Transforming entomology to adapt to global concerns: 2021 student debates.

The 2021 Student Debates of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) were held at the Annual Meeting in Denver, CO. The event was organized by the Student Debates Subcommittee (SDS) of the Student Affairs Committee (SAC). The theme of the 2021 Student Debates was "Transforming Entomology to Adapt to Global Concerns", with 3 topics. Each topic had an unbiased introduction and 2 teams. The debate topics were (i) Nonnative insect introduction is an ethical approach for counteracting proliferation and overpopulation of consumers, (ii) What is the best technology to control undesirable insect pests in urban and agricultural settings? and (iii) Compared to other solutions, like plant-based diets, insect farming is the best method to address rising human global food and nutrient supply demands. Unbiased introduction speakers and teams had approximately 6 months to prepare for their presentations.

Influence of Trap Location in the Tree Canopy on Captures of Adventive Trissolcus japonicus (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae).

Trissolcus japonicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) is an egg parasitoid of the invasive Asian pest, brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Also native to Asia, adventive T. japonicus populations have been detected in North America since 2014, and are currently reported from 15 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and two Canadian provinces. Yellow sticky cards (YSC) have proven effective for monitoring the presence, seasonal abundance, and distribution of these adventive populations. Our research has utilized YSC deployed in the midcanopy of H. halys host trees, following a study in which all leaves on felled tree of heaven, Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) Swingle, were inspected for H. halys egg masses, yielding eggs parasitized by T. japonicus only from mid- and upper-canopy leaves. However, given that other investigators have captured T. japonicus using YSC deployed in the lower-canopy, and that the effect of YSC placement in trees on T. japonicus captures had not been examined, captures of T. japonicus on YSC in the mid- and lower-canopy of individual A. altissima were compared. Traps were replaced weekly for five weeks and assessed for scelionid species. In 2020 and 2021, T. japonicus represented ≥53% of all Scelionidae captured, and there was not a significant effect of YSC location in the canopy on its captures. Deploying YSC at either canopy height was effective for measuring the relative abundance of T. japonicus, but sampling from the lower canopy substantially improved the efficiency and convenience of T. japonicus surveillance.