News Release
January  15, 2008

UW entomology short course participants immersed in everything insects

Some people about this time on the calendar jump into ice-cold lakes to celebrate the New Year.

But there are those who annually immerse themselves in bugs, so to speak, instead.

University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service (UW CES) entomologists are planning for the annual three-day Entomology Short Course, in which participants have close encounters of the insect kind.

The course, from 1 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, to noon Feb. 7, at UW is open to everyone, but most are from county weed and pest control districts across the state, said Scott Schell, assistant extension entomologist.

“Other groups finding it useful are UW CES educators and Master Gardeners,” he said. “The course will help them do their jobs more effectively and increase their ability to answer the general public’s questions about insects accurately.”

The course holds 24; 22 have signed up to date.  The shortfall is not expected to last. “This is the fourth year in a row, and the interest is always great,” said Alex Latchininsky, extension entomologist and assistant professor in the Department of Renewable Resources. “We have to cap the number at 24. We also keep the cost of the class low – $75, which includes the class packet and two books – to make it affordable to everyone.”

Instructors hail from UW’s College of Agriculture, Colorado State University, Wyoming State Forestry Division, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Paula Cushing, department chair and curator of invertebrate zoology at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Students learn to identify the good guys from the bad boys.

The first step in integrated pest management is identification of insects found during surveys, said Schell. Students are shown how to use good reference books to identify insects to order and then how to apply the same principle to identify to the insect’s family.

 “Many times, identification past family is all that is needed for good management,” said Schell. “We also introduce students to a lot of good reference material and have experts talk about the insects and arthropods they work with. We emphasize that most insects are harmless or beneficial, and, with our training, the students will be able to distinguish the good ones from the pests.”

For more information, Schell can be contacted at (307) 766-2508 or sschell@uwyo.edu.

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Contact: Steven L. Miller, Senior Editor
Phone: (307) 766-6342
E-mail: slmiller@uwyo.edu
Archived News Site http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/UWAG/news.asp

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