AMES, Iowa -- They fly, they bite, they sting, they chew. And as temperatures in Iowa begin to soar, so do the bugs of summer. Iowa State University's entomology department is ready to help you decipher this year's insect invasion.
Mosquitoes and ticks
Lyric Bartholomay
Assistant professor and medical entomologist
(515) 294-0594 or lyricb@iastate.edu
Bartholomay directs the university's Medical Entomology Laboratory, including the surveillance program for the state of Iowa (http://www.ent.iastate.edu/medent/surveillance). The program provides public health and general information about mosquito populations and the potential for disease transmission.
Insects in and around the home
Donald Lewis
Professor and extension entomologist
(515) 294-1101 or drlewis@iastate.edu
Lewis leads activities of the extension urban entomology program. He can discuss insects found in the home, yard and garden -- from ants and beetles to spiders and termites.
Flies, ticks, lice, mosquitoes
Kenneth Holscher
Associate professor and extension entomologist
(515) 294-1101 or kholsche@iastate.edu
Holscher is an expert on insects of medical or veterinary interest -- flies, ticks, lice, mosquitoes -- and their management in the livestock and poultry industry.
Insect repellents
Joel R. Coats Professor
(515) 294-4776 or jcoats@iastate.edu
Coats is an entomologist and toxicologist and researches natural repellents like catnip, and chemical insecticides like DEET. He can discuss these as well as the degradation and movement of insecticides and pesticides in the environment.
Additional information on Iowa insects and current insect problems in the state is online at http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/iiin/.