips confusus (Curculionidae) was identified from several branch samples submitted from forest and landscape pinyon trees in Grant, Otero, Santa Fe, Bernalillo, and Colfax Counties. Shot-hole borers, Scolytus rugulosus (Curculionidae), were recovered from several samples of stressed and dying apple trees in northern New Mexico. At least 6 genera of Cerambycidae have been identified from willows, cottonwoods, elm and other shade and forest trees suffering significant die-back.
European elm flea weevils, Orchestes alni (Curculionidae, above), were first identified in Raton, near the Colorado border in 2011. Since then, they have been found in all but 3 NM counties on or north of I-40. While these tiny, reddish jumping beetles are strong fliers, their tendencies to overwinter as adults in protected situations probably aids in their dispersal by hitch-hiking in or on various items in commerce. The leaf-mining larvae are found in late spring.
Afraid of invasion by range caterpillar larvae, a rancher in Guadalupe County (NE-NM) was ready to spray his pasture, only his description of pests he was seeing didn’t match. He took a photo of the offenders, to learn they were larvae of Hyles lineata, the white- lined sphinx moth, a generalist weed eater. A correct identification saved him considerable time and expense.
Another odd-ball sphingid, the achemon sphinx (Eumorphoa achemon), was defoliating grapes in Sandoval County; this often purplish, plump larva has the usual caudal ‘horn’ until the 3rd instar, after which the horn is totally replaced with a thick, shiny black caudal ‘button’ with a light-colored ‘bull’s eye.’
One of our largest tiger moths (now the family Erebidae), Dysschema howardi (giant flag moth) was flying in September. A female adult with a nearly 3” wing span was photographed in a barn near the Colorado border, while a male was collected near Organ (southern NM) a couple of days later. Both sexes of moths have black forewings each marked with a bold white H-bar pattern. The female’s hind wings are orange with an even brighter orange wing edge trimmed with sky blue triangular spots. In contrast, the male’s hind wings are white or off-white, edged in black with blue triangles. While females can have wing spans of about 3” and feature a band of bright orange and bright blue on the hind wings, males can be slightly smaller and definitely not brightly colored-- -mostly tan.
Spectacular (larval) saturniids were noted in several locations in late summer in both north central and southwestern NM. These included the elegant sheep moth, Hemileuca eglanterina,(Valencia Co), Hemileuca chinatiensis, Chinati sheep moth, adult male (Sandoval Co.), Automeris io zephyria , and two larger instars of Automeris cecrops pamina (Grant Co.).
Several samples of winged male embiids, probably Oligotoma nigra (Embioptera, Embiidae), were submitted by homeowners and pest control operators suspicious of seeing winged termites inside homes or while servicing swamp coolers.
A single male Ripiphorid, probably Ripiphorus vierecki (Coleoptera), was found resting on a pistachio tree in TorC. This is the second county (Sierra) record for these enemies of native bees in the last few years.
