Organizers: Maya Evenden and Antonia Musso

Mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, is the most important mortality agent of mature pine in western North America. Its historic range extends from north central BC south through the western USA to Mexico.  Following a hyper-epidemic outbreak in the early 2000s, mountain pine beetle expanded its range into more northerly, easterly and higher elevation forests than previously recorded.  Mountain pine beetle is now established in Alberta and has successfully colonized a new host, jack pine, Pinus banksiana, a major component of Canada’s boreal forest. It is unclear, however, if mountain pine beetle will reach epidemic population densities in jack pine dominated forests. Large, multi-institutional research projects that have targeted understanding the mountain pine beetle, its fungal symbionts and its host trees in its expanded range provide much biological information to form the foundation of beetle management east of the Rocky Mountains.  This symposium highlights some of the studies conducted on the mountain pine beetle system in its expanded range in Alberta.  Topics range from genes to ecosystems and cover studies on mountain pine beetle system genetics, overwintering biology and physiology, beetle/host interactions, dispersal by flight and management of beetles east of the Rocky Mountains.

Organizers: Shawn Abraham and Donna Giberson

Our symposium is based on the premise that to assess “New Bugs Rising”, we also need to have a good understanding of the species that already exist. The size and diversity of the country makes this a challenge. The papers in this symposium are designed to look at some of the challenges in assessing biodiversity in Canada (from methodological issues to logistics of getting permits and accessing remote areas), and then provide some examples of how these challenges can be overcome. Speakers will also include, where appropriate, how their biodiversity research has lead to “new bugs” in the sense of new records or introduction detection.

Organizers: Rebeccca Hallett and Boyd Mori

In recent years, a number of endemic and alien gall midge species have emerged as pests of a variety of crops in North America, bringing with them a need for new knowledge related to their biology and ecology, economic impacts, natural enemies and management. This symposium includes research in the areas of phenology, ecology, chemical ecology, natural enemies, economic impacts and integrated pest management, and provides insights into range expansion of species already in Canada, lessons learned from previous introductions and invasions, and genomic tools in invasion ecology research.

Organizers: Julia Mlynarek and Jayme Lethwaite

With the clear decline of insects in the world, it is more important than ever to gather the best information for decision makers to best assess species. Traditional monitoring is imperative but there are emerging tools such as automated monitoring, AI for identification, distribution modelling, conservation genetics, and breeding and release programs that can help decrease knowledge gaps of rare species and lift these native arthropod species into prominence. In this symposium we will hear about these different tools, how they have been implemented and in what circumstances they could be incorporated into research programs and projects.

Organizers: Amanda Roe and Erin Campbell

Insect invasions are a widespread threat to the ecological and economic health of our natural environments. They are, by definition, new bugs with rising population numbers in novel or naïve habitats. This process of invasion is complex and can leave a molecular signature in the invading population that provides clues to its history and potential for future spread. ‘Omics, including genomics and transcriptomics, provide powerful approaches to reveal these molecular signatures, providing insight to the history of the invasion, identifying genetic or functional traits that underlie invasion success, and providing evidence of rapid adaptation to new environments. We propose a symposium that highlights a diversity of arthropod systems and the novel ‘omics approaches that can help unravel the fascinating process of insect invasion. We have invited speakers that represent a diversity in career stages and backgrounds, and use a range of “omics tools to understand the unique stories of invasive insects

Organizers: Olav Rueppell, Shelley Hoover and Rassol Bahreini

Even though honey bees are not new to Canada, they give rise to an ever-increasing list of intriguing research problems, which are partially fueled by their elaborate social life and fascinating biology and partially by the severe health problems that this commercially important species is facing. In this symposium, we seek to highlight the many great directions that honey bee research is developing in Canada. We focus on honey bees as a long-standing model for many other insect species to bring together experts from various subdisciplines and elucidate novel aspects of the biology and health of this particular species. Presented research will range across levels of biological organization and include basic and applied science, with a special emphasis on the novel approaches used in recent studies.

Organizers: Berenice Romero and Georgiana Antochi-Crihan

The amount of biodiversity within Insecta mirrors the many ways in which entomologists contribute to society with their knowledge. Beyond traditional academic roles, entomologists have ventured into various fields, including consulting agencies, government, museums, urban control companies, and forensics. As students navigate their journey through undergraduate and graduate school, they may develop biases towards academia or industry, while remaining unaware of the wide range of career opportunities available for young entomologists (“eggs”).

The aim of this session is to feature a group of entomologists with diverse career paths (“adults”), who will engage in a discussion about the training and skills required for their current positions. Time will also be set aside to answer questions from attendees.