Northeast IPM Center Participation by the NYS IPM Program, 2006

NYS IPM Program staff were involved with several key activities of theNortheast IPM Center in 2006. Included were participation and leadership in the Center’s Working Groups and meeting with Natural Resource Conservation Service representatives

Transcriptomics of the Bed Bug (Cimex lectularius)

BACKGROUND: Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are blood-feeding insects poised to become one of the major pests in households throughout the United States. Resistance of C. lectularius to insecticides/pesticides is one factor thought to be involved in its sudden resurgence. Despite its high-impact status, scant knowledge exists at the genomic level for C. lectularius. Hence, we subjected the C. lectularius transcriptome to 454 pyrosequencing in order to identify potential genes involved in pesticide resistance. METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using 454 pyrosequencing, we obtained a total of 216,419 reads with 79,596,412 bp, which were assembled into 35,646 expressed sequence tags (3902 contigs and 31744 singletons). Nearly 85.9% of the C. lectularius sequences showed similarity to insect sequences, but 44.8% of the deduced proteins of C. lectularius did not show similarity with sequences in the GenBank non-redundant database. KEGG analysis revealed putative members of several detoxification pathways involved in pesticide resistance. Lamprin domains, Protein Kinase domains, Protein Tyrosine Kinase domains and cytochrome P450 domains were among the top Pfam domains predicted for the C. lectularius sequences. An initial assessment of putative defense genes, including a cytochrome P450 and a glutathione-S-transferase (GST), revealed high transcript levels for the cytochrome P450 (CYP9) in pesticide-exposed versus pesticide-susceptible C. lectularius populations. A significant number of single nucleotide polymorphisms (296) and microsatellite loci (370) were predicted in the C. lectularius sequences. Furthermore, 59 putative sequences of Wolbachia were retrieved from the database. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge this is the first study to elucidate the genetic makeup of C. lectularius. This pyrosequencing effort provides clues to the identification of potential detoxification genes involved in pesticide resistance of C. lectularius and lays the foundation for future functional genomics studies

Cytoplasmic TAF2-TAF8-TAF10 complex provides evidence for nuclear holo-TFIID assembly from preformed submodules

General transcription factor TFIID is a cornerstone of RNA polymerase II transcription initiation in eukaryotic cells. How human TFIID-a megadalton-sized multiprotein complex composed of the TATA-binding protein (TBP) and 13 TBP-associated factors (TAFs)-assembles into a functional transcription factor is poorly understood. Here we describe a heterotrimeric TFIID subcomplex consisting of the TAF2, TAF8 and TAF10 proteins, which assembles in the cytoplasm. Using native mass spectrometry, we define the interactions between the TAFs and uncover a central role for TAF8 in nucleating the complex. X-ray crystallography reveals a non-canonical arrangement of the TAF8-TAF10 histone fold domains. TAF2 binds to multiple motifs within the TAF8 C-terminal region, and these interactions dictate TAF2 incorporation into a core-TFIID complex that exists in the nucleus. Our results provide evidence for a stepwise assembly pathway of nuclear holo-TFIID, regulated by nuclear import of preformed cytoplasmic submodules

School IPM Outreach and Research Activities, 2006

Integrated pest management in schools is needed to reduce risks to children and others from both pests and the overuse of pesticides.  The NYS IPM Program was involved in several extension and applied research activities at schools in 2006. In the lower Hudson River Valley, we continued with a “learning community” approach. Three school districts are working with extension and school peers to assist each other in the development of model IPM programs. Following up with a cockroach IPM plan and demonstration in 2005, a training program was held at South Huntington UFSD for facilities workers that added the category of 7A “structural and rodent” to their pesticide applicator licenses. These facilities workers then became an in-house pest management team that assumed the responsibility for future cockroach and other pest management. In New York City, the Director of Pest Control requested an IPM STAR evaluation from the IPM Institute. The NYS IPM program has been closely involved with NYC schools for many years, and helped in 2006 by conducting the pre-evaluation using IPM STAR standards. NYS IPM then helped conduct the official IPM STAR evaluation. We participated in a nation-wide group preparing a USDA-funded Pest Management Strategic Plan for school IPM and started the development of outreach efforts to small, rural school districts in the Adirondacks. NYS IPM Program staff organized a meeting of the Statewide School IPM Committee and interacted with numerous school districts and others about school IPM via presentations and site visits

