Volume eighteen of the Newsletter of the Alaska Entomological Societyhas been posted to the website. The complete issue can be opened as a single pdf or you can peruse the individual articles in either pdf or html format.
Featured articles:
Chemical ecology of spruce beetle Christopher J. Fettig, Jackson P. Audley, & A. Steven Munson
Three new records of gall inducers in Alaska Ramsey Sullivan
Larch casebearer confirmed in Southcentral Alaska Grace Graham
First detection of small hive beetle, Aethina tumida (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), in Alaska Ramsey Sullivan
Review of the nineteenth annual meeting Sayde Ridling & Derek S. Sikes
Congratulations to Ren Smelter on his receipt of an AKES Science Fair Award for his project titled “The Amazing Ants of Alaska”, presented at the Interior Alaska Science Fair. Ren’s poster covers ant anatomy, behavior, taxonomy, and adaptions to Alaska’s cold winters. Additionally, he created a 3D model of a carpenter ant (Camponotus herculeanus). Great work, Ren!
Ren was awarded a certificate and a copy of the book “Adventures Among Ants: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions” by Mark W. Moffett. Thank you to Derek Sikes, Taylor Kane, and Jessica Rykken for attending the 2026 Interior Alaska Science Fair on behalf of AKES.
The Amazing Ants of Alaska by Ren Smelter. Science Fair poster presented at the Interior Alaska Science Fair, March 2026. Ren Smelter receives his AKES Science Fair Award at the 2026 Interior Alaska Science Fair.
Alaska Science & Engineering Fair (Anchorage, AK)
Congratulations to Jaxson Redmond on his receipt of an AKES Science Fair Award for his project titled “Frassonators for the Future”, presented at the Alaska Science & Engineering Fair. Jaxson tested whether mealworm weight and frass weight differed based on the composition of the container the mealworms were housed in (aka “Frassonator”). Congratulations, Jaxson! And, a thank you to Ramsey Sullivan for attending the AK Science & Engineering Fair on behalf of AKES.
“Frassonators for the Future” by Jaxson Redmond. Science Fair poster presented at the Alaska Science and Engineering Fair (Anchorage), March 2026.
Adam Haberski & Caitlin Silva recently published a downloadable entomological dictionary that can be added to your word processor. The article about the tool was published in American Entomologist and can be read at the following URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/ae/tmag006
When: Friday February 13th, 2026, 11 am – 4 pm Where: Room 211 at Rasmuson Hall (3416 Seawolf Dr) on the University of Anchorage campus. A zoom link will be provided for those wishing to attend remotely. Social gathering to follow (TBD).
If you have anything you would like to present please email a title, abstract, and the length of the talk to Joey Slowik, AKES Secretary jaslowik (at) alaska.edu. (Presentation time blocks are typically 20 or 30 minutes long.)
The article by Taylor L. Kane, Derek S. Sikes, and Nathan Schiff was published in ZooKeys and is available at the following URL: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1267.170946
Volume seventeen of the Newsletter of the Alaska Entomological Societyhas been posted to the website. The complete issue can be opened as a single pdf or you can peruse the individual articles in either pdf or html format.
Featured articles:
Marine Intertidal Pseudoscorpions in Juneau, Alaska Bob Armstrong & John Hudson
“No Vacancy”: Masking spruce trees from spruce beetles with semiochemicals on the Kenai Peninsula Jackson P. Audley, Christopher J. Fettig, Jason E. Moan, Jessie Moan, Steve Swenson, Elizabeth E. Graham, & Agenor Mafra-Neto
Seed-feeding and fruit deformity of crabapple caused by the apple seed chalcid in Southcentral Alaska Alexandria Wenninger
Community science collaboration enhances understanding of fireweed flower gall midge distribution in Alaska Alexandria Wenninger
Review of the seventeenth annual meeting Dana Brennan
Review of the eighteenth annual meeting Jozef Slowik
Congratulations to Izzy Spellman, Oliver Brewer, Lief O’Regan, Piper Straub, & Severin Parks on their receipt of an AKES Science Fair Award! Their project titled “True Colors of Insect Outbreaks in the Boreal Forest – Can We Detect Forest Insect Outbreaks in 25 Years of GLOBE Green Down Leaf Color Data Collected by interior Alaska Students?” looked for patterns in 25 years of leaf color data on insect-damaged leaves collected by students in interior Alaska. They found that insect damage is associated with certain leaf colors, and that warm winters tend to precede worse birch leafminer outbreak years. Thank you to Ramsey Sullivan, Derek Sikes, Taylor Kane, and Jessica Rykken for attending the Alaska Science and Engineering Fair (Anchorage) and the Interior Science Fair (Fairbanks) on behalf of AKES!
Alaska Science & Engineering Fair – Izzy Spellman, Oliver Brewer, Lief O’Regan, Piper Straub, & Severin Parks, “True Colors of Insect Outbreaks in the Boreal Forest – Can We Detect Forest Insect Outbreaks in 25 Years of GLOBE Green Down Leaf Color Data Collected by interior Alaska Students?”
The 2025 annual meeting of the Alaska Entomological Society will be on Friday, February 21, 2025. This will be a hybrid meeting, held virtually and in-person in Fairbanks at the Alaska Dept. of Natural Resources (3700 Airport Way). See the agenda for more information.
