From the desk of Kris Braman

We have certainly had a busy semester here in the UGA Entomology Department. Highlights included Outreach Events like Insectival now in its 34^th year of a collaboration between Entomology and the UGA Botanical Garden. This annual event reaches thousands. Faculty, staff and graduate students play an integral part and this year our undergraduate club joined the adventure with the ever-popular roach races.

Our UGA Entomology Department is delighted to congratulate student and faculty award winners at the annual Entomological Society of America (ESA) meeting in National Harbor this year. It was a personal highlight to be recognized as an Honorary Member of ESA alongside lifetime friend and colleague Alvin Simmons who received an ESA Fellows award this year. ESA meetings are so valuable for faculty and students to share, network and build synergies. Multiple grad students shared with me this year that connections made at ESA resulted in adding new dimensions to their research programs and growing capacity for their projects. We strive to send all our students to professional meetings, but it is expensive (shameless plug for you to hit that donate button on the Hexapod Herald newsletter page :) )

The yellow-legged hornet (YLH), Vespa velutina, a new threat to Georgia’s beekeeping industry is receiving widespread attention and effort towards eradication and mitigation of impact. Please see the invasive species updates further in the newsletter.