Integrated Pest Management for Stinging Insects

Stinging insects, such as bees, yellowjackets, and other aggressive wasps, pose a significant threat to humans in the outdoor environment. Social wasps and bees will sting when provoked or especially when the colony is threatened. Although otherwise beneficial, many of these social wasps and bees build colonies and forage very close to human activities, such as around homes, schools, parks, concession stands, festivals, and the like. The standard type of control for stinging insects tends to focus on reactive pesticide use. Several alternative approaches exist but it is unclear to what extent they work. Integrated pest management strategies are also available, but many practitioners do not use them. Most homeowners know nothing about the types of stinging insects, the risks each may pose, and ways to reduce their impact before resorting to a pesticide. In 2006 the work of NYS IPM specialists helped push forward our understanding of how traps can be used to manage wasps in outdoor settings and whether repellant trash bags can reduce foraging. In addition, a draft manuscript was written for a publication that will serve as an IPM reference tool for anyone dealing with wasps and bees in the Northeast

School IPM Outreach and Research Activities, NYS IPM Program, 2009

Integrated pest management in schools is needed to reduce risks to children and others from both pests and the overuse of pesticides.  The NYS IPM Program was involved in several outreach activities at schools in 2009. We organized and conducted on-site assessments of the pest management programs of several NYS school districts, three that have received the IPM Institute’s STAR certification. We also did on-site consultations for specific pest management situations at two Long Island districts and the New York City Board of Education. We participated in a nation-wide group preparing a USDA-funded Pest Management Strategic Plan for school IPM and were involved in plans to implement the Plan’s recommendations including organizing the Northeast School IPM Working Group. In 2009, NYS IPM Program staff organized a meeting of the Statewide School IPM Committee and assisted the US EPA in school IPM outreach in Oneida County. We also began planning a repeat of the statewide survey of school pest management policies and practices

School IPM Outreach and Research Activities, NYS IPM Program, 2008

Integrated pest management in schools is needed to reduce risks to children and others from both pests and the overuse of pesticides.  The NYS IPM Program was involved in several outreach activities at schools in 2008. We organized and conducted on-site assessments of the pest management programs of several NYS school districts, two that received the IPM Institute's STAR certification. We also did on-site consultations for specific pest management situations at two Long Island districts. For the second year, The NYS IPM Program visited Ithaca area classrooms to share our program IPM: Fun with Insects, Weeds, and the Environment. We collaborated with the NY Agriculture in the Classroom Program to produce elementary school curricula that teach children agricultural concepts through an IPM, science-based approach. We participated in a nation-wide group preparing a USDA-funded Pest Management Strategic Plan for school IPM and were involved in plans to implement the Plan's recommendations including organizing the Northeast School IPM Working Group. In 2008, we began planning an IPM demonstration project at a non-public elementary school. NYS IPM Program staff organized a meeting of the Statewide School IPM Committee and interacted with numerous school districts and others about school IPM via presentations and site visits

Education and Outreach for Prevention and Managment of Bed Bugs in New York State

In the past decade, bed bugs have made an astounding comeback all across the United States. Bed bugs are small blood-feeding insects that invade human habitats, specifically the home, and where people sleep. Since bed bugs were nearly absent for 40 years in the US, very little is currently known about them, both in terms of their biology and the public’s familiarity with their appearance and control. Educational needs for dealing with this pest are overwhelming, and include outreach to cooperative extension educators, Master Gardeners, pest control professionals, facilities managers, social workers, medical professionals, travelers, college students and their families, landlords, tenants of rented properties, and just about everyone else. Those who seem to be most vulnerable to bed bugs include those in multiple unit buildings, the elderly (living alone), and those living in assisted or group homes. Elderly and disabled individuals tend to have fewer resources and may lack the ability to recognize or deal with bed bugs

The Interactive Plant Manager: A Searchable Website for IPM Information for Pests of Trees and Shrubs

The Interactive Plant Manager website is a comprehensive, searchable database of insect and disease identification, problem diagnosis, IPM, and prevention for woody ornamental plants in New York State, and much of the Northeast region. This project is a significant addition to web-based resources geared toward the ornamental horticulture industry, including landscapers, cooperative extension, and the public.  It is intended to be a companion publication for the 'Pest Management Guide for Commercial Production and Maintenance of Trees and Shrubs', produced by Cornell Cooperative Extension

Wasp and bee management: a common-sense approach (NRAES 185)

This 88 page publication (NRAES-185) was originally published by the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service (NRAES, previously known as the Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Service), a multi-university program in the Northeast US disbanded in 2011. Plant and Life Sciences Publishing (PALS) was subsequently formed to manage the NRAES catalog. Ceasing operations in 2018, PALS was a program of the Department of Horticulture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University. PALS assisted university faculty in publishing, marketing and distributing books for small farmers, gardeners, land owners, workshops, college courses, and consumers.The book includes 60+ color photos and information for identifying over 22 species of wasps, hornets, yellow jackets, and bees detailing habitat, appearance, behavior, and more. The risk for stings, swarms, and property damage is discussed and non-chemical recommendations are given if action is appropriate. Recommended for landscapers, homeowners, professional pest-managers, and others that may scout a property for stinging insects. The book details non-chemical methods to manage risks from wasps and bees. It also includes instructions on trap-assembly, a checklist outlining seasonal management tasks, and more