All from Whitney Cranshaw, CO State Univ., Bugwood.org
In October, a lady in Albuquerque complained of millions of minute black ‘bugs’ falling onto her patio, apparently originating in an overhanging tree. The tree turned out to be a non-native hackberry and the insects were likely one of the psyllids that produce galls on the leaves, such as Pachypsylla celtidismammae. Adults emerge from the foliage in fall before the leaves drop; adult psyllids then seek shelter for the upcoming winter, re- emerging again the following spring to mate and oviposit in new foliage. Finally, another hitch-hiking exotic scarab beetle as big as the end of your thumb was discovered by a member of the US Naval Reserve returning from an early fall active-duty exercise based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. At the end of the exercise, he was gathering his belongings and packing, but not seeing a shiny black beetle with a metallic bronze underside that had flown into his suitcase. He later found the beetle---still alive---upon his return to Socorro,
New Mexico. He contacted the University of Hawaii for help with the ID and was advised it was likely the Oriental flower beetle, Protaetius orientalis. Probably originating in southern Japan or warmer, coastal areas of China, these beetles had first invaded Guam and then Hawaii about 20 years ago. These large beetles are highly gregarious and can be serious pests of tropical fruits and flowers, ruining or consuming entire papayas and other tropical fruits as large as cantaloupes. Uncertain of what to do with this beetle, the reservist contacted me to see if I wanted it. Sure, I can put it into our Arthropod Collection. The deal was done, but to commemorate the situation, the reservist, Ricardo Berry, wrote a limerick as follows:
A beetle who crawled into my baggie, Took a trip that was rather zig-zaggy… From Japan to Hawaii Via Guam he did fly, To wind up as an NMSU Aggie! Ricardo Berry, US Naval Reserve, 2012
Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Richard Grantham, Oklahoma State University Dr. Mark Muegge, Texas A&M University Dr. Carol Sutherland, New Mexico State University, Chair 2013 Southwestern Branch
Entomological Society of America
Insect Expo Committee Report
Some difficulty was faced this year in finding a suitable location for the Expo. Consequently, Expo was held on the campus of NMSU in 3 separate buildings: Skeen Hall, Gerald Thomas Hall, and the Livestock Pavilion. While we are extremely grateful to NMSU for their contribution and help with acquiring these facilities, being in small rooms on multiple floors in multiple locations was logistically taxing for both set-up and take-down, as well as for groups of students moving about. Police were brought in to allow for safe crossing of streets and this additional expense was an unplanned burden dropped on NMSU’ EPPWS department at the last minute. It is recommended strongly that in following years, a single site for the Expo be selected.
The date for Expo was selected to avoid state-wide required standardized tests. All elementary school principals in the Las Cruces Public School District were e-mailed a notification of the impeding event on January 17th, 2013, five weeks prior to the event date. Within 7 days, a large number of excited responses were received and a total of 1201 students from 9 different elementary schools were registered. Two “shifts” of participants were established; one scheduled for 9AM arrival (~600 registered) and the second for 11AM arrival (~600 registered). This year, it was decided that Expo would be opened to first through fifth grades. We observed that many of the activities require a certain amount of fine motor skills and the younger kids relied very heavily on volunteers to do the crafts for them, increasing the burden placed on already overwhelmed folks. We recommend next year that the age limitation be returned to 3rd through 5th.
An exciting addition to this year’s Expo was a set of realistic insect costumes loaned to us from Rob Wiedenmann at University of Arkansas. Also on loan were several sets of equipment for additional stations. There has been some discussion of purchasing, renting, or making our own replicas of these suits and equipment and I highly encourage that possibility. It would be great to have a set of Expo equipment to use and pass on to future generations of outreach planners.
A total of 100 volunteers participated in the Expo. Volunteers were recruited from: Asombro Institute for Science Education
Dona Ana County Master Gardeners
Dona Ana County Master Naturalists
New Mexico State University students
Texas A&M University students
Oklahoma State University students
SWB-ESA Membership
Exhibitors included:
Asombro Institute
University of Arkansas
Alvaro Romero, New Mexico State University
West Texas A&M University
Oklahoma State University’s Insect Adventure
A total of 18 activity/exhibit stations were presented:
Insect Adventure Petting Zoo Termite NASCAR
Maggot Art Roach Races
Antennae nametags Camo sticks
Ant Detective Presto-Chango
Insect Olympics Sort like a scientist
Waterworld/Aquatic Insects Sorting out bugs
Pollination Station/Honey tasting Bloodsuckers
Bee boogie
We all eat bugs!
Bug Bingo
Suck-A-Bug Page 27 of 44
A large number of stations were offered in the hopes that the number of students at any given station would be less than 25 and that there would be a reduced wait time between activities. Unfortunately, there were still many long lines and clogged classrooms while other stations languished empty. Teachers simply didn’t locate some of the more remote locations. Again, a single venue for Expo in future would hopefully reduce this unbalance. Stations were designed to be activity/experience-based and intended to take less than 15 minutes, allowing classes to get through all stations in approximately 2 hours.
Donations of food for volunteers were obtained through the efforts of Melise Taylor, Andrine Shufran, and Graeme Davis. Additional food was generously contributed by NMSU Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Weed Science.
