Forensic Entomology, West Nile Virus, Topics at Northern California Entomology Club Meeting

Debbie Dritz (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

DAVIS—Talks on "Trends in Applied Forensic Entomology" and "Control of Mosquitoes and West Nile Virus in Sacramento and Yolo Counties" will highlight the Northern California Entomology Club program on Thursday, May 4 at the Sudwerk restaurant, 2001 2nd St., Davis.

The meeting, set from 9:15 a.m. to 3 p.m., is open to university faculty, researchers, students, mosquito abatement professionals and others interested in entomology, said club president and mosquito researcher Debbie Dritz of the Department of Entomology, University of California, Davis.

UC Davis forensic entomologist Bob Kimsey will speak at 9:45 a.m. on "Trends in Applied Forensic Entomology." Dave Brown, manager of the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District, will discuss the West Nile virus at 1:15.

Also on the program are:

• Courtney Albrecht of Pest Exclusion, California Department of Food and Agriculture, speaking at 10:30 a.m. on "Regulations Concerning the Exclusion of Exotic Pests and Requirements for Non-pest Insects"
• UC Davis entomology graduate student Andrew Sutherland speaking at 11:15 on "Quantification of Powdery Mildew Removal by the Mycophagous Beetle Psyllobora vigintimaculata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)"
• UC Davis entomologist Michael Parrella speaking at 2 p. m. on "The Gerbera Alliance in California: A Model for the Development and Implementation of IPM in Cut Flowers"

A buffet lunch is available for purchase at noon.

The Northern California Entomology Club meets the first Thursdays of February, May and November. The group meets in February at the Hungry Hunter, Fairfield; in May at Sudwerk, Davis, and in November at the Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District office, Concord. Membership dues are $10 year.

"Membership is not necessary; we want people to be aware of the club and have the opportunity to attend a meeting and see what they think," Dritz said.

Reservations should be made by Friday, April 28 with UC Davis entomologist Eric Mussen at (530) 752-0472 or e-mailing him at ecmussen@ucdavis.edu.