Photographers Lift Pests' Poise

Hesitant dagger moth, Acronicta haesitata, Bruce Watt, University of Maine, Bugwood.org.

How do you get a hesitant dagger moth to smile for the camera? Thanks to a grant made by the Northeastern IPM Center, you don’t have to figure that out.

People have long needed resources to identify pathogens, insects, mites, and harmful organisms. To address this, the Bugwood Network, based at the University of Georgia, began archiving and cataloging high-quality images by taxonomic category. In 2011 and 2012, the Center funded a team led by Karen Snover-Clift of Cornell University to develop the Northeast Region Bugwood Node.

To date, 4,572 images have been submitted through the Bugwood-Cornell node to the network. They cover 843 subjects and have been viewed 1.6 million times since inception in 2012.

So, no need to get your smartphone out and persuade your pest of choice to pose. You can just go to http://www.ipmimages.org/ and start browsing.