Donations were received from:
Dino’s Pizza
McAllister’s Deli
Supplies for stations/exhibits were contributed by:
Dr. Bonnie Pendleton, West Texas A&M University
Insect Adventure and Dept of Entomology and Plant Path, Oklahoma State University
Dr.David Ragsdale, Texas A&M University
Dr. Jerry Simms, New Mexico State University
Dr. Carol Sutherland, NM Dept of Agriculture
A number of notable issues and possible solutions presented themselves during preparation and execution of Insect Expo this year. If ESA members have any additions or suggestions to make on these topics, please don’t hesitate to do so by contacting Andrine.
1) Volunteer Recruitment. Having adequate numbers of volunteers will always remain a concern. It is important to the success of the Expo that absolutely everyone of all ranks and ages get involved if at all possible. Not only are the numbers necessary to man stations, but this experience can be an important
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networking opportunity and a valuable resume-builder. This event simply cannot be successful without the commitment and involvement of the entire membership.
2) Cost. The annual financial liability of the Insect Expo needs to be considered. Each year location rental fees, insurance, supplies, and refreshments may or may not be required. Many combinations of methods for securing all these have been tried to greater or lesser success in the past. I would like to suggest that more formal operating procedures and policies be instituted to either cover or defray these costs in the future.
3) Location, Local Arrangements, and Insect Expo. During the planning phases of the Branch Meeting, it is strongly recommended that Expo Committee members be involved to facilitate ease-of-operation and subsequent planning for the event.
4) Proposed Expo Limitations. I would like to propose for consideration putting some limitations on future Expo ventures. Future Expos might benefit from being only from 9-12 and allowing only 800 students. We would not tax our volunteers so heavily if we limited the number of participants and the length of time we have Expo. Also, a shortened Expo would allow for executives of the ESA to come and participate as well since meetings could be held until after lunch.
Thank you.
This report is respectfully submitted by Andrine A. Shufran, 28 February 2013.
Committee Members:
Andrine Shufran – Chair
Bonnie Pendleton
Phil Mulder
Carol Sutherland
Scott Russell
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2013 Southeastern/Southwestern Branch Joint Annual Meeting Entomological Society of America Insect Photo Salon Sub-Committee Report Las Cruces, NM
Total number of submissions: 31
Winners:
Traditional Macrophotography- Ronald F. Billings, Manager, Forest Health, Texas A&M Forest Service Title: Red katydid nymph, Paracyrtophyllus robustus (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)
Microphotagraphy- Lauren Ward, M.S. Student, Texas A&M University Title: The underappreciated male (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)
Insects in Action- Tessa Grasswitz, New Mexico State University Title: Spined soldier bug nymph attacking squash bug nymph, Podisus maculiventris; Anasa
tristis
Artistic- Tessa Grasswitz, New Mexico State University Title: Gorgeous grasshopper
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Best Overall- H. A. (Joe) Pase III Title: Hickory Horned Devil Larva, Citheronia regalis
Lauren A. Ward Chair Insect Photo Salon Sub-Committee
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Report of the Linnaean Games Committee
February 28, 2013
Southwestern Branch – ESA Meeting: Las Cruces, New Mexico
The 29th Linnaean Games Competition for the Southwestern Branch of the ESA was held at the sixty-first annual meeting in Las Cruces, NM. Six teams representing New Mexico State University, Oklahoma State University, Tarleton State University, and Texas A&M University (2 teams) participated in the games. In eight well-played matches (two game minimum), Oklahoma State won first place, whereas second place went to Texas A&M team 1. Members of all teams received a Certificate of Outstanding Participation, and the teams from Oklahoma State and Texas A&M are eligible to represent the Southwestern Branch at the National competitions during the next Annual Meeting of the ESA in Austin, Texas. Each team received a trophy and will receive financial support ($500) for their travels to the meetings. Oklahoma State University also will receive a traveling trophy and $50.00 per team member. The Linnaean Games committee would like to thank the Southwestern Branch of the ESA and its sponsors for their support of trophies and other awards provided to the winning teams. We also would like to thank all those who submitted questions for the competition, in particular members of the SWB-Linnaean Games Committee.
Respectfully submitted:
Scott Bundy, Chair
Phillip G. Mulder, Jr., Gamesmaster
Blake Bextine
Jesus Esquivel
David Kattes
Mark Muegge
Bonnie Pendleton
Eric Rebek
Andrine Shufran
Jim Woolley
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Standing Committee on Membership
Southwestern Branch of the ESA Annual Report
Las Cruces, NM February, 2013
ESA Staff (Pamela Reid) provided the figures on Membership as of March 31, 2013:
Please note that renewals are coming in during this time of year
ESA membership: 5378 total ESA (6581 12/12) ESA-SWB 424 in the SWB (494 12/12)
Respectfully submitted,
Justin Talley (updated by B. Davis) Chair, Membership Committee of the Southwestern Branch of the ESA
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Nominating Committee Report, 2012-2013.
The Nominating Committee worked to fill three branch positions: Governing Board representative to fill the vacancy resulting from the ending of the three year term of Bart Drees, BCE Representative resulting from the current representative moving to the SE Branch, and the annual election of the SW Branch Secretary-Treasurer elect who will move through the offices to President. The Committee put forward two candidates for the following offices: Governing Board: David Ragsdale and Megha Parjulee; SW Branch Representative to BCE: Ted Granowsky and Molly Keck; and SW Branch Secretary-Treasurer: Scott Ludwing and Carlos Bogran. Each candidate submitted a short biography. The Chair worked with ESA to include each candidate and their biography in the National ESA Election which is done on-line each year. This was the first year that SW Branch elections were held as part of the annual on-line ESA national election. In 2011-2012, the election of Sec-Treasurer of the SW Branch was the first on-line election for the SW Branch but due to timing, it was done as a stand-alone election and not as part of the national ESA election process. The nominees receiving the most votes by SW Branch members were: David Ragsdale, ESA Governing Board Representative, Molly Keck, BEC representative, and Carlos Bogran, Secretary- Treasurer elect. Report submitted by
Scott Bundy Tom Royer Carlos Blanco Allen Knutson, Chair
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Attendance and Program Committee Report: 2012-2013
Sonja Swiger, TX, Co-Chair Scott Ludwig, TX, Co-Chair
Our thanks to the Executive Committees of the branch for considerable input and assistance throughout the process, and especially to the Secretary/Treasurers Bob Davis for timely communication and dissemination of information to the members. We also greatly appreciate the service of the 11 session moderators and organizers.
There were three invited symposia: 1. Graduating? What to Expect from Future Employers 2. Blood Feeders: From Physiology to Vector Biology of Arthropods of Public Health Importance 3. Biological Control of Saltcedar: Progress and Challenges in the Southwestern US
Numbers of submitted presentations at the 2013 SWB meeting Category BS Papers 3 BS Posters 10 MS Papers 11 MS Posters 9 PhD Papers 3 PhD Posters 5 Regular papers 24 Regular posters 25 Invited symposium 23 Total papers 64 Total posters 49 Total presentations 113
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Resolutions Committee Report, 2012-2013.
The Resolution Committee provides a mechanism for SW Branch members to bring important and emerging issues or concerns to the attention of the Executive Committee and membership for discussion and action. The By-laws and Standard Operating Procedures state the Resolutions Committee will send an announcement to the membership prior to the annual meeting advising members they may submit written resolution to any member of the Committee. The resolutions must be submitted prior to the start of the meeting so they can be reviewed by the Resolution Committee and the Executive Committee. The following announcement was sent to all members by e-mail from President Bundy on January 9, 2013. “Members of the SW Branch who wish to submit suggestions for resolutions may do so by contacting a member of the Resolutions Committee: Allen Knutson ([email protected]), Stan Carroll ([email protected]), Robert Miller ([email protected]), or Bill Ree (w- [email protected])”. No resolutions were received by the Committee prior to the 2013 meeting. Report submitted by:
Stand Carrol Bill Ree Robert Miller Allen Knutson, Chair
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Site Selection Committee Report
2012-13 Southwestern Branch of the ESA
Jesus Esquivel, SWB President (2013-14), announced the 2014 meeting of the Southwestern Branch of the ESA would be held in San Antonio, TX
Chair announced the following locations as potential meeting sites for the 2015 meeting of the Southwestern Branch of the ESA: 1. Oklahoma City, OK 2. Tulsa, OK
Morgan Klinkradt (senior Meetings Manager of Conference Direct) contacted 14 properties in the Oklahoma City area and 11 in the Tulsa area.
