Insect ID
Train-the-Trainer Short Course Coming in the spring of 2010!
"What's bugging you?" is a cliché that is often heard in everyday conversations. Is it a common buggy pest that has been around for years or it is something new and exotic?
Sometimes we don't know what is bugging us, and that is where
Oregon State University Extension Specialist Silvia Rondon and her team are
coming to the rescue. Rondon, along with other University faculty from Oregon and Washington,
are teaming up to train a group of volunteers that will learn to identify
insects of the Pacific Northwest and then help
others do the same.
Rondon, who is passionate about the importance of proper identification, says, "Our team is looking forward to sharing our knowledge about insect ID and to be able to 'roll the ball' and train the trainers. We hope many people will be able to join us in our 3 locations." Trainings will be offered in Hermiston, Oregon; Ontario, Oregon; and Colfax, Washington in the spring of 2010, but signing up now is strongly recommended as class space is limited. Click here for the application.
The 20-hour short course is designed to train University Extension
field faculty, Extension Master Gardeners, agency professionals, and crop
consultants on identification of insects - both beneficial and pesky bugs.
The training will include many hands-on aspects:
- collecting, mounting, and identifying insects,
- using a stereo microscope, and
- using an insect key.
Training will also include insect management and creation of an educational display. Class enrollment is limited to 20 individuals at each site.
There is no charge for the course and applicants will be screened to insure that the course in a good match for their skills and interests plus their ability to do the community service project (10 hours minimum) as a payback for the training. All handouts, materials, equipment and supplies will be furnished. Click here for the short course flier.
Locations:
- Hermiston Agricultural Research & Extension Center, May 3-5, 2010, Hermiston, Oregon;
- OSU Extension Office, May 6-8, 2010, Ontario, Oregon;
- WSU Extension Office, June 2-4, 2010, Colfax, WA.
Instructors:
- Silvia Rondon, OSU Extension Entomologist, and
- Chris Marshal, OSU Entomology Taxonomist.
Class facilitators:
- Mary Corp, OSU Extension,
- Steve Van Vleet, WSU Extension,
- Steve Norberg & Lynn Jenson, OSU Extension.
For more information, please contact OSU Extension Service for an application packet:
Email Mary Corp - (541) 278-5403 or Silvia Rondon - (541) 567-8321
Funding for this course was provided in part by WSARE.
For more information on spotted wing drosophila and other insect pests of the region see:
