**Center for Medical, Agricultural, & Veterinary Entomology**

**John Sivinski,**

Research Leader, Research Entomologist

352 374-5791

<jsivinski@gainesville.usda.ufl.edu>

[http://ars.usda.gov/saa/cmave/ibbru/jsivinski](http://ars.usda.gov/cmave/jsivinski)

**Claudia Copeland**

Postdoctoral Res. Molecular Entomologist

352 374-5835

<ccopelan@gainesville.usda.ufl.edu>

[http://ars.usda.gov/saa/cmave/ibbru/ccopeland](http://ars.usda.gov/cmave/ccopeland)

**Stephen Ferkovich**

Res. Entomologist

352 374-5767

<sferkovich@gainesville.usda.ufl.edu>

[http://ars.usda.gov/saa/cmave/ibbru/sferkovich](http://ars.usda.gov/cmave/sferkovich)

**Al Handler**

Research Geneticist

352 374-5793

<ahandler@gainesville.usda.ufl.edu>

[http://ars.usda.gov/saa/cmave/ibbru/ahandler](http://ars.usda.gov/cmave/ahandler)

**Robert Meagher**

Research Entomologist

352 374-5756

<rmeagher@gainesville.usda.ufl.edu>

[http://ars.usda.gov/saa/cmave/ibbru/rmeagher](http://ars.usda.gov/cmave/rmeagher)

**Richard Mankin**

Research Entomologist

352 374-5774

<rmankin@gainesville.usda.ufl.edu>

[http://ars.usda.gov/saa/cmave/ibbru/rmankin](http://ars.usda.gov/cmave/rmankin)

**Rod Nagoshi**

Research Geneticist

352 374-5779

<rnagoshi@gainesville.usda.ufl.edu>

[http://ars.usda.gov/saa/cmave/ibbru/rnagoshi](http://ars.usda.gov/cmave/rnagoshi)

**Jeff Shapiro**

Research Entomologist

352 374-5988

<jshapiro@gainesville.usda.ufl.edu>

[http://ars.usda.gov/saa/cmave/ibbru/jshapiro](http://ars.usda.gov/cmave/jshapiro)

**Paul Shirk**

Research Physiologist

352 374-5720

<pshirk@gainesville.usda.ufl.edu>

[http://ars.usda.gov/saa/cmave/ibbru/pshirk](http://ars.usda.gov/cmave/pshirk)

**aphis collaborator**

**Tim Holler**

Entomologist

352 374-5746

<timothy.c.holler@aphis.usda.gov>

[cphst.aphis.usda.gov/bios/bios_home.cfm?employeeID=59](http://cphst.aphis.usda.gov/bios/bios_home.cfm?employeeID=59)

**Center for Biological Control**

**Stuart Reitz**

Program Co-Director

850 656 9870 x24

<sreitz@saa.ars.usda.gov>

[http://ars.usda.gov/saa/cmave/ibbru/sreitz](http://ars.usda.gov/cmave/sreitz)

**Stephen Hight**

Research Entomologist

850 656-9870 x18

<shight@saa.ars.usda.gov>

[http://ars.usda.gov/saa/cmave/ibbru/shight](http://ars.usda.gov/cmave/shight)

**Jesusa Legaspi**

Research Entomologist

850 656-9870 x10

[jlegaspi@saa.ars.usda.gov](mailto:jlegaspi@saa.ars.usda.gov%0Dhttp://ars.usda.gov/cmave/jlegaspi%0D%0D%0E %0D)

[http://ars.usda.gov/saa/cmave/ibbru/jlegaspi](mailto:jlegaspi@saa.ars.usda.gov%0Dhttp://ars.usda.gov/cmave/jlegaspi%0D%0D%0E %0D)

**future SCIENCE:**

![](media/image1.jpeg){width="2.63125in" height="2.0479166666666666in"}

**FUTURE** **SCIENTISTS:**

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.629861111111111in"
height="1.7777777777777777in"}

We are committed to providing enhanced training for graduate and
undergraduate students, including more experiential learning and field
research toward implementation of IPM (Integrated Pest Management)
programs for insect pests.