Eight of the 14 properties in the OKC area declined to submit a proposal for the 2015 conference. Five of the 11 properties in the Tulsa, area
For both areas, hotels declining to submit usually did not meet our minimum requirements.
Rosina Romano, ESA Director of Meetings, Morgan Klinkrtadt, Jesus Esquivel and I narrowed the potential sites to three (Embassy Suites in OKC, and Marriott Southern Hills and Hard Rock Casino and Hotel in Tulsa, OK.
The OKC Embassy Suites was dropped from consideration due to excessive meeting room rental costs.
Sites visits to the Tulsa were done by Bob Davis and Andrine Shufrahn in September of 2013.
It was decided to approach the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino to host 2015 meeting (9/13). Preparing contract for review and finalization (11/3/13).
A contract for the 2015 meeting was executed with the Hard Rock Hotel in Tulsa, OK.
Respectfully submitted,
Bob Davis,
Jesus Esquivel Tom Royer Allen Knutson Scott Bundy
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SWB-ESA 2013 Student Research Paper and Poster Awards Committee
For 61st Annual Meeting of the ESA-SWB
Las Cruces, NM 2/25-28/2103
A total of 42 presentations was in the competition before 3 withdrew. Presented were: 17 oral presentations – 3 Bachelor’s, 10 Master’s, and 4 Ph.D. students 22 poster presentations – 9 Bachelor’s, 8 Master’s, and 5 Ph.D.
Each student was required to write an abstract that was printed in the Proceedings. Information on the judging forms completed by the judges will be typed and given to the students.
First-, second, & third-place winners were awarded $200, $100, and $50, respectively.
Award-winning students for 2013 were: Bachelor’s Oral Presentation First Place – Jessica Woodruff, University of Texas, Tyler
Master’s Oral Presentation First Place – Tyler B. Ward, Oklahoma State University Master’s Oral Presentation Second Place – Kyle Risser, Oklahoma State University Master’s Oral Presentation Third Place – Beth Ferguson, Oklahoma State University
Ph.D. Oral Presentation First Place – Rebecca Pace, Oklahoma State University Ph.D. Oral Presentation Second Place – Grey Gustafson, University of New Mexico
Bachelor’s Poster Presentation First Place – Aida Velez, Pan American University Bachelor’s Poster Presentation Second Place – Ashley Chatterton, New Mexico State Bachelor’s Poster Presentation Third Place – Stephen Baca, University of New Mexico
Master’s Poster Presentation First Place – Nisha Shakya, Oklahoma State University Master’s Poster Presentation Second Place – Melise Taylor, New Mexico State Univ. Master’s Poster Presentation Third Place – Charles Konemann, Oklahoma State Univ.
Ph.D. Poster Presentation First Place – Sandipa Gautam, Oklahoma State University Ph.D. Poster Presentation Second Place – Jinjin Jiang, New Mexico State University
Committee members for 2012-2013 were: Scott Armstrong, Blake Bextine, Scott Bundy, Stanley Carroll, Jack Dillwith, David Kerns, Jerry Michels, Jane Pierce, Eric Rebek, Justin Talley and Bonnie Pendleton, Chair
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ESA-SWB Public Information Committee Report
February 28, 2013, Las Cruces, NM
Information about the 2013 Las Cruces meeting, including the dates, call for papers and posters, hotel information, list of officers, committees and committee members, was uploaded to the Branch website in November.
Richard Levine, Communications Program Manager of the Entomological Society of America (headquarters) prepared a general press release for local media in mid- February. He highlighted the scientific parts of the meeting with reference to the Insect Expo on February 25. Jay Rodman, NMSU University Communications Specialist, wrote and released an additional local media alert featuring the Insect Expo shortly afterward.
