Ep. 55: Guac and awe

Avocados are under attack from pests on all fronts: the fruit, the leaves, the roots, and more. A whole ecosystem feeds on your favorite toast topper. On the show to talk about them is director of UCR's Center for Invasive Species Research, Dr. Mark Hoddle.

The males of most insect species aren't thought to contribute much to their nests or colonies beyond DNA. Our guest today, UCR entomologist Meghan Moore, confounds that thinking with new research on bumblebee brothers, and sheds new light on the work that males do toward keeping their species going.

UCR mycologist Jason Stajich tells us what is and isn't really possible when trying to use fungi to control insect pests.

Imagine being a toddler, stepping out the door for the first time, walking 3 miles for some food and finding your way home again without a cell phone, GPS, or any kind of map. Humans would never, but this is normal for insects. Listen in and learn how they do it! Cover shot by Cabezonication/iStock/Getty.

How likely is it that, on any given day, you see a random insect and it actually has a name? Why do insects need names anyway? Drop on by, we'll explain.

The coffee berry borer is a tiny beetle that represents a big and growing threat to most adults’ beloved morning beverage. It appears to be infesting new islands in the major coffee-growing region of Hawaii. Dr. Bodil Cass, subtropical entomology specialist at UCR, joins us to discuss this creature and as well as available options for protecting our beans.

New World screwworm: a successful eradication program rid the U.S. of this devastating pest 60 years ago, but it's back. 19 cases detected in Texas as of 6/24/26. To explain what exactly the insect is, how it infects living mammal tissue, and what is being done about it, we're joined by UC Riverside veterinary entomologist Dr. Amy Murillo, who leads a monitoring and education program funded by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

The postal service has finally delivered this audio postcard recorded on site at the 2026 Riverside Insect Fair! Ever wondered what there is to do or see at an all-day festival dedicated to bugs? Who might you meet and what might you eat? Listen in and learn!

For the UCR Department of Entomology's 111th anniversary, we are joined by four professors who tell us why this department is still thriving after more than a century, even as similar departments elsewhere have disappeared. More info about anniversary celebration activities open to the public: https://entomology.ucr.edu/entomologys-111th-celebration

As we struggle with piles of paperwork on Tax Day, we’re taking a little time to reflect that it was not humans that invented paperwork, but wasps. Jim Carpenter, curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, fills us in on how wasps do it, and why.