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="2.6333333333333333in"
height="2.933333333333333in"}

**USDA, ARS**

## **at**

##  **Center FOR Medical, Agricultural, & Veterinary Entomology**

> **1700 SW 23^rd^ Drive**
>
> **Gainesville, Florida 32608-1069**

## <http://ars.usda.gov/saa/cmave/ibbru>

## **and at** 

## **Center FOR biological control**

**Florida A&M University**

**6383 Mahan Drive**

**Tallahassee, Florida 32308**

[**www.famu.edu**](http://www.famu.edu/)

***Novel and environmentally friendly solutions to old and new
agricultural problems**\
*

![](media/image4.wmf){width="0.8270833333333333in"
height="0.33611111111111114in"}![](media/image6.jpeg){width="1.3888888888888888in"
height="1.1534722222222222in"}Fruit flies such as Florida's Caribbean
fruit flies attack hundreds of fruits and vegetables and hinder the
export of agricultural commodities wherever they occur. Should the
Medfly become established in Florida, it would cost the state hundreds
of millions of dollars a year in expenses and lost revenues. We are
exploring new technologies to integrate parasitic wasps into fruit fly
control.

The genetic element "piggyBac," used to transform insects by moving
genes from one animal to another, may improve Sterile Insect Technique
and develop new biocontrol methods for fruit fly and moth pests. We now
are working on "transposase-safe" DNA, which allows the use of
genetically modified insects without any danger of inadvertently
spreading foreign genes.

![](media/image4.wmf){width="0.8270833333333333in"
height="0.3298611111111111in"}Here, the green fluorescent protein (GFP)
from a jellyfish makes transgenic Caribbean and Mediterranean fruit
flies glow under ultra-violet light. Flies marked with GFP and released
will be easily distinguished from the targeted wild flies in the field.

![](media/image7.jpeg){width="1.1395833333333334in"
height="1.41875in"}Weedy plants threaten pastures, forests, and
water-ways. Biological control using plant-feeding insects has a long
history of success rescuing agricultural and public lands. We have
programs to attack pest plants such as tropical soda apple and hydrilla
with insects imported from around the world.

![](media/image4.wmf){width="0.9256944444444445in"
height="0.33958333333333335in"}

![](media/image8.jpeg){width="2.5in"
height="1.8779527559055118in"}![](media/image9.jpeg){width="1.4153543307086613in"
height="2.001574803149606in"}Acoustic and microwave radar systems are
being developed to detect insects hidden underground, in
stored-products, or on plant and trees.

![](media/image10.jpeg){width="2.5708333333333333in"
height="1.448611111111111in"}

![](media/image4.wmf){width="0.9256944444444445in"
height="0.33958333333333335in"}Artificial diet for mass rearing predator
are being improved through discovery of key nutritional factors from
prey and biochemical and immunological tests are being developed to
evaluate the fitness of predators and improve their performance in the
insectary and field.

![](media/image11.jpeg){width="2.503543307086614in"
height="1.55748031496063in"}![](media/image12.jpeg){width="0.7799212598425197in"
height="0.47086614173228347in"}

The fall armyworm (FAW) is a pest of corn, sorghum, forage grasses,
turf, peanuts, cotton, sugarcane, peppers and other important crops. In
outbreak years it causes hundreds of millions of dollars in damage. FAW
is present all year in southern Florida and southern Texas, and each
spring they begin to migrate as far north as southern Canada. We are
developing means of stopping the moth in its tracks before it begins its
northward movement.

![](media/image13.jpeg){width="1.773611111111111in"
height="1.476388888888889in"}An alternative to pesticide use is the use
of biocontrol agents, natural organisms that interfere with crop pests
as part of their life cycle, such as parasitoid wasps that lay their
eggs in the larvae of pest insects. The eggs hatch to produce parasitoid
larvae which grow inside and eventually kill the pest insect larvae.
This method of biocontrol has been shown to be effective, but is
problematic because of the labor costs of rearing the parasitoids. One
way to cut production costs in half would be to produce all-female
strains (since only females lay eggs, only females are needed). Certain
types of endosymbionts, such as *Wolbachia*, can result in all-female
reproduction, known as parthenogenesis. We are looking into *Wolbachia*
and other mechanisms of parthenogenesis as the means to eventually lower
production costs of parasitoid biocontrol agents.

![](media/image4.wmf){width="0.9256944444444445in"
height="0.33958333333333335in"}

![](media/image14.jpeg){width="1.5027777777777778in"
height="1.6277777777777778in"}

![](media/image4.wmf){width="0.9256944444444445in"
height="0.3541666666666667in"}We collaborate closely with APHIS, the
"action arm" of USDA. APHIS personnel at CMAVE take our research and use
it to develop practical methods of insect monitoring and control. For
example, studies of parasitoid ecology and behavior are translated into
improved natural enemy mass-rearing and introduction.