As reported in detail by the Insect Expo Committee Chair, on February 25, 1200+ students, teachers and class chaperones from 9 public and 2 home schools kept 100 booth volunteers busy for nearly 5 hours. Joining SWBESA members at the various booths were NMSU staff, faculty and students from the Entomology, Plant Pathology and Weed Science, Plant and Environmental Sciences and Extension Plant Sciences Departments plus local Master Gardeners, Ambassadors from the NMSU College of ACES and the Asombro Institute for Science Education. Reporters from the Las Cruces Sun-News and the Las Cruces Bulletin (both print media) interviewed and photographed students visiting various booths, especially the Insect Zoo. The Expo story and three color photos made the front page of the Sun-News on February 26. A second Expo story and 10 color photos were published in the (weekly) March 1 edition of the Bulletin. Another reporter with KVIA-Channel 7 (ABC) TV interviewed Expo attendees and captured video aired on both evening newscasts on February 25 and the morning newscast on February 26. The Sun-News story, photos and a few colorful Expo signs were posted on a bulletin board in the Ramada Palms on February 26-27.
Dr. Mark Muegge took numerous digital photos of various activities and awards ceremonies throughout the meeting.
Hard copies of the Sun-News and Bulletin stories and photos have been saved for forwarding to the Branch Archivist.
Respectfully submitted,
Dr. Andrine Shufran, Oklahoma State University
Dr. Mark Muegge, Texas A&M University
Dr. Carol Sutherland, New Mexico State University
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Minutes of Final Business Meeting Southwestern Branch Ramada Palms Hotel Las Cruces, NM 8:00-10:00 am, 28 February 2013
Members of the Southwestern Branch met on 28 February 2013 at the conclusion of the 61st Meeting of the Southwestern Branch in Las Cruces, NM. All Executive Committee Members were present, including approximately 30 Branch Members: **Scott Bundy, President *Jesus Esquivel, President-Elect *Bob Davis, Secretary-Treasurer *Jerry Michels, Secretary-Treasurer elect *David Ragsdale, Branch representative to ESA Governing Board *Allen Knutson, Past-President
President Scott Bundy called the meeting to order and the following items were discussed:
2. Treasurer’s Report: Secretary-Treasurer Davis reported that the Branch was financially sound with Checking and Savings account balances of $17080.50 and 13,086.03, respectively, on. This totals totaling $30,166.53 in available monies (2 February 2013). Davis provided the following information a. Texas A&M has offered to provide $1000.00 for support of ESA-SWB mixer at ESA- Austin, TX. b. ESA National and CONFEX has been very helpful with the meeting. We will continue to use CONFEX to register members for the branch meeting as the preferred choice, but will still accept paper registrations. B. Davis mentioned that branches wanted to know what CONFEX payments will be in future to forecast dollar needs. c. Branch officers meeting with Neil Willoughby in Knoxville, TN at the national meeting was very useful for pre-planning our branch meeting. ESA HQ requires that the Branch Treasurer’s send in electronic copies of savings and checking accounts statements. This information is needed for tax purposes. Statements should be sent to Neil Willoughby. Statements are online through our Wells Fargo account and can easily be accessed, downloaded and emailed.. d. It was moved by Tom Royer and Seconded by Phil Mulder that the treasurer’s report be approved. It was approved on a voice vote. 3. Secretary’s Report: Secretary-Treasurer Davis went over Secretary’s Report detailing activities of the Executive Committee. Items below were approved during the Executive Committee meeting held Monday, February 25, 2013:
a. 2013 ESA-ED Briefing for SWB Executive Committee: David Gamel provided a report on ESA-HQ and branch interactions to the Exec Committee. Topics included
ESA Strategy o Strategic Principles: . Social: ESA has a social responsibility to develop ALL of its members. . Global: The science of entomology is global, therefore ESA is global. . Influence: To realize our profession’s full potential, ESA must increase its influence. o ESA Major 2013 Goals
