IsaacsLab

MSU Horticulture Gardens in winter

Prepare yourself!

Dr. Mike Reinke demonstrating his drone IPM program at SWMREC

Dr. Mike Reinke presenting during the Viticulture Day drone show at SWMREC #extension #grape

Figure from Eeraerts et al. 2025 showing how wild bees support blueberry yields.

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
🧪Thanks to Dr. Maxime Eeraerts for leading this study, and ALL the coauthors for their contributions🐝🫐🐝🫐🐝🫐

𝑾𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒃𝒆𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒃𝒐𝒓?
We are so happy to announce Bee Palooza 2025! Join us on Aug. 24th from 1-4pm. We will also be posting weekly with sneak peaks of our event and information in case you cant make it!

After the rain.

Containers with 30 female parasitic wasps

🧪Early morning departure, to take these tiny pest-killing wasps out to farms for release #biocontrol

Shopping cart with plastic totes

Some days, research is about getting the right plastic box for your study. This is one of those days.

Two strawberries from an insect control trials, showing untreated (left) and treated (right)

Berry trial assessment day - untreated vs treated🍓

A photo from the mite brush manual.

From the manual: "This machine...is the answer to every Entomologist's dream"

Adventively established Leptopilina japonica: a new opportunity for augmentative biocontrol of Drosophila suzukii - Journal of Pest Science The invasive spotted-wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, has emerged as a significant global pest over the past decade, threatening fruit production worldwide. The parasitoid Leptopilina japonica, pr...

link.springer.com/article/10.1...
New review of Leptopilina japonica's potential for SWD biocontrol, led by Dr. Rossi-Stacconi🇮🇹

Extreme heat affects blueberry pollen nutrition, bee health and plant reproduction, study finds A recent study led by MSU Entomology graduate Jenna Walters found that extreme heat negatively impacts blueberry pollen nutrition, bee health and plant reproduction, highlighting the critical link bet...

🐝🥵🫐
www.canr.msu.edu/news/extreme...

Two blueberry growers listening to Dr. Zachary Huang from MSU Entomology.

A beautiful day for learning all about 💮+🐝=🫐 with the MSU Blueberry Team.

The home of The Very Handy Bee Manual is on the chopping block.
It must 🐝 saved!

A graphic for the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), showing a historical portrait of Marie Skłodowska-Curie overlaid with an image of four young researchers walking down a hallway. The European Commission logo is in the top left. Text reads: "Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – €404.3 million to support postdoctoral researchers”

Choose Science. Choose Europe.

A new Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025 call is now open.

With a budget of €404.3 million, it will support around 1,650 researchers from Europe and beyond.

Apply by 10 September → europa.eu/!fBTMgF

Trump’s Cuts to Science Funding Could Hurt U.S. Economy, Study Shows Reducing federal support for research and development could cause long-run economic damage and reduce government revenue.

Could?

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/30/b...

New cherry trees in foreground, old in the back

The excellent farm crew planted 5 acres of tart cherry and apple trees today 🍒🍏

These will support future entomology studies to address insect pests issue 🐛🪲

Thanks to Michigan Tree Fruit Commission for making this possible!💰

Welcome back!

Wasn't us!😉

Plum trees in bloom at the Trevor Nichols Research center of Michigan State University

It's 70 degrees in April, so we are Go Green, Go White! for orchard pollination at the Trevor Nichols Research Center @msu-entomology.bsky.social

www.vineyardundergroundpodcast.com/vu069/
Check out this podcast about insect pests and beneficials, with Fritz Westover from Vineyard Underground.

Results of an experiment where mason bees were fed pollen from plants exposed to extreme heat, or not. Survival of bee larvae was much lower when fed heated pollen.

Extreme heat conditions in spring disrupt 🫐 pollen physiology and 🐝 development, as shown in this new study from @msu-entomology.bsky.social alumna Dr. Jenna Walters, collaborating with colleagues in the MSU Plant Resilience Institute www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Pruning crew working on young blueberries

A perfect bluesky day for pruning blueberries 🫐

Apple tree in snow

70 degrees yesterday 🍏

As a collaborator with UMaine, this funding lockdown affects Michigan too #MI07

Vignoles vineyard in SW Michigan

Field Season 2025 is on!

A willow bud emerging, and a crocus in bloom in Lansing on March 8 2025

Spring is springing in The 517

A view of greater San Diego from the air.

Blue sky over San Diego, heading home from the International IPM Symposium.

The Far-Reaching Harms of Cuts to Entomological Research, Part 1 Pretending that federal cuts to entomological research will save money is like deciding to save on farming costs by not buying seeds—you're cutting the very foundation of future growth and…

As dismissals and program closures mount at agencies like the USDA-ARS, ripple effects will include more pests in fields, fewer pollinators, rising food costs, and more invasive species. Learn more in part one of a new series on impacts of cuts to federal funding for insect science. buff.ly/tzR2Ta7

Are you a scientist or student heading to a @standupforscience.bsky.social ‬rally this Friday?

We want to hear from you. Tell us about yourself and why you’re going, how far you’re traveling, why you’re fired up, and whether there will be car snacks. Call or text us at (646) 767-6532.

Stand up for Science event poster. For March 7 in Lansing, MI

Stand up for the future of science, and scientists.
Please share!