20 Jan 2026

Does tamarack have any idea what to do with eastern larch beetles? Grace's paper on the resin defense of tamaracks is out in Ecological Applications. That was a fun collaboration with Marcella Windmuller-Campione and Dan Griffin

6 Jan 2026

Happy New Year. We start the year three southern flying squirrels fewer than 2025. They are all napping at Wildlife Rehab in Roseville this winter, dreaming of their time learning forest entomology from the lab/office rafters

15 Dec 2025

Good morning! Kyra and Emma brought this rascal to wildlife rehab as well. How many more squirrels do we have in our lab at the moment?

12 Dec 2025 10pm

Ian stopped back by the lab after an evening gym workout and heard rustling in the garbage can. No… that’s not possible… he peeked around the corner and snapped this photo.  More traps set!

12 Dec 2025 noon

Well aren't you just the cutest thing! A juvenile female has been captured, in good condition. How long has she been living with us? Given a lack of winter acclimation, Charlotte brought her to wildlife rehab

11 Dec 2025

Three of the five traps have been robbed!  No flying squirrel to be found, although we’re pretty sure it’s watching us.  Traps have been rebaited with peanut butter

10 Dec 2025

Ian was doing a GIS assignment when a flying squirrel arrived at his desk. Yep, you read that right - our building is kinda old. Charlotte Devitz of Squirrel Squad fame stopped by with spare traps and trained Emma on their use

17 Nov 2025

Brian is in Ottawa this week to meet new colleagues and share research on how extended growing seasons continue to foster the ongoing outbreak of eastern larch beetle in Minnesota

11 Nov 2025

Two more prizes! Congrats to Sayesha and Mai for their second place finishes in the graduate and undergraduate student presentation competitions at Ent Soc America in Portland this week!

11 Nov 2025

A highlight of the ESA meeting was gathering past and present lab members in attendance around a meal. Several now have their own labs with students who continue to amaze and inspire us!

31 Oct 2025

Happy Halloween! Student creativity typically shines at this time of year. Here is Emma in costume. She is one of the largest moths known to science, Attacus atlas, otherwise known as Atlas moth of course!

24 Oct 2025

Brian is away through the end of the week at the Ontario Pest Management Conference and the Entomological Society of Ontario at Royal Botanical Gardens, presenting some of the great work Jess did on budworms on Isle Royale

23 Oct 2025

Hooray for Grace! Her first thesis chapter on the resin defense of tamaracks against eastern larch beetle was just accepted in Ecological Applications. Look for the paper to appear soon!

22 Oct 2025

Great department seminar from lab alumnus August Kramer, showcasing some of his graduate work on the dispersal of bark beetles. August now works for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

03 Oct 2025

And the winners are... Ian (first place talk), Ella (first place poster), Emma (second place talk), and Sayesha (honorable mention, talk). Wow; great showing by the students at the North Central Forest Pest Workshop this year!

26 Sep 2025

Our friend Sarah Boyer from Macalester College stopped by the lab with a class today, en route to the Insect Collection. We have appreciated several talented summer students that Sarah has sent our way!

24 Sep 2025

Congrats to Jess! She received a clear pass on her dissertation defense of aspects of spruce budworm in the Great Lakes region. Her NRSM compatriots surprised her with a fantastic celebratory DR. JESS sign at the end.

18 Sep 2025

Emma and Brian needed advice on an experimental idea, so had a great visit with Cale and Amaya at the Minnesota Zoo today to learn about the amazing conservation work they are doing!

17 Sep 2025

The lab is deep in prep mode for the upcoming NCFPW. Tools needed while constructing a successful presentation: playlist, data, R, snacks, time… and rice and the drying oven for the laptop that took a drink at lunch :( 

25 Aug 2025

The farewells start, as summer technicians depart for new adventures. Happy trails!  The person departing today is off to hike the Camino de Santiago in Spain in September. They're the second member of the lab to do that hike! 

22 Aug 2025

Ian is up north today, giving an outreach presentation to Friends of the Sax-Zim Bog. We've really appreciated their support of our research in tamarack bogs over the past few years!

19 Aug 2025

Where did the summer go? We enjoyed a lab lunch from Nelson's Deli to celebrate another great summer of work and our summer crew. Not to be forgotten, the Montana wing of the lab joined by Zoom with a sammy from Tagliare Delicatessen in Missoula.