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. Launch Science Policy operation; . Grow Certification and engage more with Industry; . Grow International Branch membership; . Lay groundwork for ICE 2016. o Strategy Day at July Governing Board Mtg, focused on diversity and grand challenges ESA Financial Position o ~$5.1 million invested reserves at end of 2012. Had ~$100k net asset increase. o Investment gains have more than offset planned investment from reserves for 2012 New HQ Office New space in a better building and location; Annapolis, MD, close to BWI airport; Easy access to DC; Hotel across street; Office space designed to support collaboration and small meetings; Suitable for hosting VIPs and other guests; Will reflect entomology and entomologists Science Policy Science Policy Committee launched this year, chaired by Bob Peterson. Partnership with AIBS (communications, web tools/site, workshop and webinar). Committee to recommend agenda to GB in November. Awards Review Committee Formed to review ESA’s awards programs (and Foundation). Chaired by Gail Kampmeier. Goal is to align awards with ESA strategic direction and make sure sources of bias in awards process are eliminated and/or prevented. Support for Branch Leadership Meetings: What we’ve been offering: o Confex for abstract submissions; o Online registration; o On-site staff registration support; o Site selection and contract negotiations. Branch Leaders Resource Web Page; Synomone newsletter; Online Elections; Committee and Awards Judging Panel vacancy worksheet.
4. Committee Reports & Actions
a. Branch Support of Mixer at ESA Meeting: Executive Committee received request from Phil Mulder and David Ragsdale for financial support of a mixer at the Annual Meeting(s) of the ESA. A motion was made that the Executive Committee approve payment for 50% (not to exceed $1,000) of charges in support of a Branch mixer for Austin, TX annual meeting. This support will need to be reviewed annually and University Department Heads propose a protocol for handling charges and payment ahead of Annual meetings. All members approved and the motion passed unanimously.
b. Program Committee Report: : Scott Ludwig announced that we had 46 non student papers and 25 posters. He also suggested that we stagger program committee members so that there is continuity from year to year and that the committee does not have to start over each year from scratch. Justin Talley, presenting for 2012 Program Co-Chair Sonja Swiger, indicated Confex system worked well during this first year, but suggested the need for improved method for solicitation of symposia for future Branch meetings. A
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motion was made and seconded that the Executive Committee approve use of Confex for the 2014 Branch meeting. The motion passed unanimously. c. Photo Salon for Southwestern Branch: Lauren Ward, Co-Chair of Insect Photo Salon Subcommittee for the Joint Branch meeting, reported substantial interest from Southwestern Branch members and suggested establishment of an Insect Photo Salon competition for the Branch. Incorporation of monetary award(s) for winning photographs was suggested to encourage further participation by Branch members – winners currently only receive a certificate. A motion was made and seconded that the Southwestern Branch Student Affairs Committee organize an Insect Photo Salon, with Lauren Ward as Chair for the 2013 Branch meeting. The motion passed unanimously. d. Local Arrangements Committee: Brad Lewis commented that arrangements for the meeting went very well this year. He noted, along with others that Cindy Meyers from ESA National was invaluable helping with registration. This involvement has made the registration process much easier and efficient. e. Branch Endorsement of ESA Candidates for President: Following discussion and with input from ESA President Grayson Brown, a motion was made and seconded that the EC would not endorse candidates outside the Southwestern Branch during 2012 elections. The motion passed unanimously. A second motion was made and seconded that the Executive Committee nominate Phil Mulder for Vice-President- Elect for ESA, pending acceptance of nomination by Dr. Mulder. The motion passed unanimously. f. Election for Secretary-Treasurer-Elect: Tom Royer reported Dr. Carlos Bogran was elected as 2013-14 Secretary-Treasurer-Elect for Southwestern Branch. New nominations need to be submitted to Allen Knutson (Chair, 2013 Nominating Committee) by mid-May to conduct Branch election concurrently with elections for national offices. President Esquivel to circulate call for nominations to Membership. g. Governing Board Representative Report: David Ragsdale, Branch representative to ESA Governing Board, reported the following: i. David has begun his 3 year term as rep to the ESA GB. ii. The Board approved $60,000 to support travel to International Congress of Entomology and Linnaean Team travel to Annual Meetings. For the latter, briefs are to be submitted to John Heraty, Chair of Students and Young Professionals Committee, for review of