Skip to main content
Cornell University Department of Entomology

Paul Weston


Paul A. Weston

Senior Research Associate

Michigan State University, 1986.
Woody ornamental entomology, integrated pest management, insect/plant interactions.

150 Insectary, Ithaca, NY 14853
Phone: 607.255.0165
Fax: 607.255.1720
Email: paw23@cornell.edu

Table of Contents

Professional Overview and Objectives

My basic research interests are centered on increasing our understanding of insect responses to secondary products from higher plants, including attractants, repellents, feeding stimulants, and deterrents. The range of activities included in this quest are isolation and identification of bioactive compounds, developing bioassays for tracking the chemical isolation of active compounds, quantifying behavioral responses to compounds of interest, and characterizing changes in responsiveness in the target insect species that occur during periods of host deprivation. I hope to integrate these research interests with studies of host-plant resistance in an effort to understand the bases of resistance to arthropod herbivores, and to formulate strategies for manipulating plants so as to enhance their pest resistance in sustainable ways. My applied research interests are focused on evaluation of alternative control measures for landscape and nursery pests, management strategies for invasive exotic arthropod pests, development of novel degree-day models that are better predictors of insect phenology than existing models, and development of treatment thresholds for pests of woody plants. My extension objectives, in addition to the traditional tasks of sharing research findings with clientele and helping growers and extension educators solve practical problems, are to utilize electronic media more extensively for delivering information to county extension educators, landscape professionals, arborists, and nursery operators, my principal clientele.

Education

Year Degree Institution
1986 Ph.D. Michigan State University
1981 M.S. Michigan State University
1979 B.S. Cornell University

Academic Ranks

Senior Research Associate:  1998

Areas of Expertise

IPM, insect behavior, chemical ecology, insect/plant interactions, digital imaging, electronic dissemination of information

Extension and Outreach

My primary extension activities involve speaking to clientle groups (lanscapers, arborists, nursery operators, Christmas tree growers, and municipal landscape managers) about management of pests of woody plants. Most of these talks deal with pest identification, management options, pesticide regulations, new (invasive) pests, and decision-making. These activities occur throughout the year, but tend to be concentrated in the winter months, and generally take place in county extension offices or in conference centers scattered around the state (I am receiving an increasing number of invitiations from extension personnel in other states). I have also been involved with developing curriculum for, and teaching at, short courses that have been taught at Cornell for the last several years through the Landscape Horticulture Program Work Team. Gauging the impact of my programs is difficult, especially considering our budgetary situation (I do not receive enough support to even cover the cost of travel to all the meetings I attend, which is why I now ask most meeting organizers to cover my travel costs). The only yardstick of impact I have is feedback that I sometimes receive from the organizers of the meetings, and feedback has been quite positive, both in terms of my delivery of the material and its usefulness. I gauge success of the program by the increasing number of requests to speak at extension meetings, and positive feedback and other words of support from extension educators and end-users of the information I disemminate.

Publications

Refereed Scientific Journal Articles

Weston, P. A. and M. D. Diaz. 2005. Thermal requirements and devleopment of immature stages of viburnum leaf beetle, Pyrrhalta viburni (Paykull) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Environ. Entomol. 34(5): 985-989.

Weston, P. A. and E. R. Hoebeke. 2003. Viburnum leaf beetle, Pyrrhalta viburni (Paykull) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae): Dispersal pattern of a palearctic lanscape pest in New York and its distribution status in the northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada. Proc. Entomol. Soc. Wash. 105(4): 889-895.

Weston, P. A., and G. Desurmont. 2002. Suitability of various species of Viburnum as hosts for Pyrrhalta viburni, an introduced leaf beetle. J. Environ. Hortic. 20(4): 224-227.

Weston, P. A., B. C. Eshenaur, J. M. Baird, and J. S. Lamboy. 2002. Evaluation of pesticides for control of larvae of Pyrrhalta viburni (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a new pest of viburnums. J. Environ. Hortic. 20(2): 82-85.

Weston, P. A. and P. L. Rattlingourd. 2000. Progeny production by Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and Oryzaephilius surinamenis (Coleoptera: Silvanidae) on maize previously infested by Sitotroga cerealella (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 93(2): 533-536.

Bierbaum, T. J., M. A. Case, P. A. Weston, G. L. Bush, and T. Pham. 2000. BEHAVIOR RECORDER: Software to record and analyze behavioral data using SAS and SYSTAT statistical software. Computers and Electronics in Agr. 29: 233-241.

Weston, P. A. and P. L. Rattlingourd. 1999. Ovipositional stimuli of Angoumois grain moth (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), a primary pest of stored grains. J. Entomol. Sci. 34(4): 445-451.

Price, B. D., J. D. Sedlacek, and P. A. Weston. 1999. Pirimiphos-methyl and thiabendazole impact on the quality of on-farm stored shelled corn. J. Entomol. Sci. 34(2): 225-238.