cases on a hardship basis; complete protocol not in place yet. iii. Chair of Certification Board Committee, indicated a replacement was needed for the SW Branch Representative for the Board Certified Entomologist program as Brian Mount had moved to the SE branch. .Bart Drees Chaired an ad hoc Committee consisting of Mike Merchant and Bob Davis to select two nominees for this position. This committee selected Molly Keck and Ted Granovsky, and these names were forwarded to Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee submitted these two nominees to ESA Central for election. Molly Keck is now the ESA-SWB Representative to the Certification Program. iv. David Ragsdale related the ESA National project to develop ways to state the society’s stance on science policy. The title of the project is the “Impact of
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Science on Society.” This group will meet four times per year and input is highly desired. v. Dr. Ragsdale also asked that our members work toward growth the Southwestern Branch by 10% in the next year to reach 550 members. h. Student Affairs Committee: Melise Schmidt-Taylor reported on; i. Better communication with the Executive Committee ii. Better coordination of volunteers, especially a needs list and slots to be filled iii. Asked that the registration form have a checkbox for volunteers iv. Did not believe it was necessary to waive registration fees v. There is a need for the career and opportunity room to come back 1. Consider an oral description of the available jobs be given at the box lunch vi. Less help is needed at registration since the ESA National now provides support. vii. There was a general discussion on commitment by students to the obligations for which they sign up i. Audit Committee: Don Henne reported that the financial records are in good shape. If desired, we may consider moving more of our available funds to our savings account. There was some discussion about how the Southwestern Branch could invest funds, and Dr. Ragsdale was charged with bringing this discussion to the attention of the Governing Board. j. Awards and Nominations: Jesus Esquivel. See Submitted report for 2012-13 k. BCE Committee: no report l. Archivist Report: Greg Cronholm noted that very little is now sent in for archiving most likely resulting from the significant drop in people mailing letters and the almost universal use of emails. There was some discussion and a call for people to consider keeping email records of the communications associated with the meeting and submitting these printed emails to the archive. m. In Memorium Committee: n. Insect Detection Committee: See submitted report for 2012-13 o. Insect Expo: See Submitted report for 2012-13 p. Linnaean Games: See Submitted report for 2012-13 q. Membership Committee: Justin Talley reported that the Southwestern Branch has 541 members r. Nominations Committee: Allen Knutson reported that the individuals elected for Secretary-Treasurer Elect, Governing Board Representative and BCE representative were Carlos Bogran, David Ragsdale and Molly Keck, respectively s. Public Information Committee: see accompanying report t. Resolutions Committee: it was noted that this committee needs some work to let members know how it operates and for what reason. The committee accepts resolutions from members to be brought before the Executive Committee and the membership at the Business Meeting. Needs more visibility. The common resolutions, for example, those thanking the hotel for its services, or the ESA National staff for their help with registrations, should be written up and posted. u. Site Selection Committee: February 23rd to 27th, 2014 in San Antonio. Possibly Oklahoma City or Tulsa in 2015, and possibly Houston, Harlingen or Weslaco in 2016. v. Student Research Paper and Awards: See attached report w. Youth Science: No report provided
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5. Other Business
a. President Bundy announced the formation of a special committee to formalize fund raising for the branch, especially the meeting itself and Insect Expo. This committee will be led by Bob Davis and Scott Ludwig. An SOP will be set up for next year. We are open to ideas from members regarding this committee and to ideas and members who want to volunteer. 6. Jesus Esquivel assumes Presidency, recognizing and thanking Scott Bundy for his service as 2012-13 Branch President. President Esquivel announced the 2014 Branch meeting would probably be held in San Antonio, TX, likely during late February 7. Meeting was concluded
Minutes compiled by Dr. Jerry Michels & Bob Davis
Respectfully submitted,
Bob Davis Secretary-Treasurer, 2012-13