Weston, P. A. and R. J. Barney. 1998. Comparison of three trap types for monitoring insect populations in stored grains. J. Econ. Entomol. 91(6): 1449-1457.

Sedlacek, J. D., B. D. Price, M. J. Sharkey, S. J. Hill, Jr., and P. A. Weston. 1998. Parasitoids found in on-farm shelled corn in Kentucky. J. Agric. Entomol. 15(3): 223-230.

Sedlacek, J. D., R. J. Barney, P. A. Weston, and B. D. Price. 1998. Efficacy of malathion against coleopteran populations in newly-harvested versus year-old stored corn. J. Entomol. Sci. 33(3): 282-291.

Published Abstracts

Weston, P. A. 2005. Viburnum leaf beetle: Update on a recently arrived landscape pest. Proceedings of the 16th U.S.D.A. Interagency Research Forum on Gypsy Moth and Other Invasive Species, 2005. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-337.

Hoch, W. A., B. H. McCown, and P. A. Weston. 2004. The potential of breeding for resistance to the introduced pest, viburnum leaf beetle (Pyrrhalta viburni). Acta Hort. 630: 53-55.

Weston, P. A., J. M. Baird, and R. E. McNiel. 2001. Plant traits associated with resistance of viburnums to feeding by viburnum leaf beetle. HortScience 36(3): 553.

Non-refereed Publications

Weston, L. A., A. F. Senesac, J.Allaire-Shagensky, S. H. Eom, P. A.Weston, and J. Cardina. 2006. A safe bet for the landscape. American Nurseryman 203(4): 35-38.

Weston, P. A. 2004. Viburnum leaf beetle, a formidable new pest in the landscape. Landscape Plant News 15(3): 1-4.

Weston, P. A. 2001. Viburnum leaf beetle, Pyrrhalta viburni (Paykull). Regulatory Horticulture 27: 27-30.

Weston, P. A., B. C. Eshenaur, and J. S. Lamboy. 2001. Control options for the viburnum leaf beetle. Yankee Grower 3(4): 11-13.

McNiel, R. E., P. A. Weston, and B. C. Eshenaur. 2000. Viburnum beetle: A serious threat to viburnum plants in stock blocks, production, and the landscape. Combined Proceedings of the International Plant Propagators’ Society 50: 419-421.

Weston, P. A., B. C. Eshenaur, and R. E. McNiel. 2000. Viburnum resistance. American Nurseryman 192: 51-53.

McNiel, R.E., P. A. Weston, and B. C. Eshenaur. 2000. Viburnum beetle: A serious threat to the landscape. Proceedings of the Southern Nursery Association 45: 144-146.

Weston, P. A., E. R. Hoebeke, and B. C. Eshenaur. 1999. Viburnum leaf beetle factsheet. Cornell University Extension Publications.

Contributor to the following publications:

Klass, C. and Snover, K. L. Pest management around the home, Part II. Cornell Cooperative Extension Miscellaneous Bulletin S74, Cornell Media and Technology Sevices, Ithaca, NY.

Johnson, W. T., Gilrein, D. O., Senesac, A. F., Hudler, G. W., Jensen-Tracy, S. L., Bing, A., Curtis, P. D., Richmond, M. E., and Frantz, S. C. Pest management guide for commercial production and maintenance of trees and shrubs. Cornell Media and Technology Services, Ithaca, NY.

Invited Papers / Book Chapters

Kaul, K. and P. A. Weston. 1998. Undergraduate research in the biological sciences at Kentucky State University. Trans. Kentucky Acad. Science 59: 29-32.

Electronic Publications

CU Allstar Groundcovers website, a web page featuring photographs and basic growth characteristics of groundcovers suitable for the northeastern U.S. Joint with Leslie A. Weston (Horticulture) and A. F. Senesac (LIHREC, Riverhead).

Woody Ornamentals Entomology at Cornell University, a web page with information on personnel and current projects, with links to tools of interest to practitioners of landscape pest management including:

  • NY Growing Degree-Day Tracker, a tabular and graphical display of regularly updated growing degree-day information for 22 cities scattered around New York State.
  • Exotic Insect Pest Update, a site containing photographs, distribution maps, and new information about recent exotic invasive pests of woody plants in New York State.
  • Asian Longhorned Beetle Identification Page, a pictorially-oriented site to facilitate identification of suspect insects by citizens without entomological training.
  • Woody Ornamentals Picture Board, a posting of photographs of new and unusual pests in the landscape.
  • Updated information on viburnum leaf beetle, including a downloadable fact sheet.
  • OrnamEnt, a database of information on arthropod pests of woody ornamentals (in preparation). Being developed for deployment on CD-ROM as well. The interface for both the web and disk-based versions is complete, but data entry and verification is continuing.

(All of the above sites can be accessed from the woody ornamentals web page located at: http://www.entomology.cornell.edu/Extension/Woodys/Woodys.php)

MOVER2, a computer program for teaching and investigating movement behavior of arthropods in response to chemical stimuli.